RELATION BETWEEN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL STATUS OF VERY PRETERM INFANTS ATONE AND 8 YEARS

The relation between neurodevelopmental status at one and eight years of age was investigated in a cohort of 207 infants born between 1979 a nd 1982 at < 33 weeks of gestation. The probability of a major disabli ng impairment at eight years was only 1 per cent among 164 children wi th normal neurodevelopment at one year, but 56 per cent for the 43 imp aired children and 92 per cent for the 23 of these who had major disab ling impairments. Close correspondence was found between the type of m ajor impairment diagnosed at one and eight years. Neurodevelopmental s tatus at one year also predicted the need for extra educational provis ion by eight years, with probabilities of 9 per cent for children with out impairment at one year, 56 per cent for impaired children and 87 p er cent for those with major impairments. Similarly, neurodevelopmenta l status predicted an IQ of more than 2 SD below the mean (< 70), with probabilities of 0, 30 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively.