School age neurological and cognitive outcomes of fetal growth retardation or small for gestational age birth weight

Children who were growth restricted in utero (FGR) and are born small for gestational age (SGA) may experience poorer longterm neurological and cognitive outcomes. Those also born preterm may have particular difficulties. The objective of this paperwas to review the literature on school age neurocognitive outcome for term and preterm children that was published in the lastfifteen years. Considering term born children first, there is evidence that these children are at higher risk for Cerebral Palsy (CP)than those born appropriate for gestational age (AGA); information on neuromotor function in the absence of CP is somewhatcontradictory. With regards to cognitive outcome, the most common finding was that being born SGA and/or FGR at term does notimpact negatively on general intellectual functioning, commonly assessed by IQ scores. There was some indication that they mayexperience particular problems with attention. With regards to children born preterm, the risk of CP appears not to be increasedcompared to those preterms born AGA. For preterm children who do not develop CP, motor outcome is more affected bypost-natal and post-neonatal brain growth than intrauterine growth. In contrast to term born children, preterm SGA and/or FGRchildren are at increased risk of cognitive and behavioural difficulties, and in common with term born children, are at higher riskthan their AGA counterparts of difficulties with attentional control. In conclusion, preterm born SGA and/or FGR children are athigher risk of neurodevelopmental problems in the school years. It is important to continue to follow up children into the schoolage years because these difficulties may take time to emerge, and may be more visible in the more demanding schoolenvironment