Ninety-seven infants born between 1/86 and 12/89 at gestational ages between 23-26 wks were followed at a mean age of 8.5 yrs, after completion of grades 1-3. Included were 39 M and 58 F with BW 787 ± 82 gm and GA 25.2± 0.8 weeks. Early assessment (<36 mo.) included physical examination with Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Evaluation at 3-5 years included Denver Development testing with Early Language Milestone Screen and Zimmerman preschool articulation test. Five year examination included Stanford-Binet assessment, and school age F/U was based on the Univ.of Vermont Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist and the Achenbach Teacher Report. Outcome of all 97 infants is summarized as follows: normal - 61(63%) mild - 21(22%) severe - 15(15%) Of the severely affected children, 11 had cerebral palsy, one had ADD, and three were in the appropriate class but were far below average in two subjects. Longitudinal F/U data were available on 83 infants. Change in classification after 6 - 12 mo is identified as + or - 1 or 2 categories followed by (# of infants). Table
Of the 66 infants initially classified as normal, none had severe physical problems at school age and only four (6%) had severe learning or behavioral problems. Mild learning problems at school age are difficult to predict with early assessment.
