Late Preterm Infants Lag During Early School Years
Developmental pediatrician at the Mary L. Johnson Developmental and Behavioral Unit at Packard Children's.
Packard Physician Update, Summer 2007
LPIs - late pre-term infants will have a difficult time when they start kindergarten compared to their full-term classmates according to developmental specialist Trenna Sutcliffe. These results are also confirmed by their teachers who state that their mathematical and reading abilities are below ordinary levels. A presentation of this analysis took place in the Pediatric Academic Societies which was held in Toronto. For those LPIs who do receive help medically and commit to special school activities, the issue disappears by the time they reach the 5th grade. In addition, present-day research have implied that the LPIs were more vulnerable to jaundice and have low blood sugar. Because of these health issues, they are almost expected to come back to the hospital soon after discharge. These slight drawbacks might have a possibility of being linked to school struggles according to Dr. Sutcliffe and others.
