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Neurodevelopmental screening at five years of children who were at risk neonatally
Insights
Newborn health issues can lead to subtle neurodevelopmental delays in children by age five. Boys and children with multiple risk factors showed higher scores on a neurodevelopmental screening test.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Child Neurology
- Public Health
Background:
- Neonatal disorders can impact long-term child development.
- Early identification of neurodevelopmental issues is crucial for intervention.
- Finnish children represent a unique demographic for developmental studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess neurodevelopmental outcomes in high-risk newborns at age five.
- To identify risk factors associated with neurodevelopmental deviations.
- To compare neurodevelopmental scores between high-risk children and controls.
Main Methods:
- A neurodevelopmental screening test with cumulative scoring was administered.
- 845 five-year-old children with neonatal risk factors were evaluated.
- 70 children without neonatal risk factors served as controls.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in neurodevelopmental scores were observed between high-risk children and controls.
- Higher scores (indicating more deviations) correlated with multiple simultaneous neonatal risk factors.
- Boys exhibited significantly higher neurodevelopmental scores than girls.
- Mean scores varied across different neonatal risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal disorders can result in subtle neurodevelopmental deviations detectable by age five.
- Cumulative risk factors amplify the likelihood of neurodevelopmental impairments.
- Sex-based differences in neurodevelopmental outcomes warrant further investigation.
Abstract:
A neurodevelopmental screening test with cumulative scoring for abnormal test responses was performed on 845 five-year-old Finnish children who, in the newborn period, had had disorders which placed them in a high-risk group, and on 70 controls. The results showed a significant difference between the neurodevelopmental scores of the risk-group children and those of the controls. The scores were higher if the child had had many of the risk factors simultaneously. Boys had significantly higher scores than girls. The mean scores also varied between different risk factors. It is evident that slight neurodevelopmental deviations at the age of five years can derive from disorders in the newborn period.