Motor performance, postural stability and behaviour of non-disabled extremely preterm or extremely low birth weight children at four to five years of age

•Non-disabled extremely preterm or ELBW children are at risk of neurodevelopmental impairments.•At ages 4–5, these children have low average motor co-ordination, postural stability & behaviour.•Ongoing monitoring is recommended to optimise development for these otherwise healthy children.

BackgroundExtremely preterm or extremely low birth weight (ELBW) children who are non-disabled and otherwise healthy are at risk of neurodevelopmental impairments. Further understanding of these impairments is needed before commencement of formal education to optimise participation levels at a critical time point for these children.AimsTo explore motor co-ordination, postural stability, limb strength and behaviour of non-disabled four to five year old children with a history of extreme prematurity or ELBW.Study designProspective–descriptive-cohort-study.Subjects50 children born at less than 28 weeks gestation or who had a birth weight less than 1000 g with minimal/mild motor impairments and no significant neurological/cognitive impairments.Outcome measuresMovement Assessment Battery for Children second-edition (MABC-2), single leg stance test (SLS), lateral reach test, standing long jump test and Child Behaviour Checklist for preschool children (CBCL).ResultsThe mean percentile rank of the extremely preterm or ELBW sample on MABC-2 was 31% (SD 23%). SLS right (mean ± SD; 4.6 ± 2.5 s) and lateral reach to the right (10.0 ± 3.9 cm) were slightly stronger than SLS left (4.4 ± 3.3 s) and lateral reach left (9.9 ± 3.5 cm). The average for standing long jump was 71.6 cm (SD 21.0 cm). All participants were classified as ‘normal’ on CBCL syndrome scale scores, internalizing and externalizing syndrome T scores and total problem T score.ConclusionsThis sample of non-disabled extremely preterm or ELBW children performed in the lower range of normal. These children continue to be at risk of impairments, therefore, ongoing monitoring and tailored intervention may optimise development.