Background Standardised tests by specially trained personnel are timeconsuming and expensive. Assessment by the neonatologist may be biased. Subjects 65 children born at <31 weeks, at corrected ages of 2(n= 42) and 4 years(n = 23). Intervention RO assessment by consultant neonatologist. Separate assessment by psychologist using BS. Neither knew the findings of the other. Results 43/65(RO), 55/65 (BS) were assessed as normal. At 4y: disagreement in 4/23. All 4 had normal BS but at RO 2 had mild diplegia and 2 had speech delay. At 2y: disagreement in 12/42. 9 had normal BS but at RO 1 had mild diplegia, 1 motor delay and 7 speech delay. In 2 there was disagreement about the severity of the delay and 1 assessed as normal at RO scored as mild delay on BS. Conclusion Potential neurodevelopmental problems were almost always detected by RO. Only 1 child out of 65 was passed as normal at RO when the BS was abnormal.

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