School performance at nine years of age in very premature and very low birth weight infants: Perinatal risk factors and predictors at five years of age

School performance at nine years of age in very premature and very low birth weight infants: Perinatal risk factors and predictors at five years of age

Hille, E.T.M.
den Ouden, A.L.
Bauer, L.
van den Oudenrijn, C.
Brand, R.
Verloove-Vanhorick, S.P.
Nederlands Instituut voor Praeventieve Gezondheidszorg TNO

1994

To assess the impact of both perinatal disorders and developmental problems identified at preschool age on school performance, we followed a virtually complete birth cohort of very premature (<32 completed weeks of gestation) and very low birth weight infants until they were 9 years of age. In 84% of the survivors (n = 813), data on school performance were available for analysis. At the age of 9 years, 19% of the children were in special education. Of the children in mainstream education, 32% were in a grade below the appropriate level for age and 38% had special assistance. After correction for other perinatal items, children of low socioeconomic status and boys had significantly higher adjusted odds ratios for special education. Logistic regression with a perinatal and a 5-year time category showed that the most predictive factors for-special education were developmental delay, neuromotor and speech/language function, inattention and hyperactivity score, total problem score, and reported school results at the age of 5 years. When children with disabilities were left out of the analysis, the importance of neuromotor function and total problem score disappeared. Increased risks of any school failure in nondisabled children included mild or severe developmental delay and marginal or poor school performance at the age of 5 years. Long-term follow-up with specific attention to these predictors at 5 years of age, although time-consuming, is necessary.

Health
Academic achievement
Development
Major clinical study
Newborn
Prediction
Prematurity
Prognosis
School child
Sex difference
Small for date infant
Social status
Very low birth weight
Birth Weight
Child
Child Development
Child, Preschool
Cohort Studies
Disabled Persons
Education, Special
Educational Status
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Forecasting
Gestational Age
Human
Infant, Low Birth Weight
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Infant, Small for Gestational Age
Mainstreaming (Education)
Male
Mental Retardation
Risk Factors
Social Class
Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Survival Rate

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:85c47b24-fdd6-473c-b17c-4311f0f988de

232430

0022-3476

Journal of Pediatrics, 125 (3), 426-434

article