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Premature
Babies at Risk
for Academic Problems
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Up to one third of premature babies will
go on to experience academic difficulties in school, study findings
suggest.
The study
of 117 children born between 32 and 35 weeks gestation--about
5 to 8 weeks too early--found that by the age of 7 years, 25%
required help from a non-teaching assistant, 4% required special
educational support and 3% attended a special school.
Nearly one
third of children had problems with writing, fine motor skills
or math, according to teacher reports. Further, about one fifth
of children had problems speaking and reading, and about 28% were
described as hyperactive by either a parent or a teacher.
``As there
are larger numbers in this gestational category...this finding
has implications for educational services,'' according to Dr.
C.L.J. Huddy of John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington, Oxford,
England, and colleagues.
Indeed, the
number of babies who survive an extremely premature birth has
risen dramatically over the past two decades, largely due to drugs
that help the lungs function. As a result, fewer premature infants
die of respiratory distress.
The study
in the July issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood adds
to a growing body of research on the long-term effects of prematurity.
While it is known that babies born before 32 weeks gestation and
very low birth weight babies--those who weigh less than 3.3 pounds
(1,500 grams)--are at risk for developmental, behavioral and academic
difficulties, the outcomes of children born after 32 weeks but
before 35 weeks gestation are more ambiguous. A full-term pregnancy
is 40 weeks.
``It is clear
that children of school age who were born at 32-35 weeks gestation
have a very significant risk of educational difficulties,'' Huddy
and colleagues conclude. ``The increased risk of problems should
be recognised in this very large group of babies as well as the
survivors of extreme prematurity.''
The results
of the study, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood
's Fetal and Neonatal edition, are based on interviews with parents,
teachers and healthcare providers.
SOURCE:
Archives of Disease in Childhood 2001;85:F23-F28.
Reference
Source 89
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