Neurocognitive Test Profiles of Extremely Low Birth Weight Five-Year-Old Children Differ According to Neuromotor Status

The neurocognitive outcome of children born with extremely low birth weight (ELBW) is highly variable due to the complexity of morbidity. So far, no study has compared comprehensive neuropsychological test profiles in groups with different neuromotor status. In a national cohort of ELBW children neuropsychological test profiles were assessed in 4 groups defined according to a neurological examination at 5 years of age: normal neuromotor status (N = 56), motor coordination problems (N = 32), multiple subtle neuromotor signs including both motor coordination problems and deviant reflexes (N = 20), and spastic diplegia (N = 12). The neurocognitive assessment included a test of intelligence, the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scale of Intelligence–Revised (WPPSI–R) and 14 subtests of attention and executive functions, verbal functions, manual motor functions, visuoconstructional functions and verbal learning (NEPSY). The children with normal neuromotor status performed within the average range; children with ...