Gestational Age

Very preterm at the gestational age of 32 weeks or less and very low birth weight of approximately 3.3 pounds is expected to be the cause of attention problems in the childhood of people and leading into adulthood. The strength of these problems into adulthood has not been known. To test the theory The Bavarian Longitudinal Study is an awaiting friendly study that followed 260 very preterm and very low birth weight shortened as (VP/VLBW) and 229 full term gestational age 37-42 weeks individuals from birth to adulthood. The attention data were collected at three different times starting at age" 6, 8, and 26 years of age, using parent reports, expert behavior observations, and clinical ADHD diagnoses." Parents rated their children’s attention problems at 6 years and 8 years using the well-studied and validated …show more content…
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with long-term functional impairments, such as impaired physical and mental health (Brook, Brook, Zhang, Seltzer, & Finch, 2013; Gjervan, Torgersen, Nordahl, & Rasmussen, 2012) and considerable costs for patients, their families, and society (Matza, Paramore, & Prasad, 2005). In both preemies/underweight and full-term individuals, overall the attention span enlarged and attention problems reduced from childhood to adulthood. Attention problems and the attention span were steadier over time for very low in weight/premature infants than full-term individuals. Similarly, ADHD diagnoses showed balanced stability from childhood to adulthood in premature/ low birth weight, but not in full term individuals. However, when those with major disabilities were set aside the differences between very premature/low birth weight and full-term-born individuals