Learning Abilities in a Population of Italian Healthy Preterm Children at the End of Primary School

Silvia Bucci, Francesca Bevilacqua, Chiara De Marchis, Maria Franca Coletti, Simonetta Gentile and Anna Maria Dall’Oglio
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Silvia Bucci: Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Francesca Bevilacqua: Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Chiara De Marchis: Department of Neonatal Medicine and Surgery, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Maria Franca Coletti: Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Simonetta Gentile: Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Anna Maria Dall’Oglio: Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-23

Abstract: Background : Delays in learning skills have been extensively reported for very preterm children. However, few studies have examined academic achievement profiles in Italian preterm children as a function of their neonatal immaturity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed that included 82 healthy Italian children born very and extremely preterm (without major neurosensory outcomes; IQ ≥85). Children were evaluated for academic and neurocognitive performances at the second cycle of primary school. Results : Healthy preterm children showed on average academic and neurocognitive profiles that did not differ according to gestational age. Impairment was seen to one or more learning domains in 14.6% of the healthy preterm children. Conclusions: Italian children born very and extremely preterm without major neurosensory damage and/or cognitive delay showed on average learning and neurocognitive profiles within the normal range, regardless of gestational age. Nevertheless, they showed higher proportions of learning impairment than a normative Italian population during their final years of primary school. Healthcare providers should be aware of this result, and long-term surveillance should be organized to promptly identify those children who are in need of therapeutic intervention.

Keywords: very preterm; healthy preterm; learning abilities; neurocognitive profile; clinical neurodevelopment follow-up in preterm children; learning impairment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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