Premature babies and difficulties at school ~ Serena Follow-up to school Cognitive and neuromotor impairments at 5 years of age increase with decreasing gestational age. Many of these children need a high level of specialised care:[16] About half of infants born at 24-28 weeks of gestation have a disability at 5 years, similar to the proportion observed in the UK-based EPICure study.[17] In the infants born later (29-32 weeks of gestation), about a third have a disability at 5 years. Behavioural and psychomotor problems A study from Liverpool has looked at children aged 7 and 8 who were born before 32 weeks and who were well enough to attend mainstream school.[18] They were compared with full-term children of similar age in their class at school: Disabilities can be subtle and numerous and so a range of tests was used. The preterm children had a higher incidence of motor impairment and this affected how well they did at school even when their intelligence was normal. Over 30% had developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) compared with 6% of classmates. The preterm children were significantly more likely to be overactive, easily distractible, impulsive, disorganised and lacking in persistence. They also tended to overestimate their ability. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was found in 8.9% of the preterm children and 2% of controls. The children who had been the most premature were not necessarily those with the lowest scores. Although major disabilities have been reduced, the levels of disability tested in this study did not seem lower than those found in children born 10 or 20 years earlier, despite improvements in care of the newborn. Brain development IUGR may be very important in terms of early growth of the brain, leading to poor IQ and developmental skills.[19] Individuals who were born before 33 weeks of gestation continue to show noticeable decrements in brain volumes and striking increases in lateral ventricular volume into adolescence.[20]
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 11:32:44 +0000
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