Nursery World - Premature birth: what early years practitioners need to know

Do you know how many children in your setting were born prematurely? For early years practitioners, knowing that a child was born preterm and understanding the possible impact it may have on children and families is crucial to ensure that appropriate support is provided from the start, say academics at Loughborough University and the University of Leicester.

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Each year in the UK, approximately 50,000 babies are born prematurely – before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Premature, or preterm, birth can have a long-lasting impact on the child and the wider family.

Children born preterm are more likely to have developmental difficulties, poor academic attainment and special educational needs than children who were born after a full-term pregnancy. This does not mean that every child born preterm will have additional needs, but it does mean that education professionals should be aware which children they work with were born preterm.

In particular, children born preterm are at risk for difficulties with cognitive and motor skills, such as working memory, hand-eye coordination and processing speed. As well as this, preterm birth places children at risk of attention, social and emotional difficulties.

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