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Children
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Advances in Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Preterm Infants
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Advances in Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Preterm Infants

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Neurology & Neurodevelopmental Disorders".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2025 | Viewed by 581

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Corinna Gasparini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: neurodevelopment of preterm infants; child development; mother–infant relationship; family-centered care; typical and atypical trajectories of infant neurodevelopment
Dr. Barbara Caravale

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: cognitive development; child development; developmental disabilities; neurodevelopmental disorders; cognitive psychology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled Advances in Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Preterm Infants, highlights advancements in understanding and improving neurodevelopmental outcomes for infants born preterm (defined as delivery before 37 weeks of gestation). Despite improved survival rates, these infants often face short- and long-term challenges and are exposed to higher risk of cognitive, language, motor, and behavioral difficulties. For that reason, early identification and intervention are both essential for optimizing developmental trajectories and promoting resilience and long-term well-being.

This Special Issue will present the latest research exploring both risk and protective factors affecting preterm infants’ neurodevelopmental outcomes and the roles of parental and environmental factors in outcomes.

Key topics include longitudinal studies, novel therapeutic approaches, effective interventions and programs to improve resilience and positive developmental trajectories for preterm infants. All original research, review articles and expert commentaries that discuss empirical findings addressing these critical topics are welcome. Contributions should emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration to advance care and outcomes for preterm infants.

Dr. Corinna Gasparini
Dr. Barbara Caravale
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • preterm birth
  • infant neurodevelopment
  • preterm developmental outcomes
  • early intervention for preterm infants
  • family-centered care

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 480 KB  
Article
Executive Functions and Reading Skills in Low-Risk Preterm Children
by Miguel Pérez-Pereira, Constantino Arce and Anastasiia Ogneva
Children 2025, 12(8), 1011; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12081011 - 31 Jul 2025
Viewed by 324
Abstract
Background/Objectives. Previous research with extremely and very preterm children indicates that these children obtain significantly lower results in executive functions (EFs) and in reading skills than full-term (FT) children. The comparison results do not seem to be so clear when other PT children [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives. Previous research with extremely and very preterm children indicates that these children obtain significantly lower results in executive functions (EFs) and in reading skills than full-term (FT) children. The comparison results do not seem to be so clear when other PT children in lower-risk conditions are studied. Many studies with typically developing and preterm (PT) children indicate that reading ability is determined, in part, by EFs. Therefore, the study of EFs and reading and their relationships in low-risk PT children is pertinent. Methods. In the present study, 111 PT children, classified into three groups with different ranges of gestational age (GA), and one group of 34 FT children participated in a longitudinal study, carried out from 4 to 9 years of age. The results obtained from the four groups in different EFs measured at 4, 5, and 8 years of age, and in reading skills at 9 years of age were compared. The possible effects of EFs on reading skills were studied through multiple linear regression analyses. Results. The results obtained indicate that no significant difference was found between FT children and any of the GA groups of PT children, either in EFs or reading skills. The effect of EFs on reading skills was low to moderate. Verbal and non-verbal working memory had a positive significant effect on decoding skills (letter names, same–different, and word reading), but not on reading comprehension processes. Higher-order EFs (cognitive flexibility and planning), as well as inhibitory control, showed positive effects on reading comprehension skills. The effects of the different EFs varied depending on the reading process. Conclusions. In conclusion, low-risk PT children do not differ from FT children in their competence in EFs or reading skills. There are long-lasting effects of EFs, measured several years before, on reading skills measured at 9 years of age. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Preterm Infants)
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