Brief report: four years after a preterm birth: children's development and their mothers' beliefs and expectations.

Examined the development of preterm-born 4 1/2-year-olds who lived in environments free from socioeconomic disadvantages often associated with deleterious outcomes. Beliefs and expectations of their mothers were also assessed. Thirty-two preterm and 41 comparison children and their mothers participated. Results indicated that although the preterm children were performing at or above age norms on most measures, they scored lower than comparison children in receptive vocabulary, syntactic complexity, articulation, and visual-motor skill. In addition, preterm and comparison group mothers differed in some beliefs and expectations. Results suggest that a preterm birth remains a factor in development during the preschool period, even in a social environment most likely to provide compensatory mechanisms for preterm birth.