Early intervention and educational needs among school-aged children born preterm

Abstract

Preterm birth increases the risk of developmental difficulties and neurological impairment. The main aim of this work was to know the prevalence of specific educational needs, chronic diseases and disorders, and describe early intervention attendance in children born preterm, as well as the relationship of these variables with individual and socio-family factors. A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out with 144 children born preterm (<32 weeks of gestation and/or birth weight ≤ 1500 g). The participants were psychologically evaluated at the age of 8 years (M = 8.6; SD = 0.9). The results showed that the studied circumstances were significantly more frequent among the children born preterm compared to the general population. The intelligence quotient (WISC-V) and quality of life at 8 years of age were in the medium range. The cluster analysis of the history of educational and intervention needs revealed differences with respect to the results at 8 years of age. The results of this study highlight the importance of early intervention for children born preterm, as it might improve their developmental outcomes. Moreover, these findings lay the groundwork for future research and the enhancement of early intervention programmes.