|  | Family Health | Pediatrics

Mental Disabilites in Premature Infants

When babies are not carried to term inside the womb, their bodies and brains do not have the appropriate time to develop normally in many cases. A full-term baby has 40 weeks to develop from conception to birth, but many babies are born much earlier and may have one or more mental disabilities as a result. While there is no guarantee that premature infants will have one of these disabilities, they are at a far higher risk.

  1. Cerebral Palsy

    • Cerebral palsy affects about two to four babies out of every 1,000 in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. Insufficient development during pregnancy or brain injuries during the developmental stages can be the cause of this affliction.

      Babies who experience breech births, have low birth weights, or are multiples are at risk for cerebral palsy, but one of the leading risk factors for developing it is prematurity. According to the Mayo Clinic, babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy tend to be at higher risk than do full-term babies. The earlier in the pregnancy that the baby is born, the greater the chance that the child will develop the disability.

      Babies with cerebral palsy often cannot control muscle movement, have exaggerated reflexes and tremors, and may have problems with drooling, swallowing, or speaking.

    Mental Retardation

    • Mental retardation is a developmental disability that prevents its victims from achieving normal intellectual levels and can hinder the ability to perform routine daily tasks. This disability can be apparent from birth all the way to adulthood. Approximately 2.5 to 3 percent of the population is mentally retarded, according to the Penn State Children's Hospital website.

      Premature births result in an increased likelihood of mental retardation, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. According to a study published on the New England Journal of Medicine website, the chances of children developing mental retardation increase by four percent in babies born early.

    Learning Disabilities

    • Children born 3 months before their due date are three to four times more likely to struggle in school because of learning disability than are their full-term peers, according to the Prematurity.org website.

      It's estimated that as many as 40 to 50 percent of pre-term babies will eventually have some form of learning disability. While early intervention is possible to help the child keep up in school and develop on schedule, it is often difficult to determine whether a child has a learning disability prior to age 2.

Pediatrics - Related Articles