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 .
Educational and social competencies at 8 years in children with threshold retinopathy of prematurity in the CRYO-ROP multicenter study.
OBJECTIVE To describe the educational status and special education services at 8 years among children who had threshold retinopathy of prematurity ( ROP ) . METHODS A prospect i ve study was conducted of a cohort of children who had birth weight of < 1251 g and threshold ROP in the Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity multicenter study . At age 5.5 years , visual status , functional skills , and social information were obtained . At 8 years , special education classes , developmental disabilities , rehabilitation therapies , and academic and social competencies were determined by question naire . Visual status was considered favorable/unfavorable on the basis of the better eye . RESULTS Of 255 survivors , 216 ( 85 % ) were evaluated at both 5.5 and 8 years . Major impairments were significantly more prevalent in children with unfavorable versus favorable visual status : cerebral palsy ( 39 % vs 16 % ) , developmental disability ( 57 % vs 22 % ) , autism ( 9 % vs 1 % ) , and epilepsy ( 23 % vs 3 % ) .  Special education services  ( 63 % vs 27 % ) , below- grade -level academic performance ( 84 % vs 48 % ) , and school-based rehabilitation services were significantly less common in children with favorable visual status . Favorable visual status , favorable functional ratings at 5.5 years , markers of higher socioeconomic status , and nonblack race were associated with significantly lower rates of both special education placement and below- grade -level academic performance at age 8 . On multivariate logistic regression , only favorable visual status and functional status remained significant predictors for decreasing special education placement . CONCLUSION Threshold ROP is associated with high rates of developmental , educational , and social challenges in middle childhood ; preserved vision was associated with a clear advantage , with more than half of the children with favorable visual status performing at grade level
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 .