Early Birds, Too Early

All parents worry. But parents of children who are born prematurely may have one more cause for concern: poor performance in school.

Previous studies suggest that 10 to 20 percent of all children perform below average in school. But Charlotte Huddy, M.D., a neonatologist at England's Leicester Royal Infirmary, found that up to one third of premature babies develop some kind of school-related problem later in life. Huddy studied 117 Oxfordshire children, ages 7 and 8, who were born between five and eight weeks prematurely. Analyzing data gathered from family doctors, parents and teachers, Huddy found that 25 percent of the children required support in school from a nonteaching assistant. And parents or teachers described some 28 percent of the children as hyperactive.

Unfortunately, neither parents nor schools have clear-cut measures to follow to help their premature children. "We don't feel that premature babies should be treated in any different way than other children," Huddy says. "But it's important that people are aware of it so that if a child does have difficulties, they can be recognized. This may help speed things up in finding help."

Huddy, whose study recently appeared in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, believes in spreading the word. Knowing that prematurely born children often perform poorly in school may help parents and children alike. "If parents are worried about their child's progress, having an explanation such as prematurity can be quite reassuring," says Huddy. Future research may reveal the exact cause of the learning difficulties, which would enable doctors, teachers and parents to help premature children move to the head of the class.