High-risk preterm infants at 3 years of age: parental response to the presence of developmental problems.

In this article we describe developmental status at 3 years and family utilization of early intervention services of 24 children who were born prematurely and weighed less than 1,500 g or who required mechanical ventilation at birth. Findings indicated (a) a low rate of major disabling conditions; (b) a high rate of developmental, mild cognitive, and behavioral concerns; and (c) a lack of family follow-through on referrals for early intervention services for potentially responsive children, even though the concerns put the children at risk for school difficulties.