Assessing independency in daily activities in very preterm children at preschool age.
One in five VLBW preschoolers without CP shows daily-activity delays—screen with PEDI before kindergarten.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Verkerk et al. (2013) looked at very low birth weight (VLBW) preschoolers without cerebral palsy. They used the Dutch PEDI to see how many kids struggled with everyday tasks like dressing or walking stairs.
Doctors also gave the BSID-II mental and motor scales. The goal was to learn if these scores could tip us off to mobility or self-care problems before kindergarten.
What they found
One in five of these VLBW preschoolers showed disability in daily activities. Low BSID-II scores gave a modest heads-up for mobility-domain problems, but they were not perfect predictors.
How this fits with other research
van Timmeren et al. (2016) studied the same VLBW group and found motor issues stem more from neurological status than from visual deficits. Together, the papers show daily-activity limits line up with broader neurological risk, not just what the eyes can see.
Spanoudis et al. (2011) and Boets et al. (2011) shift the lens to developmental coordination disorder (DCD). They report that DCD preschoolers also show activity limits and lower enjoyment. The pattern is similar even though the risk factor differs—VLBW versus DCD.
Deserno et al. (2017) used the PEDI in children with progressive neurological conditions and saw flat skill trajectories. Their stable scores contrast with Gijs's snapshot, reminding us that VLBW delays are present but may still shift with age.
Why it matters
If you work with preschoolers who were born very early, plan to screen daily living skills early. A quick PEDI before school entry can flag the one kid in five who needs extra help. Pair it with a brief BSID-II motor look-see, but do not rely on that score alone. Use the data to write goals for dressing, stair climbing, or classroom mobility, and monitor progress each quarter.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study investigates whether very low birth weight (VLBW) preschoolers experience disability in daily activities and what the risk factors for disability in daily activities are. The Dutch Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI-NL) was used to detect disability in daily activities in 143 VLBW children without cerebral palsy (CP) at 44 months of corrected age (CA). Data from the psychomotor-developmental index (PDI) and the mental developmental index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID II) at 24 months CA, and data relating to perinatal and socio-economic status were available. Disability in daily activities was found in 27 (19%) VLBW children without CP. High frequencies of disability were found in 19 (13%) children on the mobility domain and in 12 (8%) children on the social functioning domain. The multiple logistic regression analyses showed that low BSID II outcomes (<2 SD) were risk factors for disability in the mobility domain, but not for disability in the social functioning domain. The predictive value of the BSID II outcomes is moderate, 46% of the VLBW children with a low PDI and 44% with a low MDI developed a disability in the mobility domain. This study showed a higher frequency of disability in daily activities in VLBW preschoolers compared to term born peers. Therefore, it is suggested to assess VLBW children's performance of daily activities before they start school.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.032