Cognitive Functioning at Age 10 Years Among Children Born Extremely Preterm: A Latent Profile Approach

BACKGROUND: School-age children born extremely preterm (EP) are more likely than their term peers to have multiple neurocognitive limitations. We identify subgroups of EP children who share similar profiles on measures of IQ and executive function (EF), and describe the nature and prevalence of cognitive impairment in EP children. METHODS: Based on measures of IQ and EF, subgroups of EP children with common neurocognitive function are identified using latent profile analysis (LPA). Based on these subgroups, we describe the nature and prevalence of impairment in EP children, and examine associations between cognitive function, gestational age, and academic achievement. Classification of neurocognitive function using IQ and EF is compared to a standard classification based on IQ z-scores. RESULTS: LPA identified four neurocognitive profiles in EP children, with 34% of EP children classified normal, 41% low-normal, 17% moderately impaired, and 8% severely impaired. Impaired children exhibited global impairment across cognitive domains, while children in the low-normal group tended to have impaired inhibition relative to their reasoning and working memory skills. CONCLUSION: Within categories of EP children defined in terms of IQ, there is substantial variation in EF; thus both IQ and EF assessments are needed when describing school-age outcome of EP children.