The neurodevelopmental abilities of very-low-birthweight children in Trinidad, West Indies.

ABSTRACT

Neurodevelopmental abilities of 33 very-low-birthweight (VLBW) Trinidadian children and randomly selected matched pairs of classmates who were of normal birth weight were tested in 1998 at ages 68-88 months, using the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. The 1 min Apgar score was significantly lower in the VLBW children, 6.5 (SD 1.0) versus 7.7 (SD 1.27), PScales for study and control children were (Table cannot be represented.) These differences may reflect a delay in the neurodevelopment of these children. However, the effect of child-rearing practices and the inappropriateness of the test for the population cannot be ruled out.