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Motor, Cognitive, and Language Development in Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis
Sany Fernandes1, Nadia C Valentini2, Lucia Andreis1
1Department of Human Movement Sciences, Santa Catarina State University, Florianópolis, Brazil.
Current Pediatric Reviews
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Preterm infants face significant risks of early neurodevelopmental delays, especially those born extremely preterm. Early monitoring and intervention are crucial for this vulnerable pediatric population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Preterm birth increases the risk of early neurodevelopmental difficulties.
- Prevalence of these delays varies significantly based on prematurity levels.
- Systematic review needed to consolidate prevalence data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the prevalence of motor, language, and cognitive delays in preterm infants.
- To analyze prevalence based on the degree of prematurity.
- To provide data supporting early developmental surveillance.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, registered in PROSPERO.
- Searched PubMed, VHL, SciELO, Scopus, Embase (Jan 2012-Feb 2023).
- Meta-analyses of cohort/cross-sectional studies using Bayley Scales, Brunet-Lézine, or Denver Developmental Screening Test.
Main Results:
- Pooled prevalence of mild delays: language (22.73%), motor (18.15%), cognitive (11.90%).
- Significant delays were less common.
- Extremely preterm infants exhibited the highest prevalence, particularly for mild motor and language delays.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants, especially extremely preterm, have a high prevalence of neurodevelopmental delays in early life.
- Findings underscore the need for early developmental surveillance and targeted interventions.
- Pooled estimates require cautious interpretation due to observed heterogeneity.
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