Very premature children exhibit distinct behaviors

Children born very or extremely prematurely appear to exhibit a distinct pattern of functional and behavioral problems even if they do not have diagnosed neurological problems or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to researchers in Belgium.

Tiffany Tang and colleagues compared 39 very or extremely preterm children without major neurological problems or a formal ASD diagnosis to 38 age- and sex-matched full-term controls. They report that compared to controls, the preterm children exhibited significant increases in anxiety, attention problems, and autistic-like social difficulties. However, there were no significant differences in restrictive or repetitive behaviors, or in attachment to peers or parents.

The researchers conclude, “Even in a preterm population without major neurological impairments or a clinical diagnosis of autism, important clinical-behavioral differences were evident in line with a preterm behavioral phenotype. Thus, delineating this subclinical preterm pattern can be of relevance to recognize and validate meaningful difficulties experienced by these children that fail to reach the clinical threshold but could still benefit from certain interventions.”

Citations

“Pinpointing the preterm behavioural phenotype in school-aged children without major impairments: A multi-informant approach combining the perspectives of child, parent and clinician,” Tiffany Tang, Matthijs Moerkerke, Nicky Daniels, Bieke Bollen, Jean Steyaert, Kaat Alaerts, Gunnar Naulaers, Els Ortibus, and Bart Boets, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, December 29, 2025 (online). Address: Tiffany Tang, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, [email protected].