Executive function and IQ predict mathematical and attention problems in very preterm children

• Published in: PloS one 2013-02, Vol.8 (2), p.e55994-e55994
• Main Authors: Aarnoudse-Moens, Cornelieke Sandrine Hanan, Weisglas-Kuperus, Nynke, Duivenvoorden, Hugo Joseph, van Goudoever, Johannes Bernard, Oosterlaan, Jaap
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Age; Attention; Attention (Psychology); Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Behavior; Biology; Birth; Case-Control Studies; Cerebral palsy; Child; Child Behavior Disorders - psychology; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Disabilities; Executive function; Executive Function - physiology; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Hyperactivity; Impulsive behavior; Infant, Extremely Premature - physiology; Infant, Extremely Premature - psychology; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Intelligence; Intelligence (Psychology); Intelligence - physiology; Male; Mathematical analysis; Mathematics; Medicine; Memory; Memory, Short-Term; Monitoring systems; Neuropsychological Tests; Parents; Pregnancy; Premature birth; Premature infants; Psychiatry; Psychological aspects; Schools; Short term memory; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Spatial memory; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teachers
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055994

Objective of this study was to examine the impact of executive function (EF) on mathematical and attention problems in very preterm (gestational age ≤ 30 weeks) children. Participants were 200 very preterm (mean age 8.2 ± 2.5 years) and 230 term children (mean age 8.3 ± 2.3 years) without severe disabilities, born between 1996 and 2004. EFs assessed included verbal fluency, verbal working memory, visuospatial span, planning, and impulse control. Mathematics was assessed with the Dutch Pupil Monitoring System and parents and teachers rated attention problems using standardized behavior questionnaires. The impact of EF was calculated over and above processing speed indices and IQ. Interactions with group (very preterm versus term birth status) were examined. Analyses were conducted separately for two subsamples: children in preschool and children in primary school. Very preterm children performed poorer on tests for mathematics and had more parent and teacher rated attention problems than term controls (ß(s)>.11, P(s).16, P(s)