Academic performance in moderately and late preterm children in the United States: are they catching up?

Nicole E Lock; Mark D DeBoer; Rebecca J Scharf; Sarah E Miller

doi:10.1038/s41372-024-01938-y

Academic performance in moderately and late preterm children in the United States: are they catching up?

J Perinatol. 2024 Mar 18. doi: 10.1038/s41372-024-01938-y. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Nicole E Lock¹, Mark D DeBoer², Rebecca J Scharf³, Sarah E Miller⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. nlock@virginia.edu.
² Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

PMID: 38499752
DOI: 10.1038/s41372-024-01938-y

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether preterm birth of 32-36 6/7 weeks gestation affected school performance from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Study design: We assessed 14350 term infants and 1195 32-36 6/7 weeks gestation infants followed in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten 2011 cohort for classroom performance in kindergarten-fifth grade. Multivariable regression was performed for comparisons, and data were weighted to be representative of the US population.

Results: Children born 35-36 6/7 weeks gestation had no significant difference in their academic scores or performance, while 32-34 6/7 weeks' children had lower academic scores and teacher performance scores when compared to term children. Children born between 32 and 36 6/7 weeks gestation had higher odds of individualized education plan needs and had learning disability diagnoses compared to term children.

Conclusions: Children born between 32 and 34 6/7 weeks gestation have poor school performance compared to term children. Children born between 32 and 36 6/7 weeks gestation are at risk for learning disabilities and likely benefit from continued support and services to improve achievement throughout school.