preterm infants have special learning challenges
Preterm infants have increased risk for learning difficulties throughout their lifetime, including deficits in spatial attention, processing speed, and executive function. Importantly, these deficits can occur even in healthy preterm infants with no significant medical complications. Recently, our work conducted in partnership with the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital has revealed important differences in they ways in which preterm infants respond to visual stimuli, making it possible to identify infants most at risk for cognition delay, months and even years earlier than previously possible.