TY - JOUR

T1 - Preterm birth and dyscalculia

AU - Jaekel, Julia

AU - Wolke, Dieter

PY - 2014/6

Y1 - 2014/6

N2 - Objective To evaluate whether the risk for dyscalculia in preterm children increases the lower the gestational age (GA) and whether small-for-gestational age birth is associated with dyscalculia. Study design A total of 922 children ranging from 23 to 41 weeks' GA were studied as part of a prospective geographically defined longitudinal investigation of neonatal at-risk children in South Germany. At 8 years of age, children's cognitive and mathematic abilities were measured with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and with a standardized mathematics test. Dyscalculia diagnoses were evaluated with discrepancy-based residuals of a linear regression predicting children's math scores by IQ and with fixed cut-off scores. We investigated each GA group's ORs for general cognitive impairment, general mathematic impairment, and dyscalculia by using binary logistic regressions. Results The risk for general cognitive and mathematic impairment increased with lower GA. In contrast, preterm children were not at increased risk of dyscalculia after statistically adjusting for child sex, family socioeconomic status, and small-for-gestational age birth. Conclusion The risk of general cognitive and mathematic impairments increases with lower GA but preterm children are not at increased risk of dyscalculia.

AB - Objective To evaluate whether the risk for dyscalculia in preterm children increases the lower the gestational age (GA) and whether small-for-gestational age birth is associated with dyscalculia. Study design A total of 922 children ranging from 23 to 41 weeks' GA were studied as part of a prospective geographically defined longitudinal investigation of neonatal at-risk children in South Germany. At 8 years of age, children's cognitive and mathematic abilities were measured with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and with a standardized mathematics test. Dyscalculia diagnoses were evaluated with discrepancy-based residuals of a linear regression predicting children's math scores by IQ and with fixed cut-off scores. We investigated each GA group's ORs for general cognitive impairment, general mathematic impairment, and dyscalculia by using binary logistic regressions. Results The risk for general cognitive and mathematic impairment increased with lower GA. In contrast, preterm children were not at increased risk of dyscalculia after statistically adjusting for child sex, family socioeconomic status, and small-for-gestational age birth. Conclusion The risk of general cognitive and mathematic impairments increases with lower GA but preterm children are not at increased risk of dyscalculia.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84901481123&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.01.069

DO - 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.01.069

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 24630355

AN - SCOPUS:84901481123

VL - 164

SP - 1327

EP - 1332

JO - Journal of Pediatrics

JF - Journal of Pediatrics

SN - 0022-3476

IS - 6

ER -