premature infants are more susceptible to motor development , behavior and academic performance impairment when compared to term infants .
OBJECTIVES to examine and synthesize the available knowledge in the literature about the effects of preterm birth on the development of school-age children .
Neurologic Outcomes at School Age in Very Preterm Infants Born With Severe or Mild Growth Restriction
OBJECTIVE : To determine whether mild and severe growth restriction at birth among preterm infants is associated with neonatal mortality and cerebral palsy and cognitive performance at 5 years of age and school performance at 8 years of age . METHODS : All 2846 live births between 24 and 32 weeks ' gestation from 9 regions in France in 1997 were included in a prospect i ve observational study ( the EPIPAGE [ Étude Epidémiologique sur les Petits Ages Gestationnels ] study ) and followed until 8 years of age . Infants were classified as “ small-for-gestational-age ” ( SGA ) if their birth weight for gestational age was at the < 10th centile , “ mildly-small-for-gestational-age ” ( M-SGA ) if birth weight was at the ≥10th centile and < 20th centile , and “ appropriate-for-gestational-age ” ( AGA ) if birth weight was at the ≥20th centile . RESULTS : Among the children born between 24 and 28 weeks ' gestation  , the mortality rate increased from 30 % in the AGA group to 42 % in the M-SGA group and to 62 % in the SGA group ( P < .01 ) . Birth weight was not significantly associated with any cognitive , behavioral , or motor outcomes at the age of 5 or any school performance outcomes at 8 years . For the children born between 29 and 32 weeks ' gestation , SGA children had a higher risk for mortality ( adjusted odds ratio [ aOR ] : 2.79 [ 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) : 1.50–5.20 ] ) , minor cognitive difficulties ( aOR : 1.73 [ 95 % CI : 1.12–2.69 ] ) , inattention-hyperactivity symptoms ( aOR : 1.78 [ 95 % CI : 1.10–2.89 ] ) , and school difficulties ( aOR : 1.74 [ 1.07–2.82 ] ) compared with AGA children . Being born M-SGA was associated with an increased risk for minor cognitive difficulties ( aOR : 1.87 [ 95 % CI : 1.24–2.82 ] ) and behavioral difficulties ( aOR : 1.66 [ 95 % CI : 1.04–2.62 ] ) . CONCLUSIONS : In preterm children , growth restriction was associated with mortality , cognitive and behavioral outcomes , as well as school difficulties
premature infants are more susceptible to motor development , behavior and academic performance impairment when compared to term infants .
OBJECTIVES to examine and synthesize the available knowledge in the literature about the effects of preterm birth on the development of school-age children .