Preemies Have Lower Test Scores: Study

One in three premature children has lower test scores compared with full gestational children, a latest study by researchers from the UK states.

University of Bristol's School of Clinical Sciences researchers analysed the data of 12,000 participants registered in Bristol's Children of the 90s study. They found that at least a third of all the premature babies had special educational needs (SEN).

The study results showed that children sent to school a year earlier due to their birth had lower scores on Key Stage 1 (KS1) test.

According to the statistics released by World Health Organisation, around 15 million premature babies are born every year and the numbers are increasing. The report noted that India, Nigeria and the U.S. top the list of countries having maximum numbers of preterm births.

Preemies are at higher risk of learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, vision and breathing problems and hearing loss and digestive problems, according to the National Institutes of Health.

"Our research indicates that children who were born prematurely are at higher risk of poor school performance and in greater need of additional educational support at primary school. Some of the social and educational difficulties these children face may be avoidable by recognising the impact that their date of birth has on when they start school," said Dr David Odd, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Bristol's School of Clinical Sciences and lead author of the study, according to a new study.

The study," 'Preterm Birth, Age at School Entry and Educational Performance' is published 17 October 2013, in PLOS ONE.