Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
19:32
Preterm EEG: A Multimodal Neurophysiological Protocol
Published on: February 18, 2012
Early development and school readiness in very preterm children
Kamini Raghuram1, Nicole Bando2, Magdalena Janus3
1Department of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Frontiers in Pediatrics
|May 11, 2026
Summary
Children born very preterm face significant school readiness challenges, with over double the vulnerability compared to peers. Early language support is crucial for improving outcomes in these children.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Children born very preterm often exhibit academic difficulties impacting long-term outcomes.
- School readiness in very preterm infants is understudied, with infrequent follow-up to school age.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe school readiness in very preterm children.
- To assess the association between early neurodevelopmental outcomes and later school readiness.
Main Methods:
- 112 children born <29 weeks gestation assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition (BSID-III) at 18-24 months corrected age.
- BSID-III results linked to the Early Development Instrument (EDI) for school readiness.
- Vulnerability (scores <10th percentile) compared between very preterm cohort and peers, and by neurodevelopmental impairment status.
Main Results:
- Very preterm children were over twice as likely to be vulnerable in multiple EDI domains (34% vs. 14%).
- Neurodevelopmental impairment at 18-24 months correlated with higher vulnerability across all domains.
- 35% of children without diagnosed impairment still showed school entry vulnerability; lower BSID-III language scores linked to vulnerability in multiple areas.
Conclusions:
- Very preterm children, particularly those with early neurodevelopmental impairment, face heightened risks for school readiness vulnerability.
- Early focus on language development may enhance school readiness outcomes for very preterm children.
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