HANDICAPS AND PERINATALITY - PERINATAL EV ENTS AND SCHOOL DIFFICULTIES

Background. - Major handicaps are closely related to perinatal events. However, relationship of these events with other moderate disabilitie s such as school problems are still unclear. Population and methods. - A representative sample of 1,408 children at school age and born in L orraine in 1984 was studied. Two hundred and fifty children with probl ems were compared with 602 controls without school problems, using a m ultivariate analysis. Results. - The incidence of school difficulties among 6-year old children (in the last year of nursery school) is 17.8 %. Children are at higher risk of school problems if their parents are not (odds ratio [OR] = 7.9) or are poor school graduate (OR = 2.7), i f they are boys (OR = 2.0), if they are born at the end of the year (O R = 1.1) and also if they are preterm (OR = 2.7) or small for gestatio nal age (OR = 2.5). Preterm delivery and intra-uterine growth retardat ion accounted for 9.6% of school difficulties. Conclusion. - The relat ionship between perinatal events and school difficulties warrants to c ontinue with prevention during pregnancy, especially among groups with multiple risk factors.