Gehan Roberts1, Jeremy Lim, Lex W Doyle, Peter J Anderson. 1. The Premature Infant Follow-up Program, The Royal Women's Hospital, 20 Flemington Road, Parkville 3052, Australia. gehan.roberts@rch.org.au
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: School readiness is best understood as a framework for assessing profiles of strengths and vulnerabilities of the preschool-age child. Very preterm (VPT) children are at high risk of difficulties in school, and understanding their school readiness skills has the potential to aid successful transition into school. The aim of this study was to determine the school readiness skills of a cohort of VPT children, compared with term controls. METHODS: VPT children (gestational age <30 wk or birth weights <1250 g) and term controls were enrolled from a tertiary maternity hospital, Melbourne, Australia into a prospective cohort study. At age 5 years, school readiness skills were evaluated using a combination of parent questionnaires and direct assessments. The 5 domains of school readiness assessed were health and physical development, social-emotional skills, approaches to learning, communication skills, and cognitive skills. RESULTS: VPT children had standard scores ~½ to 1 SD below those of the term controls in all domains of school readiness, and these differences were not greatly affected by adjustment for social risk differences. Overall, 44% of the VPT group had vulnerabilities in more than 1 domain of school readiness, compared with only 16% of the term controls. CONCLUSIONS: VPT children are more likely than term controls to have significant vulnerabilities in multiple domains of school readiness, and these differences are mostly independent of social risk.
OBJECTIVE: School readiness is best understood as a framework for assessing profiles of strengths and vulnerabilities of the preschool-age child. Very preterm (VPT) children are at high risk of difficulties in school, and understanding their school readiness skills has the potential to aid successful transition into school. The aim of this study was to determine the school readiness skills of a cohort of VPT children, compared with term controls. METHODS: VPT children (gestational age <30 wk or birth weights <1250 g) and term controls were enrolled from a tertiary maternity hospital, Melbourne, Australia into a prospective cohort study. At age 5 years, school readiness skills were evaluated using a combination of parent questionnaires and direct assessments. The 5 domains of school readiness assessed were health and physical development, social-emotional skills, approaches to learning, communication skills, and cognitive skills. RESULTS: VPT children had standard scores ~½ to 1 SD below those of the term controls in all domains of school readiness, and these differences were not greatly affected by adjustment for social risk differences. Overall, 44% of the VPT group had vulnerabilities in more than 1 domain of school readiness, compared with only 16% of the term controls. CONCLUSIONS: VPT children are more likely than term controls to have significant vulnerabilities in multiple domains of school readiness, and these differences are mostly independent of social risk.
Authors: Andrea L Murray; Deanne K Thompson; Leona Pascoe; Alexander Leemans; Terrie E Inder; Lex W Doyle; Jacqueline F I Anderson; Peter J Anderson Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2015-08-28 Impact factor: 6.556
Authors: Cynthia E Rogers; Peter J Anderson; Deanne K Thompson; Hiroyuki Kidokoro; Michael Wallendorf; Karli Treyvaud; Gehan Roberts; Lex W Doyle; Jeffrey J Neil; Terrie E Inder Journal: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2012-02 Impact factor: 8.829
Authors: Craig F Garfield; Krzysztof Karbownik; Karna Murthy; Gustave Falciglia; Jonathan Guryan; David N Figlio; Jeffrey Roth Journal: JAMA Pediatr Date: 2017-08-01 Impact factor: 16.193
Authors: Leona Pascoe; Shannon E Scratch; Alice C Burnett; Deanne K Thompson; Katherine J Lee; Lex W Doyle; Jeanie L Y Cheong; Terrie E Inder; Peter J Anderson Journal: J Int Neuropsychol Soc Date: 2015-09-02 Impact factor: 2.892