Motor Abilities at Eight to Ten Years of Children Born Weighing Less than 1,000 g

Abstract

There is increasing evidence to suggest that extremely low birthweight (ELBW) children who are otherwise normal may not perform at school as well as expected. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the type of minor motor problems evident in children who were less than 1,000 g at birth and now in their third or fourth year at school. Twenty-nine ELBW children now aged eight to ten years, who had no sensory, cognitive or motor impairment and were attending regular school, and a comparative group of 12 normal birthweight eight-year-old children were assessed using a battery of eight tests selected to assess aspects of motor control most likely to indicate problems which could interfere with performance at school. The results showed a significant difference in overall performance between the ELBW and normal birthweight children. Significant differences in performance between the subgroup of ELBW eight-year-old children and normal birthweight eight-year-olds were found in tests of preferred hand position sense, single leg stance (left), alternate hand ball bounce and an alphabet writing task. Less than 40% of the 29 ELBW children were found to be performing overall in the expected normal range. This study concluded that ELBW children present with mild motor problems in the areas of gross and fine motor performance, postural stability and balance. There is increasing evidence to suggest that extremely low birthweight (ELBW) children who are otherwise normal may not perform at school as well as expected. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the type of minor motor problems evident in children who were less than 1,000 g at birth and now in their third or fourth year at school. Twenty-nine ELBW children now aged eight to ten years, who had no sensory, cognitive or motor impairment and were attending regular school, and a comparative group of 12 normal birthweight eight-year-old children were assessed using a battery of eight tests selected to assess aspects of motor control most likely to indicate problems which could interfere with performance at school. The results showed a significant difference in overall performance between the ELBW and normal birthweight children. Significant differences in performance between the subgroup of ELBW eight-year-old children and normal birthweight eight-year-olds were found in tests of preferred hand position sense, single leg stance (left), alternate hand ball bounce and an alphabet writing task. Less than 40% of the 29 ELBW children were found to be performing overall in the expected normal range. This study concluded that ELBW children present with mild motor problems in the areas of gross and fine motor performance, postural stability and balance.