STUDIO DEI PRECURSORI DELLE FUNZIONI ESECUTIVE IN BAMBINI NATI PRETERMINE A 3 E A 4 ANNI

This research is focused on the potential evolutive involvements of risk situation concerning the preterm birth. In particular, the goal is to study the Executive Functions precursors (FE) on preterm born children 3-4 years old. The participants are: an experimental group of 80 preterm children, born with low weight, divided into 4 sub-groups related to the seriousness of prematurity (very and moderately) and to their age: 20 children, aged 3, very preterm (M=29,19 weeks of GA, DS=1,58); 20 children, aged 3, moderately preterm (M=35,00 weeks of GA, DS=1,79); 20 children, aged 4, born very preterm (M=28,36 weeks of GA, DS=1,93); 20 children, aged 4, born moderately preterm (M=34,34 weeks of GA, DS=1,86). The variables investigated through specific instruments are: working memory, problem solving, language ability and the skills of locomotory, personal-social and language development, eye-hand coordination, performance and practical reasoning. According to the dependent variables proposed in this study, preterm children showed statistically significant lower scores compared to moderately.