title: The infant behavioral assessment and intervention program in very low birth weight infants; outcome on executive functioning, behaviour and cognition at preschool age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Infant Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Program (IBAIP©) improved motor function at 24 months, and mental and behavioural development in high risk subgroups of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine IBAIP's effects on executive functioning, behaviour and cognition at preschool age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow-up of a randomised controlled trial (RCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  At 44 months corrected age, all 176 VLBW infants were invited for follow-up. Forty-one term born children were assessed for comparison.
  
  
  METHODS
  Visual Attention Task (VAT), Gift delay, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III-NL (PPVT), Visual motor integration tests and Miller assessment for preschoolers. Parents completed Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool (BRIEF-P) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At preschool age, 76 (88%) children of the intervention group and 75 (83%) children of the control group participated. There were no significant differences between the intervention and the control group. However, positive interaction effects between intervention and infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, infants born at gestational age<28 weeks, and infants of low educated mothers were found on CBCL, CBCL and BRIEF-P, and PPVT respectively. Most interaction effects exceeded 1 standard deviation in favour of the intervention children. The 151 VLBW children performed significantly worse than the term born children on the VAT, BRIEF-P and CBCL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IBAIP effects in VLBW children did not sustain until preschool age on executive functioning, behaviour and cognition. However, the most vulnerable children had a clinical relevant profit from IBAIP. VLBW children performed worse than the term born children. This study is a follow-up at preschool age of the multi-centre RCT of IBAIP versus usual care in VLBW infants. The RCT was performed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (IBAIP).
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. g.j.verkerk@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: Gijs
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Verkerk
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeukens-Visser
authors.forename: Bregje
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Houtzager
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koldewijn
authors.forename: Aleid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Wassenaer
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nollet
authors.forename: Joke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kok
mesh_terms: D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male