HealthYahooSmaller babies perform poorer as teens, study finds
A large study found babies born smaller than expected at full term tend to score lower in maths and reading right through to their mid-teens.
More than 92,000 full-term babies were followed by researchers from birth to adolescence.
A study of more than 92,000 Norwegian children found those born small for their stage of pregnancy tended to perform worse academically into their mid-teens.
Researchers from the University of Warwick tracked children from birth through national school tests in maths, reading and English taken between ages 10 and 15.
The study found that parenting, home stimulation and school support could alter these long-term effects, and not every smaller baby will experience difficulties, the researchers said.
Researchers say parenting, home stimulation and school support can alter the long-term effects, so early monitoring and asking your GP about growth concerns is worthwhile.
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