Abstract
Increasing survival of VLBW infants causes concern for long term health and educational needs. This study was designed to locate VLBW children at school age, to compare educational services they required with peers and term siblings and to review computerized data of the hospital course. Parental, educational and medical information was obtained from questionnaires, interviews and clinic or field visits. Of 43 neonates weighing ≤1250g (x̄±SEM =1076g±19.2) admitted for intensive care from 1974-1978 and surviving to school age, 7 were lost to follow-up and 3 have yet to attend school. Of the 33 VLBW children in school, 3(9.1%) were in classes for the major handicapped while 30(90.9%) were found comparable to their classmates by teachers or test scores; however, 14/30 (47%) required remedial instruction to perform at grade level. Major medical problems included seizures, spastic diplegia and visual or hearing loss. Of 13 VLBW children with siblings in school, 3 required more specialized staff than their siblings. The group without the need for specialized teaching staff had older maternal ages (x̄±SEM=24.7yrs±1.28 vs 21.7±0.74,p<0.05, t-test) and tended to reside in higher socioeconomic households by Hollingshead Index (p<0.10,X2) which may have resulted in more stimulation at home. The VLBW children had a greater proportion (17/33, 51.5%) requiring specialized instruction than the general school population (24%, p<0.001,X2), although with this instruction most compared favorably with classmates.
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Eilers, B., Wilson, M., Gagel, D. et al. CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE, HEALTH, SOCIAL FACTORS OF VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (VLBW) CHILDREN: FOLLOW-UP AT 5–8 YEARS. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 320 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-01362
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-01362