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The long-term prognosis of pre-term infants

Conceptual, methodological, and ethnical issues

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Abstract

The dramatic increases in the survival rate of prematurely born, very low birth weight infants (<1500 g) have created concern about the possible sequelae experienced by these children, in terms of both severe problems and less severe learning and behavior problems. The methodological difficulties involved in answering questions about the outcomes of these children, including the choice of appropriate outcome measures, the analysis of individual variation, the problems associated with dropouts, the relevant comparison groups, the importance of survival rate, and the question of correcting for the degree of prematurity, are considered. In spite of the difficulties in interpreting the studies, the research indicates that many premature children have learning disabilities, particularly in the perceptual and visual motor functioning and some aspects of language and reading. In addition, ethical issues related to prematurity are discussed, including parents’ rights, decision-making, and cost and treatment. Finally, some solutions are proposed involving the use of risk indices for the early detection of developmental problems.

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  1. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor Street West, M5S 1V6, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Linda S. Siegel

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The research reported in this paper was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada and the Ontario Mental Health Foundation. The paper was written while the author held a Senior Research Fellowship from the Ontario Mental Health Foundation.

Linda Siegel has held faculty positions at the University of Missouri and McMaster University Medical School and is currently a professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She received her B.A. from Queens College (NY) and her Ph.D. from Yale University. She has conducted research in cognitive and language development, learning disabilities, reading, intelligence testing, and the social interaction of children with developmental disabilities. She is currently the editor of theInternational Journal of Behavioral Development and has been associate editor ofChild Development.

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Siegel, L.S. The long-term prognosis of pre-term infants. Human Nature 5, 103–126 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02692194

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