Attention Skills In Children Research Articles

Do auditory brainstem implants favor the development of sensory integration and cognitive functions?

Information about the development of cognitive skills and the effect of sensory integration in children using auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) is still limited. This study primarily aims to investigate the relationship between sensory processing skills and attention and memory abilities in children with ABI, and secondarily aims to examine the effects of implant duration on sensory processing and cognitive skills in these children. The study included 25 children between the ages of 6 and 10 years (mean age: 14 girls and 11 boys) with inner ear and/or auditory nerve anomalies using auditory brainstem implants. Visual-Aural Digit Span Test B, Marking Test, Dunn Sensory Profile Questionnaire were applied to all children. The sensory processing skills of children are statistically significant and positive, and moderately related to their cognitive skills. As the duration of implant use increases, better attention and memory performances have been observed (p<.05). The study demonstrated the positive impact of sensory processing on the development of memory and attention skills in children with ABI. It will contribute to evaluating the effectiveness of attention, memory, and sensory integration skills, and aiding in the development of more effective educational strategies for these children.

From Play to Concentration: The Effect of Digital Educational Games on Preschool Children’s Attention Skills

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a digital educational game application on the attention skills of 5-6-year-old children. The research, planned with a quasi-experimental design and pre-test post-test control groups, measured children's attention skills using the ‘Concentration Test for Five-Year-Old Children’ (Frankfurter Test Für Funjahrige Konzentration–FTF-K). The study used the MentalUp application, a digital educational game designed to improve the attention skills of preschool children. Sixteen different types of mini-games supporting 13 different attention skills were included in the study. A total of 40 children aged 5-6 years were divided into two groups based on gender. The preschool children were instructed to complete the application in a quiet classroom environment following a pre-post-test design. The results indicated that the digital educational game application significantly improved the children's attention skills. While there was no significant change from pre- to post-test scores for the control group, the attention skills of the children in the experimental group were positively affected. The findings extend the current knowledge on attention skills in preschool children, highlighting the necessity of incorporating digital educational games into classroom practices to support attention skills at an early age. This study also provides valid evidence for the dissemination of digital educational games among preschool children.

Review of joint attention deficit intervention based on virtual reality for children with autism

Joint attention deficit is one of the core disorders in children with autism, which seriously affects the development of multiple basic skills such as language and communication. Virtual reality scene intervention has great potential in improving joint attention skills in children with autism due to its good interactivity and immersion. This article reviewed the application of virtual reality based social and nonsocial scenarios in training joint attention skills for children with autism in recent years, summarized the problems and challenges of this intervention method, and proposed a new joint paradigm for social scenario assessment and nonsocial scenario training. Finally, it looked forward to the future development and application prospects of virtual reality technology in joint attention skill training for children with autism.

Effectiveness of a Program Based on Central Cohesion Tasks to Develop Visual attention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Previous research indicates that there are deficits in visual attention skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. The current research aims to verify the effectiveness of a program based on some tasks of central coherence (visual sensory perception and non-verbal communication) in developing visual attention skills (visual communication, visual crossing out, visual tracking, flexibility in transferring visual attention, visual joint attention) for children with disabilities with Autism spectrum disorder. The experimental method was used and the design of the experimental and control groups was chosen with pre, post and follow-up measurements. The sample consisted of 10 children at the Fort-T Rehabilitation Centre , aged between 8 and 10 years old, with a level of autism disorder (55-70) on the Gilliam scale-3, divided into two equivalent experimental and control groups. The study tools consisted of the Stanford-Binnet Intelligence Scale to determine the intelligence coefficient, the Gilliam-3 scale for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder, a visual attention scale for children with autism spectrum disorder (prepared by the researcher), and a program based on central coherence tasks (prepared by the researcher).The data were analyzed using appropriate non-parametric statistical methods (Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon) using the statistical program (SPSS). The results indicated the effectiveness of the central coherence task program in developing visual attention in children with autism spectrum disorder. This study supports the employment of central coherence tasks in improving the response of children with autism spectrum disorder to emotional expressions, and recommends the continuation of efforts in developing visual attention, which is the main entrance to provide these children with all positive behaviors and skills.

