Pediatrics · 9 h ago
Very Preterm Children Show Persistent Executive Function Difficulties Through Age 13
A longitudinal cohort study compared parent-reported executive function in 224 children born very preterm and 77 born full term at ages 2, 5, 7 and 13 years. Difficulties remained higher in the very preterm group across follow-ups, with little evidence of catch-up.
- Very preterm children had higher reported difficulties at every follow-up.
- Differences persisted from age 2 through age 13.
- Some executive function scores changed with age in both groups.
Researchers analyzed data from the Victorian Infant Brain Study longitudinal cohort, including 224 children born very preterm (before 30 weeks’ gestation) and 77 born full term (at or after 37 weeks). Parents completed age-appropriate versions of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function when children were 2, 5, 7 and 13 years old. Multilevel mixed-effects models were used to estimate developmental trajectories.
Across follow-ups, executive function difficulty scores were 0.3 to 0.7 standard deviations higher in the very preterm group than in the full-term group across all measured scales. Differences tended to be greater among boys and children with higher socioeconomic risk. Global Executive Composite and Shift scores increased from age 2 to 13 in both groups; Inhibit and Working Memory scores were largely stable. Emotional Control and Plan/Organize scores increased from ages 2 to 7, then stabilized.
The findings indicate persistent parent-reported differences into adolescence, rather than clear developmental catch-up. They support attention to executive function over time in children born very preterm, while the study does not establish that monitoring or intervention improves outcomes. Measures were parent-reported, and further research is needed to clarify the roles of sex and socioeconomic risk.
In practice
For children born very preterm, the cohort found higher parent-reported executive function difficulties than among full-term peers at ages 2, 5, 7 and 13, with little evidence of catch-up. This supports considering executive function across development when assessing these children. The study does not test screening or intervention strategies, and its findings are based on parent ratings; it therefore does not establish that a particular monitoring schedule or intervention improves outcomes.
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Pediatrics: Developmental Trajectories of Executive Function From 2 to 13 Years in Children Born Very Preterm ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.