Premature
birth and low birth weight
The research shows that children who
are born pre-mature and/or with low birth weights were nearly
three times as likely to be low achievers or special needs children
once they reached school age compared with children born at full-term.
However, there is no a definite link between a pre-maturity and
school problems: about one third of premature children has no
substantial school difficulties. Unfortunately, nothing stands
out as a predictor to distinguish pre-term children with positive
outcomes from those with negative outcomes. In general, the probability
of having school problems with pre-mature children is relatively
high. For more information please read:
The research data from Sweeden: "Very
Low Birthweight Infants Fare Worse Academically Later in Life"
UPPSALA, Sweden (Reuters Health) Aug 23, 2002
- Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants fare worse than their full-term
counterparts in reading and writing development, according to
a study presented at the 10th European Conference on Developmental
Psychology.
An initial assessment of 7,505 children
showed that children with birth weights of 1500 g or less had
a significantly lower IQ on average than heavier pre-term infants
at 5 years of age. A cohort of 339 VLBW children, weighing less
than 1500 g or with gestation periods of less than 32 weeks, was
chosen for further study and investigation.
Professor
Dieter Wolke and colleagues at the University of Hertfordshire,
UK, assessed the reading and writing development of these children
and compared the results with those obtained from a control group
of 294 full-term children.
Marked differences were noted
between the two groups. At 8.5 years of age, only 51.5% of the
VLBW children were in the appropriate age group for their class
compared with 91.2% of the control group. Dr. Wolke' group also
found that 22.8% of VLBW infants were in special schools compared
with 1.5% of controls. A follow-up study showed that four years
later, as children progressed into secondary school, nearly 20%
of the VLBW children remained in special schools.
Nearly
30% of the preterm children had reading problems at 8.5 years,
compared with 9% of the control group. Writing problems were even
more pronounced in the VLBW group, with almost 40% having difficulties
in this area.
A closer analysis of these results showed
that reading skills could be predicted in the control group by
preschool phonetic awareness, IQ and preschool knowledge of the
alphabet. In the VLBW group, reading ability was mainly determined
by general IQ alone. In contrast, writing difficulties could be
predicted by the same factors in both groups.
According
to Professor Wolke, there is a critical point where the development
of the prenatal infant is at a crucial stage. "It's pretty
clear that the density of risk is relatively low until you get
down to 1500 g or 32 weeks of gestation. From then on, there's
a turning point and the density of risk becomes higher."
Professor Wolke pointed out that in spite of the risk,
many preterm babies go on to develop very well. "We suggest
that for a subgroup only of these children, there's clearly some
early brain mechanisms which have led to lower IQ functioning
in simultaneous information processing which is then related to
a range of problems, like behavioural problems or reading and
academic problems."
The article by Chris Gearon "Children Born Preterm
Likely to Be Low Achievers in School"
WASHINGTON, DC, Aug 08, 2002 (Reuters Health) -
Children who are born preterm or at low birth weights were nearly
three times as likely to be low achievers or special needs children
once they reached school age compared with children born at full-term,
according to findings reported at the 108th annual convention
of the American Psychological Association.
Presented
by researchers Jeremie R. Barlow and Dr. Lawrence Lewandowski
of Syracuse University, the data showed that 61% of preterm children
without physically debilitating conditions experienced either
low achievement or special needs in school, while 23% of full-term
children experienced these problems.
"Although
the majority of preterm infants in the general population will
not experience severe, global dysfunction, the results of the
current study suggest that impaired functioning is prevalent among
children born preterm," the researchers' paper concluded.
"As hypothesized, academic achievement had been significantly
impacted [and] in many cases had led to grade retention and designation
as students with a disability," the researchers continued.
As part of this 10-year longitudinal study, the researchers
evaluated 118 infants born at 24 to 31 weeks and 119 full-term
infants, born at 38 to 42 weeks. The children, who were measured
at birth, 15 months, and at 2, 4, 7 and 10 years of age, were
compared using school-related cognitive functioning measures that
assess learning disabilities, academic achievement, placement
and grade retention.
Preterm children not only scored
lower on intelligence and achievement tests compared with full-term
children, but parents and teachers rated preterm youngsters lower
on social and behavioral functioning measures. Furthermore, the
preterm children needed more educational support, were held back
a grade level and were diagnosed with learning disabilities more
often than the other children, the researchers found. "However,
there was a group of resilient children [among preterm births],
some of which were real small babies," the researchers said.
Twenty-nine of the 118 children born at preterm had positive outcomes.
"Nothing stood out as a predictor" to distinguish preterm
children with positive outcomes from those with negative outcomes,
the researchers said.
The preterm children were also
diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at rates
four- to six-times higher than the national estimates of 3% to
5% in the general population, the authors add. "The prevalence
of school problems with preterm children is staggering,"
the researchers conclude, "and warrants greater attention
from school professionals."
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