The Assistive Benefits of Remote Microphone Technology for Normal Hearing Children With Listening Difficulties.

Children often present with listening difficulties (LiD) but with normal sound detection thresholds. These children are susceptible to learning challenges, and struggle with the suboptimal acoustics of standard classrooms. Remote microphone technology (RMT) is one way to improve the listening environment. The aim of this study was to determine the assistive potential of RMT for speech identification and attention skills in children with LiD, and to investigate whether the benefits obtained by these children were greater than for those with no listening concerns. A total of 28 children with LiD and 10 control participants with no listening concerns aged 6 to 12 years were included in this study. Children attended two laboratory-based testing sessions, where their speech intelligibility and attention skills were behaviorally assessed with and without the use of RMT. There were significant improvements in speech identification and attention skills when RMT was used. For the LiD group, use of the devices improved speech intelligibility to being comparable or better than control abilities without RMT. Auditory attention scores also improved from being poorer than controls without RMT to comparable to control performance with device assistance. Use of RMT was found to have a positive effect on both speech intelligibility and attention. RMT should be considered a viable option for addressing common behavioral symptoms of LiD, including for the many children that present with concerns of inattentiveness.

Combined sensory integration therapy plus neurodevelopmental therapy (NT) versus NT alone for motor and attention in children with Down syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

In this study, we aimed to analyze the incremental effects of sensory integration therapy (SIT) plus neurodevelopmental therapy (NT) versus NT alone on the attention and motor skills in children with Down syndrome (DS). We randomly assigned into experimental (i.e. SIT + NT; n = 21) and control (i.e. NT alone; n = 21) groups. While NT was applied to both groups for six weeks, SIT was applied simultaneously to the experimental group for six weeks. Participants’ motor functions (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Short form (BOT-2 SF)) and attention skills (Stroop TBAG (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Association) Form) were evaluated before and after treatment (6 weeks later). Stroop TBAG and BOT-2 SF scores of the groups were similar at the baseline (p > 0.05). Significant improvement from baseline was observed in both BOT-2 SF, and Stroop TBAG results in both groups (p < 0.05). In addition, the improvement in both BOT-2 SF and Stroop TBAG results was found to be greater in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.01). There were clear advantages to adding SIT to NT alone when seeking to improve motor and attention skills in children with DS.

Individual Differences in Multisensory Attention Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Predict Language and Symptom Severity: Evidence from the Multisensory Attention Assessment Protocol (MAAP).

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show atypical attention, particularly for social events. The new Multisensory Attention Assessment Protocol (MAAP) assesses fine-grained individual differences in attention disengagement, maintenance, and audiovisual matching for social and nonsocial events. We investigated the role of competing stimulation on attention, and relations with language and symptomatology in children with ASD and typical controls. Findings revealed: (1) the MAAP differentiated children with ASD from controls, (2) greater attention to social events predicted better language for both groups and lower symptom severity in children with ASD, (3) different pathways from attention to language were evident in children with ASD versus controls. The MAAP provides an ideal attention assessment for revealing diagnostic group differences and relations with outcomes.

"Sequencing Matters": Investigating Suitable Action Sequences in Robot-Assisted Autism Therapy.

Social robots have been shown to be promising tools for delivering therapeutic tasks for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, their efficacy is currently limited by a lack of flexibility of the robot’s social behavior to successfully meet therapeutic and interaction goals. Robot-assisted interventions are often based on structured tasks where the robot sequentially guides the child towards the task goal. Motivated by a need for personalization to accommodate a diverse set of children profiles, this paper investigates the effect of different robot action sequences in structured socially interactive tasks targeting attention skills in children with different ASD profiles. Based on an autism diagnostic tool, we devised a robotic prompting scheme on a NAO humanoid robot, aimed at eliciting goal behaviors from the child, and integrated it in a novel interactive storytelling scenario involving screens. We programmed the robot to operate in three different modes: diagnostic-inspired (Assess), personalized therapy-inspired (Therapy), and random (Explore). Our exploratory study with 11 young children with ASD highlights the usefulness and limitations of each mode according to different possible interaction goals, and paves the way towards more complex methods for balancing short-term and long-term goals in personalized robot-assisted therapy.

