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School Achievement, Behavioural Adjustment and Health at Nine Years of Age in a Population of lnfants who were Born Preterm or Required Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Heather Mohay ,
Michael O’Callaghan ,
Yvonne Burns  and
David Tudehope
Heather Mohay*
Affiliation:
University of Queensland and Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Brisbane
Michael O’Callaghan
Affiliation:
University of Queensland and Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Brisbane
Yvonne Burns
Affiliation:
University of Queensland and Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Brisbane
David Tudehope
Affiliation:
University of Queensland and Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Brisbane
*
Department of Child Health, Mater Children’s Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101
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Abstract

With advances in medical knowledge, increasing numbers of very small and very sick infants are surviving. Only a small percentage of these infants have severe disabilities. However, the risk of more subtle handicapping conditions such as learning disabilities, behaviour problems and recurrent illness needs to be assessed. The prevalence of these conditions in a population of 88 high risk infants was investigated when these children reached nine years of age. In general, the children were found to be in good health, although there was an increased risk of asthma. In contrast, a high percentage were experiencing learning difficulties or exhibiting behaviour problems. Thus, the medical problems of infancy appeared to have been replaced with educationaland behavioural problems in the school years. The perinatal, developmental and social antecedents of these problems require further investigation.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , May 1989 , pp. 15 - 18
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 1986

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