The Early Motor Repertoire of Children Born Preterm Is Associated With Intelligence at School Age

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to determine whether the quality of general movements (GMs) for preterm children had predictive value for cognitive development at school age. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 60 preterm infants (gestational age, median: 30.0 weeks [range: 25–33 weeks]; birth weight, median: 1130 g [range: 595–1800 g]) without cerebral palsy were studied. The quality of GMs was assessed prospectively as normal or abnormal, from video recordings that were made at regular intervals until 17 weeks after term. At 7 to 11 years, intelligence was tested by using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III, Dutch version. Total IQ (TIQ), verbal IQ (VIQ), and performance IQ (PIQ) scores were calculated. RESULTS: The median TIQ was 93 (range: 67–113), VIQ 96 (range: 68–117), and PIQ 92 (range: 65–119). Fifteen children (25%) had low TIQ scores ( CONCLUSIONS: The quality of GMs during the early postterm period is a marker for intelligence at school age. Abnormal GMs during the early postterm period may reflect injury or developmental disruptions of brain areas involved in cognitive development.