As they grow, some premature babies will develop behavioural problems. While it can be difficult to predict which premature babies will have lasting issues of this nature, in general, the most premature and the lowest birth weight babies are most at risk. Disabilities that affect the brain are also likely to have an effect on learning and education.
Behavioural issues
On average, extremely and moderately premature babies score lower on tests that assess intelligence, behaviour, and competence in school. How much lower is a function of many factors, including how premature the child was born and if there were complicating factors during the newborn period. Children who show these characteristics, whether born premature or not, are at higher risk for social problems, which tend to persist into adulthood.
While this is not the most positive news, understanding this information in advance can help parents reduce the chances of social and behavioural problems from occurring. Additionally, while as a group, premature babies grow up to be at risk for social and behavioural problems, this does not mean that every child born prematurely will go on to experience these challenges. Again, the smallest and most premature babies are most likely to experience long-term neurological and developmental effects which in turn increase the risk of behavioural problems.
Most commonly, these behavioural problems include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), internalizing and externalizing behaviours, and autism spectrum disorder. Attending follow-up clinics can help parents detect and address these types of problems early.
Learning and education
In general, premature babies, especially extremely premature and low birth weight babies, do not do as well at school as children born full-term. Studies show premature babies are below average in the first years of school, are more likely to be in need of special education, are less likely to finish high school and even less likely to attend university or college.
Although these statistics are not particularly positive, they do not mean that any one particular premature baby will grow to be a child with a learning disability. Additionally, learning disabilities can take many forms from nearly undetectable to quite severe. Learning disabilities can also be very broad, affecting much cognitive ability and memory, or they may be very specific, affecting learning in a very narrow way. Knowing a premature baby is more at risk to have a learning disability as a child allows parents, health professionals, and educators to take steps to diminish the effect of the disability.
Attending follow-up clinics can help parents detect and address these types of problems early, which is one of the most constructive ways of diminishing their effect. If no follow-up clinic specific to premature babies exist in your area, ask your paediatrician about further help and testing that may be available.