Enhancing Joint Attention Skills in Children on the Autism Spectrum through an Augmented Reality Technology-Mediated Intervention.

In the present study, the effects of an intervention based on an augmented reality technology called Pictogram Room were examined. The objective of the intervention was to improve the responding to joint attention (RJA) skills of gaze following and pointing in six children on the autism spectrum between 3 and 8 years old. A multiple baseline single-subject experimental design was conducted for 12 weeks in a school setting. Results indicated that all of the participant children improved performance in RJA following the intervention. Improvements were maintained over time and generalised to real-world situations. These findings demonstrate that autistic children can improve their RJA skills with a targeted and engaging intervention based on an accessible augmented reality technology tool.

An iPad-based intervention to improve visual-motor, visual-attention, and visual-perceptual skills in children with surgically treated hydrocephalus: A pilot study.

Develop and pilot an iPad-based intervention for improving visual-motor coordination, visual-spatial processing/reasoning, and visual attention in children with surgically treated hydrocephalus (HCP). We developed an intervention protocol targeting visual-motor coordination, visual-spatial processing/reasoning, and visual attention. Fourteen participants with HCP completed 30h of training over 6weeks. The primary outcome measure was the Perceptual Reasoning Index from the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition. Secondary measures included subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition, Developmental NEuroPSYchological Assessment, Second Edition (NEPSY-II), and Purdue Pegboard. Children with HCP demonstrated gains with statistical significance on the Perceptual Reasoning Index. We also observed significant improvement on a timed test of visuo-motor coordination (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition, Coding). Our iPad-application-based intervention may promote visual-motor coordination, visual-spatial processing/reasoning, and visual attention skills in children with HCP, offering an engaging and economical supplement to more conventional therapies.

Socio-economic Status and Attention Ability as Predictors of Early Geometry Skills of 60-72-Month-Old Children

The aims of this study are investigating the attention ability and geometry skills of 60-72-month-old children according to the socio-economic status and determining whether the attention ability significantly predicts the geometry skill when the socio-economic status is controlled. The accessible population of the research in the relational screening model consisted of 60-72-month-old children studying in Afyonkarahisar kindergartens and nursery classes in the 2018-2019 academic year. The sample of the study was randomly selected 310 children among 60-72-month-old children attending high, medium and low socio-economic status schools, volunteering to participate in the study. The "General Information Form" was used to collect data on children and their families in the study while the " Attention Gathering Skills Test for Five-year Old Children FTF-K" developed by Raatz and Möhling in 1971 and adapted by Gözüm (2017) to determine the attention status of children, and the "Early Geometry Skill Test” developed by Sezer (2015) to measure children's geometry skills were used. Chi-Square, One-Way ANOVA and Hierarchical Regression tests were used to analyze the data obtained from the research. In the light of the findings, it was found out that children's attention skills and early geometry skills differed according to socio-economic status and when the socio-economic status was controlled, attention ability was a positive and significant predictor of early geometry skills of 60-72-month-old children.

Investigation of the relationship between attention skills and science process skills in children regarding external elements

In this research, it is aimed to examine the relationship between the attention skills of children regarding auditory and visual elements and their science process skills. In addition, these skills were examined in terms of gender and socio-economic level variables. The research is designed in survey model and the study group is consisted of randomly selected 156 children aged 60-72 months attending preschool education institutions in the 2018-2019 academic year in Istanbul. Four data collection tools as Demographic Information Form, Preschool Science Process Skills Scale for 60-72 Months Old Children, Listening Test and Concentration Test for 5-Year-Old Children were used in the research. As the result of the research, it is found a positive significant relationship between the visual and auditory attention skills of the preschool children and science process skills. It was found that the science process skills and auditory attention skills of preschool children did not differ significantly with gender. However, visual attention skills differed with gender of the children and this difference was in favor of the girls. Additionally, attention skills and scientific process skills differed with socio-economic level of the children and this difference was in favor of the upper socio-economic level.

