Follow-up Visit of High Risk Infants in the NICHD Neonatal Research Network

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are conducting a multi-center cohort study through the NICHD Neonatal Research Network to follow up on surviving extremely low birth-weight infants. The study aims to identify maternal and neonatal risk factors affecting neurodevelopment by assessing motor skills, cognitive and language development, behavior, mortality, medical conditions, growth, socioeconomic impacts, and the use of support services. A sub-study also includes healthy term infants as a reference group to improve assessment accuracy and monitor scoring consistency over time. Participants undergo neurodevelopmental, neurosensory, and functional assessments at 22-26 months corrected age, with infants born before July 1, 2012, assessed at 18-22 months. Evaluations collect demographic, socioeconomic, medical history, medication use, growth data, detailed neurologic exams, and standardized developmental scales such as the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Child Behavior Checklist. The study involves no interventions, focusing solely on observational data collection. During the study, data is gathered uniformly to maintain a registry of baseline and outcome information for very low birth-weight infants. Researchers examine relationships between initial characteristics and outcomes to support future study planning. The follow-up includes detailed developmental testing and monitoring for use of early intervention services. The participation period spans up to 26 months of corrected age, with ongoing data collection to guide neurodevelopmental care for this high-risk population.

Follow-up Visit of High Risk Infants