Do developmental problems perceived by parents of very-low-birth weight infants during the first year of life correlate with objective criteria at 2 years of age?

Aims: In a previous study we discovered that more than 50% of parents of very-low-birth weight (VLBW) infants describe a slower development than their peers during the first year of life. This rate increased to more than 70% with declining gestational age. We compared parental concern to development during the second year of life.

Methods: The German neonatal network monitors VLBW infants in a multicenter study in Germany. Clinical data of postnatal complications are monitored. Parents receive questionnaires during the first and second year of life. At the age of 2 years (corrected for prematurity) Bayley Scales of Infant Development II are recorded.

Results: Total of 2391 parents of VLBW infants that were born between January 2009 and December 2011 were questioned about their infants' development. These data were compared with acquisition of developmental milestones of 827 of these infants during their second year of life and with scores on the psychomotor index of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II in 374 VLBW infants as well as scores on the mental index in 470 infants. Results are summarized in Table 1.

Development as perceived by parents	Better than peers	Normal compared with peers	Slower than peers
Sitting (months)	9.5 (8 – 10) N = 10	9 (8 – 11) N = 265	11 (9 – 13) N = 354
First words (months)	13.5 (12 – 15) N = 16	14 (12 – 18) N = 268	16 (12 – 19) N = 358
MDI Bayley II	110 (92 – 118) N = 7	102 (88 – 110) N = 198	98 (84 – 108) N = 265
PDI Bayley II	105 (80 – 107) N = 5	93 (84 – 103) N = 159	88 (76 – 100) N = 210

Conclusion: Development of VLBW infants during the second year of life correlates well with the problems perceived by parents during the first year of life. If parents are concerned about the development of their infants during the first year of life, then developmental delay will be diagnosed in a quarter of these infants. Therefore, if parents are concerned about the development of their children during the first year of life, these children should be seen by a specialist in developmental medicine and child neurology to initiate specific therapy if indicated.