Abstract

Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies in early childhood generally focus on different developmental areas separately. The aim of this study is to identify the most common developmental profiles regarding cognitive, language and motor skills among low birthweight (LBW) children. Our sample included 208 LBW children examined at 24–28 months. We used cluster analysis to identify developmental profiles based on the scores of the Bayley-III Cognitive, Language and Motor scales. We found three consistent profiles (High, Mildly Delayed and Severely Delayed) and three inconsistent, average profiles (with High Expressive Language, with Mildly Delayed Expressive Language and with Severely Delayed Language). Socioeconomic status, maternal education, in vitro fertilization, plurality and chronic morbidities were significantly related to the clusters. Cluster analysis might be an effective method to identify developmental profiles of preterm (and other at-risk) children, which might result in a more complex understanding of cognitive and psychomotor development in early childhood.

摘要

儿童早期的纵向和横断面研究通常分别关注不同的发展领域。本研究的目的是确定低出生体重 (LBW) 儿童最常见的认知、语言和运动技能发育概况。我们的样本包括在 24-28 个月检查的 208 名 LBW 儿童。我们使用聚类分析根据 Bayley-III 认知、语言和运动量表的分数来识别发育概况。我们发现了三个一致的配置文件（高、轻度延迟和严重延迟）和三个不一致的平均配置文件（高表达语言、轻度延迟表达语言和严重延迟语言）。社会经济状况、孕产妇教育、体外受精、多元化和慢性病与集群显着相关。