Evaluated neuropsychological outcomes in 635 children, ages 7 to 10 years, in relation to birth weight group: < or = 1,000 g; 1,001-1,500 g; 1,501-2,500 g, and > 2,500 g. The prevalence of low IQ (< 85) was related to birth weight. Among children with IQ > 84 (N = 475): (a) Birth weight was unrelated to Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, Full-scale IQ, or reading achievement; (b) extremely low birth weight (ELBW) children achieved more poorly in mathematics than did other birth weight groups (p < .05); (c) ELBW and very low birth weight children performed more poorly on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, a complex visual processing task, than did heavier birth weight children (p < .05), but performance on the Beery Test of Visuomotor Integration was not related to birth weight. Results are consistent with heightened neurobehavioral vulnerability of visual processing to preterm birth.
Child Cognition Disorders