IQ of premature babies

There is a rumor among the people that premature babies have higher IQs. This has no scientific basis. The reason for such a rumor is that premature babies have larger heads, so there is such a rumor. In fact, there should be no difference in the IQ of premature babies and that of ordinary babies. Moreover, if a premature baby suffers brain damage, it will lead to mental retardation and may easily cause the child to develop more serious diseases such as cerebral palsy.

IQ of premature babies

Before a baby is born, he or she usually stays in the mother's womb for 37 weeks. If he or she is born before full term, he or she may be considered a premature baby.

Most premature babies are very light in weight, small in body, and the morphology and function of their organs are immature. Premature birth is very dangerous for the baby because the baby's lungs and other organs and systems are not yet ready for independent life and have weaker vitality.

Many premature babies have intellectual disabilities or cerebral palsy, but this cannot be generalized. After the baby is born, timely treatment and intensified feeding are required, mainly to protect premature babies.

Are premature babies mentally retarded?

Will premature babies definitely have low intelligence? In fact, this cannot be generalized, although mental retardation or cerebral palsy are more common among premature babies.

Parents should start from the neonatal period, and early education can promote their intellectual development, maximize the potential of their brains, and effectively prevent the occurrence of mental retardation.

On the third day after the birth of a premature baby, the hospital will arrange for the newborn to undergo a cranial CT scan and electroencephalogram examination, and give the newborn drugs to promote the metabolism of brain cells. During the child's growth process, parents should also effectively stimulate the child's vision, hearing and touch, enhance the child's cognitive and language abilities, and thus improve the intelligence level of premature babies.

Intelligence assessment of premature infants

Will premature babies have low intelligence? If a baby is born with incomplete development, will it really affect his intelligence in the future? Here, it is recommended that parents with premature babies should pay attention to observe and understand the intellectual development of premature babies from the moment their children are born, so that they can seek medical treatment in time when problems arise, make timely remedies, and minimize the damage. So, how to assess the intelligence of premature babies? Let’s find out below.

Parents must keep in mind that the mental development of premature babies must be assessed based on their corrected age (corrected age in months = age in months after birth - (40 - gestational age at birth) / 4). For example: A baby whose gestational age is only 32 weeks is now 3 months old. His corrected age in months = 3-(40-32)/4 = 1 month. At this time, the child's intellectual development can be compared with that of a normal one-month-old baby. The corrected age is used until the child reaches 24 months (2 years old).