فعالية برنامج قائم على التدخل السلوکي المکثف (IBI) في تنمية الانتباه المشترک لدى عينة من الأطفال ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد Effectiveness of a Program Based on the Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) for the Development of Joint Attention Among a sample of Children with Disorder Spectrum Autism

هدفــت الدراســـة إلى التعرف على فعالية برنامج قائم على التدخل السلوکي المکثف (IBI) في تنمية الانتباه المشترک لدى عينة من الأطفال ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد، واعتمد المنهج شبه التجريبي في الدراسة، تکونت عينة الدراسة من (10) أطفال ذکور ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد، تراوحت أعمارهم الزمنية ما بين (3: 6) سنوات، وتراوحت نسبة ذکائهم بين (85: 90)، وبدرجة شدة تحت المتوسط لاضطراب طيف التوحد، وقسمت عينة الدراسة إلى مجموعتين إحداهما تجريبية (5) أطفال والأخرى ضابطة (5) أطفال، وتمثلت أدوات الدراسة في مقياس تقدير الانتباه المشترک لذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد بمرحلة ما قبل المدرسة (إعداد الباحث)، والبرنامج القائم على التدخل السلوکي المکثف (إعداد الباحث)، کما تمثلت الأساليب الإحصائية المستخدمة باختبار مان ويتني (Mann-Whitney U)، واختبار الإشارة المرتب (Wilcoxon signed-rank)، وقد أظهرت نتائج الدراسة وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائيا عند مستوى دلالة (0.01) بين متوسطات رتب درجات الأطفال بالمجموعتين التجريبية والضابطة في القياس البعدي لمقياس الانتباه المشترک باستثناء بعدى الاستجابة للانتباه المشترک، والتقليد، فهما دالان عند مستوى دلالة (0.05)، وقد کانت الفروق للأبعاد الدالة إحصائيا لصالح المجموعة التجريبية، کما أظهرت النتائج وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا عند مستوى دلالة (0.05) بين رتب درجات الأطفال بالمجموعة التجريبية قبل وبعد تطبيق البرنامج وأظهرت أيضا نتائج الدراسة عدم وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا بين درجات الأطفال بالمجموعة التجريبية في القياسين البعدي والتتبعي، وأشارت النتائج أيضا لوجود تأثير دال للبرنامج القائم على التدخل السلوکي المکثف في تحسين الانتباه المشترک لدى أطفال المجموعة التجريبية ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد. The study aimed to identify the effectiveness of an intensive behavioral intervention (IBI) program in developing joint attention in a sample of children with autism spectrum disorder, and the Quasi-experimental approach was adopted in the study, and the study sample consisted of (10) children with autism spectrum disorder, Their chronological ages ranged between (3: 6) years, and their IQ ranged between (85: 90), with a slight degree of severity of symptoms of the disorder, and the study sample was divided into two groups, one of them experimental (5) children and the other controlling (5) children, and the study tools were represented in The Early Childhood Joint Attention Estimation Scale (Researcher's Preparation), the Program Based on Intensive Behavioral Intervention (Researcher Preparation), and the non-parametric statistical methods used were (Mann-Whitney U) test and (The Wilcoxon signed-rank). The results of the study showed that there are statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.01) between the mean scores of the scores of children in the two experimental and control groups in the post measurement of the joint attention scale except for the two dimensions of joint attention response and imitation, as they are two indications at a significance level (0.05). The statistically function in favor of the experimental group, and the results showed that there are statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) between the ranks of the scores of children in the experimental group before and after the implementation of the program. The effectiveness of the training program in developing joint attention skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. The results of the study also showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the scores of children in the experimental group in the post and Iterative measurements, which shows the effectiveness of the training program in developing joint attention skills in children with autism spectrum disorder

Analysis of Attention in Child–Robot Interaction Among Children Diagnosed with Cognitive Impairment

Interacting with social robots has been reported as potentially beneficial for children with social communication difficulties, with one of the promising applications being the practising of social skills, such as joint attention. We present the analysis of attention skills in children with cognitive impairments over a series of child–robot interaction sessions. Here, an interaction consists of five different modules. The first module introduces the child to the robot. The next three modules are the task modules during which children are expected to improve their attention skills during the completion of a series of social tasks. The final module is a free style interaction, where the duration of interaction between the child and robot was used as a proxy to indicate the attention of the child towards a robot. Our analysis showed that the majority of the children reduced their task completion time in modules two to four, indicating an improvement in attention. Moreover, most of the children showed positive engagement towards the robot and spent an average of 120 s during the free style interaction in module five. The positive response suggests that the robot, via child–robot interaction could be a useful and engaging tool to improve attention skills of the children with cognitive impairment.

