Most studies of children born preterm have focused on extremely premature or very low birth weight infants, Dr. Lisa J. Chyi and colleagues from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, write in the Journal of Pediatrics. "Outcome studies of neonates born at 32 to 36 weeks gestation are rare. These infants are deemed 'near term' and are perceived to be at similar risk for developmental issues as full-term infants."
The researchers assessed the rate of below-average school performance among 970 children born between 32 and 36 weeks without significant complications, compared with 13 671 of their full-term counterparts.
Babies born at 32-33 weeks were classified as "moderate preterm," and those born at 34-36 weeks were considered "late preterm."
Compared with full-term children, late-preterm children had lower scores in reading, but not in math, during kindergarten and first grade. Moderate-preterm children scored lower in math in all grades compared with full-term children. For reading, moderate preterm children had lower scores in kindergarten, first grade and fifth grade.
At early grade levels, late-preterm infants were also more likely than full-term infants to participate in special education programs. The moderate-preterm infants' need for special education was twice the rate of that for full-term infants at all grade levels.
"These findings suggest a need to start follow-up, anticipatory guidance and possibly interventions for infants born at 32 to 36 weeks gestation," Chyi commented to Reuters Health.