Meaningful everyday life situations from the perspective of children born preterm: A photo-elicitation interview study with six-year-old children.

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore meaningful everyday life situations as perceived by six-year-old children born preterm.

Materials And Methods: The study had a descriptive qualitative design with an inductive approach. Ten, six-year-old children born preterm, not diagnosed with any disabilities, participated.

Visual tracking at 4 months in preterm infants predicts 6.5-year cognition and attention.

Background: Visual tracking of moving objects requires sustained attention and prediction of the object's trajectory. We tested the hypothesis that measures of eye-head tracking of moving objects are associated to long-term neurodevelopment in very preterm infants.

Methods: Visual tracking performance was assessed at 4 month's corrected age in 57 infants with gestational age <32 weeks.

Antenatal steroids and neurodevelopment in 12-year-old children born extremely preterm.

Aim: To investigate neurodevelopmental outcome in 12-year-old children born very preterm in relation to perinatal, neonatal and socioeconomic variables. To examine whether previously described positive effects of antenatal steroids on cognition persist at 12 years.

Methods: Prospective cohort, 78 children with gestational ages 22.

Average 2.5-year neurodevelopmental test results in children born very preterm did not rule out cognitive deficits at 6.5 years of age.

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate cognitive outcomes at 6.5 years in children born very preterm, in relation to neonatal characteristics and 2.5-year neurodevelopment.

Using different definitions affected the reported prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairment in children born very preterm.

Aim: We investigated the impact of varying definitions on the prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) in children born very preterm at 6.5 years of age.

Methods: Cognitive development and neurosensory impairments were assessed in 91 children (40/51 girls/boys) born <32 gestational weeks, in 2004-2007 in Uppsala county, Sweden.

Structured Observation of Motor Performance in Infants: Level and quality associated with later motor development.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the level of motor development and the quality of motor performance during the first 10 months in relation to the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-third edition (Bayley-III) motor index at 2.5 years.

Methods: Children born very preterm from a population-based study (n = 113) were assessed with the Structured Observation of Motor Performance in Infants (SOMP-I) at 2, 4, 6 and 10 months corrected age and the Bayley-III motor index at 2.

Reaching skills of infants born very preterm predict neurodevelopment at 2.5 years.

The purpose was to investigate associations between quality of reaching for moving objects at 8 months corrected age and neurodevelopment at 2.5 years in children born very preterm (gestational age (GA), 24-31 weeks). Thirtysix infants were assessed while reaching for moving objects.

Patterns of everyday functioning in preschool children born preterm and at term.

Background/aim: Children born preterm are at risk of neonatal complications but the long-term consequences for everyday functioning is not well known. The study aimed to identify patterns of everyday functioning in preschool children born preterm and at term in relation to perinatal data, neonatal risk factors, behaviour, and socioeconomic status. Registry data and data from parent rated questionnaires were collected for 331 children.

The Structured Observation of Motor Performance in Infants has convergent and discriminant validity in preterm and term infants.

Aim: Methods are needed to evaluate the level of early motor development and quality of motor performance in infants. We examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the Structured Observation of Motor Performance in Infants (SOMP-I) for evaluating the level of motor development and quality of motor performance in preterm and term infants.

Methods: A regional cohort of 111 preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks and 72 healthy term born infants were assessed with the SOMP-I, at two, four, six and 10 months of corrected age.

Visual tracking in very preterm infants at 4 mo predicts neurodevelopment at 3 y of age.

Background: Typically developing infants track moving objects with eye and head movements in a smooth and predictive way at 4 mo of age, but this ability is delayed in very preterm infants. We hypothesized that visual tracking ability in very preterm infants predicts later neurodevelopment.

Method: In 67 very preterm infants (gestational age<32 wk), eye and head movements were assessed at 4 mo corrected age while the infant tracked a moving object.

Development of smooth pursuit eye movements in very preterm born infants: 3. Association with perinatal risk factors.

Aim: To investigate the association between perinatal risk factors and neonatal complications and early oculo-motor development in very preterm infants.

Methods: Perinatal risk factors were identified, and the potential association with early oculo-motor development was evaluated by measuring smooth pursuit eye movements (SP) at 2 and 4 months' corrected age (CA) in a population of very preterm infants born in Uppsala County 2004-2007 (n = 113).

Results: Among the 15 tested factors, eight showed significant association in univariate analysis with lower levels of SP at 4 months' CA, namely administration of prenatal corticosteroids, gestational age, birthweight, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, periventricular leukomalacia, intraventricular haemorrhage >grade 2, and persistent ductus arteriosus.

Development of smooth pursuit eye movements in very prematurely born infants: 2. The low-risk subgroup.

Aim: To investigate the impact of premature birth on visual tracking in a group of 37 infants, born before the 32nd gestational weeks (mean 29 + 6 weeks) and diagnosed as being without major neonatal complications. This paper is a part of the LOVIS study (Strand Brodd, Ewald, Grönqvist, Holmström, Strömberg, Von Hofsten, et al. Acta Pediatrica, 2011).

Development of smooth pursuit eye movements in very preterm infants: 1. General aspects.

Aim: To investigate early oculo-motor development in a population-based cohort of very preterm infants.

Methods: Early oculo-motor development was prospectively studied by measuring smooth pursuit eye movements at 2 and 4 months corrected age in a population of very preterm infants born in Uppsala County 2004-2007. Eighty-one preterm infants were studied, and 32 healthy term infants constituted the control group.

Reaching strategies of very preterm infants at 8 months corrected age.

Reaching strategies and kinematics for a group of very preterm infants were investigated and compared with a group of full-term infants when reaching for a moving object. Eight-month-old (corrected-age) infants were presented with small toys moving on a semicircular path in the vertical plane. The trajectories of the target and the hands of the infants were measured using a 3D motion analysis system.