Concordance between school outcomes and developmental follow-up results of very preterm and/or low birth weight children at the age of 5 years.

Introduction: Long-term follow-up studies have revealed a high frequency of developmental disturbances in preterm survivors of neonatal intensive care who were formerly considered to be non-disabled. These developmental disturbances interfere with the acquisition of everyday skills and, in particular, with normal school functioning.

Methods: Developmental and school outcomes of 355 children, age 5 years at the time of the study, who had a mean gestational age of 30.

Validation of a Dutch language screening instrument for 5-year-old preterm infants.

Aim: The validation of the Dutch Taal Screenings Test (TST), a language-screening test, which is included in a follow-up instrument developed to enable paediatricians to assess 5-y-old preterm infants for their motor, cognitive and speech and language development.

Methods: The speech and language development of 145 5-y-old infants born before 32 wk of gestation and/or with a birth weight of less than 1500 g was assessed by a paediatrician using the TST and by a speech therapist using standardized language tests.

Results: All correlations between the instruments were significant.

Development and evaluation of a follow up assessment of preterm infants at 5 years of age.

Background: Long term follow up shows a high frequency of developmental disturbances in preterm survivors of neonatal intensive care formerly considered non-disabled.

Aims: To develop and validate an assessment tool that can help paediatricians to identify before 6 years of age which survivors have developmental disturbances that may interfere with normal education and normal life.

Methods: A total of 431 very premature infants, mean gestational age 30.