9, 12 and 26 For instance, Howe et al.,12 comparing the performance of preterm and full‐term children at 5 years of age, found a higher rate of cognitive, visual‐motor, and adaptive behavior problems in preterm children with motor difficulties. Contrary this website to the evidence, no association was observed between birth weight and gestational age and motor, cognitive, and functional development in the preterm group. One possible explanation for this result is the influence of socioeconomic factors. Considering that the sample included different socioeconomic levels, it was observed that preterm children

with lower gestational age were those of higher socioeconomic status, which have access to better‐quality click here neonatal care. These children’s development also occur in more stimulating environments, which may have influenced test performance. In the MABC‐2 classification (Table 2), the prevalence of signs of coordination disorders was 29.1% among children in the PT group, and was significantly higher than the 6.5% in the FT group, using the fifth‐percentile cutoff. The present results are in agreement with values found in the literature, which

reports rates of motor impairment ranging from 5% to 6% in the term and from 30% to 50% in the preterm populations.3, 9, 10 and 12 The studies by Foulder‐Hughes and Cooke9 and by Howe et al.12 reported rates of 30.7% and 35.5%, respectively, below the fifth percentile among preterm children. In the cognitive test, children from the PT group had worse performance than the FT group. These results corroborate the findings of other authors who have demonstrated that preterm infants have cognitive development

within the normal range; however, when compared with their peers born full‐term, they demonstrate significantly poorer performance on cognitive and neuropsychological tests.5, 12, 14, 27 and 28 Espírito Santo et al.,27 in a study aiming to assess cognitive and behavioral development of 80 preterm infants with low birth weight, aged 4 to 5 years, observed a higher incidence of cognitive dysfunction and behavioral disorders in preterm infants, whose intellectual level was rated as predominantly medium or medium‐low. Methocarbamol Conversely, Méio et al.,28 assessing the cognitive development at preschool age of very‐low birth weight preterm infants, observed that the mean intelligence quotient, using the WPPSI‐R, was below the normal range, close to borderline functional deficit at the evaluation. However, their sample included children with neurological impairment, behavioral disturbance, and visual function impairment, which could have influenced their results. Consistent with the literature, the presence of atypical motor performance and history of PIVH contribute to increase the difference in cognitive performance between the PT and T groups.