Abstract
Very low birth weight born children manifest a higher prevalence of motor and cognitive
impairments than term children. Seventy-four prospectively enrolled children born
< 1250 g underwent testing of motor (Zurich neuromotor assessment ZNA: timed motor
performances and associated movements) and cognitive functions (Kaufman-ABC) at age
six years. Children with cerebral palsy or mental retardation were excluded. Adaptive
motor tasks (pegboard and dynamic balance) and visuomotor cognitive functions were
specifically impaired, and a distinct correlation pattern between motor and cognitive
abilities was detected. The adaptive fine motor task (pegboard) correlated with visuomotor
functions of the Kaufman-ABC (“triangles”, r = 0.35; “matrix analogies”, r = 0.39),
while pure motor tasks of the ZNA (repetitive, alternating, and sequential movements)
did not in spite of impaired motor performance. Timed motor performance below the
10th percentile correlated strongly with cognitive delay (IQ < 85: adaptive fine motor:
OR 6.0 [95 % CI] 4.7 - 7.3; adaptive gross motor: OR 7.0 [CI 5.6 - 8.4]; static balance:
OR 9.6 [CI 8.2 - 11.0]). In conclusion, motor deficits in children born < 1250 g without
severe disabilities correlate with specific cognitive impairments, in particular of
the visuomotor domain. The correlation pattern may indicate specific dysfunction in
visuomotor transformation, the intermediate process between visual-perceptual input
and motor output. Early assessment of both motor and cognitive functions using standardized
assessment tools is important to determine the extent and combination of specific
developmental disturbances and to tailor therapeutic intervention.
Key words
Motor performance - visuomotor - cognition ·- correlation ·- very low birth weight
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B. Latal Hajnal
Child Development Centre
University Children's Hospital Zurich
Steinwiesstraße 75
8032 Zurich
Switzerland
Email: bea.latal@kispi.unizh.ch
