Bounty

Premature babies are more likely to develop learning difficulties such as autism and deafness, according to a new study.

A study of over 400,000 children showed those born a week early were at a greater risk of developing learning difficulties than those who had spent the full 40 weeks in their mother's womb.

Experts who carried out the NHS-funded study concluded "deliveries should ideally wait until 40 weeks of gestation" due to the increased risk of Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Around a third of UK births take place at 37 to 39 weeks, a rate that has increased in recent years as more mothers choose earlier deliveries for non-medical reasons.

The study looked at the school and hospital records of nearly 408,000 schoolchildren across Scotland.

Nearly 18,000 of the children were classed as having an SEN - such as dyslexia or autism, or a physical difficulty such as deafness or poor vision.

A total of 8.4% of the children who were born pre-term were found to have a learning difficulty, compared with just 4.7% for those born at-term.

The study also found that compared to children born at 40 weeks, children born between 37 and 39 weeks were 1.16 times as likely to have an SEN.

"These findings, which are likely to be accurate because of the large size of the study and its design, have important implications for the timing of elective delivery," the study said.