Pre-term: the importance of neuropsychological evaluation

Abstract

The birth of a preterm baby is an event that usually has risky implications for healthy development. Children born prematurely, especially those weighing less than 1500g, often have neonatal complications and risks during the development process. Prematurity and low weight, when associated, enhance clinical problems and often negatively affect neuropsychomotor and cognitive development. , it is important to know more deeply the causative effects of these sequelae, emphasizing the importance of evaluation, because through specific studies, there is a greater possibility of new results in treatments that favor a development with gains, so that brain plasticity exists. The methodology used was qualitative, with theoretical basis through bibliographic research. It should be noted that the psychological assessment of babies between 0 and 36 months is a tool used to identify changes in cognitive and behavioral development early. Thus, it is expected to develop a protocol that will serve as a guide in the early identification of the damage caused by preterm birth, to analyze the practical probability of reversing its prognosis. Thus, research has shown that children born preterm are more likely to have a lag in language performance, as well as in speech processing, compared to children born at term. In this sense, child neuropsychological assessment proved to be important to identify the presence or not of developmental and cognitive disorders, as well as difficulties in obtaining skills. Neuropsychological assessments are indispensable to the contribution to the development of new cognitive rehabilitation strategies, qualifying them for sharing with the interdisciplinary health team.