The Prevalence of Developmental Disabilities among Children Who Received Home Cares in the Neonatal Period Despite Being High-Risk

Background and aims: High-risk neonates (HRNs) included neonates who were born with a weight of less than 1500 g at birth and/or gestational age between 24 and 37 weeks and needed longer intensive medical care. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of developmental disabilities among 5-year-old children that were HRNs in the neonatal period. Methods: In a historical cohort study, 120 five-year-old children were included and divided into two groups of 60 eligible children in the exposed and control groups. They were born as HRNs in 2016 and admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). After stabilization of their general condition, the infants in the exposed group were discharged and received home care (HC) services, but the control group received long-time care in NICU and did not receive HC services. They were evaluated in terms of developmental domains including vision, hearing, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, communication, problem-solving, and personal and social affairs. The developmental screening was done using the Ages and Stages questionnaire (ASQ). Results: A total of 61 (50.83%) children were classified as suspected cases of developmental disabilities. There was no significant difference between the exposed and control children in the total frequency of developmental disability (P=0.1). A significant difference was seen only in the problem-solving domain between the exposed and control groups (P=0.043). Conclusion: There were no significant statistical differences in most dimensions of developmental disabilities (except for the problem-solving domain) between the exposed and control children.