title: Differences in attentional functioning between preterm and full-term children underline the importance of new neuropsychological detection techniques.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate specific attentional components in preterm born children who had not yet started school.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January and December 2011, we assessed 52 preterm and 52 full-term children aged between five years five months and six years two months, of comparable age and gender, at the Medical University of Vienna. Different attentional components were evaluated through selected subtests of the Test of Attentional Performance and the German version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Each child's behaviour was also evaluated using parental ratings and descriptive item-based evaluation during neuropsychological assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children born preterm showed poor attentional performance in sustained attention, focused attention and distractibility, as well as reductions in processing speed in divided attention and flexibility tasks. Children born preterm also showed decreased volitional attention compared with automatic attention. No problems were detected in alertness or inhibition. In addition, a higher rate of aborted tests, decreased motivation and poorer parental ratings were detected among the preterm population compared with full-term born children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results highlighted differences in attentional functioning between preterm and full-term children, indicating the importance of new neuropsychological techniques for the detection of specific attentional disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Neonatal Follow-up Clinic, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Follow-up Clinic, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fuiko
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Leiss
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Follow-up Clinic, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brandstetter
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayde
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bartha-Doering
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Neonatal Follow-up Clinic, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klebermaß-Schrehof
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Weiler
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D014888:Wechsler Scales
keywords: Attentional functioning; Extremely preterm infants; Neuropsychological assessment; Parental ratings; Test of attentional performance for children