The Effectiveness of a Behavioral Training Program to Improve Joint Attention in Children with Moderate Intellectual Disability in Jordan

This study aimed to recognize the effect of a behavioral training program on the improvement of joint attention in children with moderate intellectual disability in Jordan, where the experimental method has been applied by single-case research design, and the researcher has prepared and applied the standard for joint attention in children with moderate intellectual disability, whose age ranged between (8-11 years)after indices of validity and reliability necessary for the scale has been calculated.The number of individuals in the study sample is (20) child with moderate intellectual disability, who have been chosen from one of the centers for special education, which is specialized in rehabilitating, training and educating children with intellectual disability in Irbid province, where they had been chosen intentionally because the required conditions in the sample are met. Additionally, a behavioral training program has been applied to develop joint attention skills in children with moderate intellectual disability after indicators of validity, which are necessary for the program, has been calculated. Also, the study results showed that there are differences between the averages, in favor of the posttest design in the total score, where the average is (2.092) in the posttest design, which indicated that the program was effective in improving joint attention in children with moderate intellectual disability. Furthermore, the results showed that there are statistically-significant differences at significance level (0.05(α = in the total score for the standard, and in the dimensions included in the standard of joint attention, in favor of posttest design, where the difference between the two averages in the total score is(0.356) in favor of the posttest.

Joint Attention Skills in Children with Visually Impaired Children

İletişimin ilk işlevleri davranış düzenleme, sosyal etkileşim ve ortak dikkat becerisidir. İletişim işlevlerinden biri olan ortak dikkat becerisi, diğer iletişim işlevlerine göre görme duyusunun daha yoğun kullanımıyla gelişmektedir. Çünkü ortak dikkat becerisinde, iki kişi arasında var olan iletişimde üçüncü bir öğeye dikkat çekilme söz konusudur. Öyle ki alanyazında da ortak dikkat becerisinin genellikle görme duyusunun varlığında ele alındığı göze çarpmaktadır. Dolayısıyla görme duyusundan yoksunluk durumunda ortak dikkat becerisi gelişiminin çocuklarda nasıl olduğu merak uyandırmaktadır. Mevcut çalışmanın amacı, görme yetersizliği olan çocuklarda ortak dikkat becerisinin nasıl geliştiğini alanyazın incelemesiyle ortaya çıkarmak ve bu konuya farkındalığı sağlamaktır. Bu bağlamda görme yetersizliği olan çocuklar üç grupta incelenmiştir; (1) sadece görme yetersizliği olan, (2) körsağır olan ve (3) çoklu yetersizlikten etkilenmiş görmeyen. Sözü edilen amaç çerçevesinde yapılan bu çalışma ile görülmüştür ki; görme yetersizliği olan, körsağır olan ve çoklu yetersizlikten etkilenmiş görmeyen çocuklarda ortak dikkat becerisi gelişmektedir. Ancak ortak dikkat becerisinin oluşumu ve gelişimi sürecinde gecikmeler olabilmekte, farklı duyuların (işitme, koklama, dokunma, tatma) kullanımı gerekebilmektedir. Görme yetersizliği olan çocuklarda ortak dikkat becerisinin sekteye uğramadan gelişebilmesi için söz konusu çocukların çevreden nasıl bilgi edindiklerinin anlaşılmasına ve bu doğrultuda kendileriyle duyarlı etkileşim kurulmasına ihtiyaç vardır. Ayrıca araştırma sırasında konuyla ilgili alanyazında az sayıda çalışmaya rastlanmış olup bu durum, eğitim sürecinde uygulamaların güçlenmesi adına yeni araştırmalara ihtiyaç duyulduğunu gündeme getirmektedir.

Do mothers who are anxious during pregnancy have inattentive children?

