A controlled study of children born at gestation 28 weeks or less: psychological characteristics at seven to ten years of age.

Forty seven children aged between seven and ten years who were born at 28 weeks gestation or less were followed up and assessed using psychometric tests, questionnaires and a parental interview. Birth and post-birth medical details were also collected. A control group of 47 normal gestation/birth weight children, matched with the children in the low gestation (LG) cohort on nine other criteria, were assessed using the same procedures. Children in the LG cohort were of average intelligence and attainment, but differed from the control group in that they had significantly lower scores on the WISC-R (VIQ, PIQ and FSIQ, Freedom from Distractibility), information processing, visual motor memory, speech and auditory discrimination, mathematics, spelling and restlessness. Handedness was related to birth weight. In addition to birth weight, centile score (weight in relation to gestation) was found to predict later FSIQ, VIQ and reading, spelling and mathematics. Neurological factors such as the absence of suspected intracranial haemorrhage or seizures were predictors of PIQ and Freedom from Distractibility, respectively. Although children in the LG cohort scored significantly lower than control children on various cognitive tests, only two had Full Scale IQs below 70 and most functioned at least at the normal range of intelligence.