Late-Preterm Babies at Greater Risk for Problems Later in Childhood

Late-preterm babies -- those born between 34 and 36 weeks -- are at an increased risk for cognitive and emotional problems, regardless of maternal IQ or demographics, according to new research published by Michigan State University researchers in the current edition of the journal Pediatrics.

While late-preterm births (full-term pregnancies last at least 37 weeks) have been associated with such problems before, the study represents one of the most rigorous looks at the issue by accounting for other potential causes, said the study's lead author, Nicole Talge, a postdoctoral research associate in MSU's Department of Epidemiology.

"Previous studies reveal that babies born a little early are at-risk for short-term medical problems and possibly long-term behavioral and cognitive problems," Talge said.

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MISTAKE PHOBIA

Mistake phobia: No, it’s not a real diagnosis, although maybe it ought to be. I came up with the idea while listening to a mom talk about her 9-year-old son:

“My son, Theo, can never seem to finish anything,” she said. “He starts all kinds of projects but gets easily frustrated when they don’t look exactly like what he had in mind. Often he storms away in tears. A good example is the way he worked with his Legos the other day. We saw some dinosaurs made out of those little bricks at the local children’s museum. When we came home, he tried to make one too. After trying for about 15 minutes, he kicked the bricks in all directions, calling himself stupid and dumb.

The same thing happened when it was time for the Pinewood Derby in Cub Scouts. The kids are supposed to make their cars themselves with only a little help from parents.

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BRAIN SCAN CAN PREDICT THERAPY RESPONSE FOR ANXIOUS KIDS

Experts say a brain scan can predict which kids with anxiety disorders will respond to one form of psychotherapy. As a consequence, Georgetown University neuroscientists say the use of psychiatric medication is not necessary for certain children.

Their study, presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, utilized functional Magentic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to map regions of brain activity. The results showed that children and adolescents, ages 8 to 16, who show fear when looking at happy faces on a screen were those who had least success with an eight-week course of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Conversely, children who showed fear while looking at fearful faces benefitted from the treatment, the researchers found.

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