BackgroundMaternal somatic anxiety during pregnancy may affect neural foetal development via corticoid pathways. Using a large epidemiological cohort, this study explores the relationship between maternal somatic anxiety in pregnancy and child scores on the Test of Everyday Attention in Children (TEA-Ch). MethodsLinear regression was used to analyse the association of maternal somatic anxiety during pregnancy and performance of children on three subtests of the TEA-Ch at age 8.5 years that assess selective attention (Sky Search), sustained attention (Sky Search Dual Test) and attentional control (Opposite Worlds). ResultsChildren with complete data on each subtest were included in the analysis, comprising 4,198 children for the Sky Search subtest, 3,845 for the Sky Search Dual Test and 4,202 for the Opposite Worlds subtest. No association was found between exposure to maternal somatic anxiety and child's performance in any of the TEA-Ch subtests either before or after adjusting for confounders. The results did not change when stratifying by gender. LimitationsSelective attrition, lack of sensitivity of tests and lack of adjustment for the postnatal environment are possible limitations to this study. ConclusionsWe found no evidence of an association between exposure to maternal somatic anxiety in pregnancy and TEA-Ch scores. These results suggest that anxiety during pregnancy does not affect the development of children's attentional skills measured by TEA-Ch.

Time spent outdoors during preschool: Links with children's cognitive and behavioral development

This study examined the concurrent and long-term relations between the amount of time children attending daycare spend outdoors and their cognitive and behavioral development during preschool and first grade. We applied a multi-informant design using cognitive testing and ratings from parents and teachers to follow 562 Norwegian preschoolers (298 girls; mean age at first assessment = 52.45 months, SD = 15.96) over a period of four years. Children's attention skills were tested with the digit span test while teachers rated their behavior. Growth curve analyses showed a positive relation between outdoor hours and children's digit span scores, and an inverse relation between outdoor hours and inattention-hyperactivity symptoms, controlling for a host of possible confounds. Results indicate that outdoor time in preschool may support children's development of attention skills and protect against inattention-hyperactivity symptoms.

Relevance of a neurophysiological marker of attention allocation for children's learning-related behaviors and academic performance.

Learning-related behaviors are important for school success. Socioeconomic disadvantage confers risk for less adaptive learning-related behaviors at school entry, yet substantial variability in school readiness exists within socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Investigation of neurophysiological systems associated with learning-related behaviors in high-risk populations could illuminate resilience processes. This study examined the relevance of a neurophysiological measure of controlled attention allocation, amplitude of the P3b event-related potential, for learning-related behaviors and academic performance in a sample of socioeconomically disadvantaged kindergarteners. The sample consisted of 239 children from an urban, low-income community, approximately half of whom exhibited behavior problems at school entry (45% aggressive/oppositional; 64% male; 69% African American, 21% Hispanic). Results revealed that higher P3b amplitudes to target stimuli in a go/no-go task were associated with more adaptive learning-related behaviors in kindergarten. Furthermore, children's learning-related behaviors in kindergarten mediated a positive indirect effect of P3b amplitude on growth in academic performance from kindergarten to 1st grade. Given that P3b amplitude reflects attention allocation processes, these findings build on the scientific justification for interventions targeting young children's attention skills in order to promote effective learning-related behaviors and academic achievement within socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.

Attention in 3-Year-Old Children with VLBW and Relationships with Early School Outcomes

ABSTRACTAim: To compare attention skills of children with a very low birth weight (VLBW) with children with a normal birth weight (NBW) when entering primary school, and explore the association of attention skills with school career 2 years later. Methods: Participants were 151 children with VLBW and 41 with NBW. Attention was assessed at 3 years and 8 months of corrected age (CA) and school career at 5½ years of CA. Children performed two tests, parents completed three questionnaires, and an assessor systematically observed children's attention. Results: Children with VLBW had significantly lower mean scores on five of the six measures. Significantly more children with VLBW had scores in the clinical range on the Child Behavior Checklist completed by the parents (13% versus 0%) and scores representing dysfunction on assessor observations (19% versus 2%). At 5½ years of age, 36% of the children with VLBW followed special education or had grade retention. Dysfunctional attention as observed by the assessor was most strongly associated with need for learning support at 5½ years of age. Conclusions: At preschool age, children with VLBW have attention difficulties. Attentive behavior at preschool age is a predictor of school career 2 years later.