Peer-reviewed article
Learning Abilities in a Population of Italian Healthy Preterm Children at the End of Primary School
Silvia Bucci, Francesca Bevilacqua, C De Marchis, Maria Franca Coletti, Simonetta Gentile et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined learning abilities in 82 healthy Italian children born very or extremely preterm (without major brain or sensory damage) at the end of primary school. On average, these children showed normal academic and cognitive profiles regardless of how early they were born. However, about 15% of them had learning difficulties in one or more areas, which is higher than expected in the general population. The researchers recommend ongoing monitoring to identify children who need support.
Key points
- 82 healthy preterm Italian children (very/extremely preterm, IQ ≥85) were assessed for academic and neurocognitive performance at primary school completion
- Average academic and neurocognitive profiles did not differ according to gestational age
- 14.6% of healthy preterm children showed impairment in one or more learning domains
- This proportion of learning impairment is higher than seen in normative Italian populations
- Long-term surveillance is recommended to identify children needing therapeutic intervention
Limitations
The study included only 'healthy' preterm children without major neurosensory outcomes or cognitive delay, so results may not represent all preterm children. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether learning difficulties persist or improve over time.
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.