Children born moderately to late preterm (32-36 weeks' gestation) face persistent neurodevelopmental challenges by age 9, according to a new study.

The cohort study, published in JAMA Network Open, investigated neurodevelopmental outcomes in 159 children born moderately to late preterm (MLP) compared to 137 children born at 37 weeks' gestation or later. Researchers evaluated cognitive ability, academic performance, behavior, and motor function between June 2019 and February 2024.

The findings revealed that children born MLP had significantly lower cognitive scores, with a mean full-scale IQ of 105.2, compared to 110.1 in those born early term or later (adjusted mean difference, −4.4 points). Academic performance was also affected, with MLP children scoring lower in pseudoword decoding (103.0 vs 107.3, adjusted mean difference −4.0 points) and mathematics (96.6 vs 101.5, adjusted mean difference −5.0 points).

Behavioral difficulties were observed in 31.7% of the MLP group, compared to 21.5% in the early term or later group (adjusted risk ratio, 1.57). While manual dexterity scores were similar between groups (8.4 vs 9.1, adjusted mean difference −0.9), children born MLP displayed higher rates of hyperactivity and inattention.

Notably, developmental delay at age 2 was associated with poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 9 across multiple domains in children born MLP. The researchers concluded that developmental surveillance through school age is important for children born MLP, suggesting early identification could help target interventions.

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.