title: School children with low birth weight inserted in system of Embu's education: construction of sentences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the construction of sentences in schoolchildren born with low weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  We selected 413 students from Embu das Artes (SP), Brazil. Application of Recreating Speech Acts of Test of Language Competence sub-test. We analyzed the number of words and the holistic score. Age group of 6-10 years old, female/male, with low birth weight (<2,500 g) in Study Group (SG; n=238), and birth weight above or equal to 2,500 g composing the Control Group (CG; n=175). Children with anomalies were excluded. The both groups' responses were considered as well as the association of the responses with variables birth weight, gender, age of child and maternal age and education, through Student's t-test, χ2test and linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SG scored less on the total number of words and had worst performance in items that involved prepositions with a sense of temporality and place, with adverb functions. There was no difference between groups regarding the holistic score. It was found positive impact of the variables birth weight (p=0.002), age of child, age of mother and maternal education on standard test scores in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SG had fewer words compared to CG. The higher the birth weight, the higher the score test pattern. It was evident the age-related changes in morpho-syntactic skills addressed in the study, and protection factors mother's schooling and age had a positive impact on language performance.
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rebeca Rodrigues
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Pessoa
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Universidade Federal São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Selma Mie
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Isotani
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Universidade Federal São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jacy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perissinoto
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Universidade Federal São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosana Fiorini
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Puccini
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007804:Language Development; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies