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We identified 410 infants who were not walking independently by the age of 18 months from among a geographically defined population of 4275 infants who either were born weighing less than 2000 g or had needed admission to the special care nursery in the neonatal period. The outcome of the late walkers was ascertained at the age of 3 years by health visitors using a standard questionnaire. Of the late walkers, 230 (56%) had an associated abnormality diagnosed before the age of 3 years, and in 77 of these children (33%) this was definite or suspected cerebral palsy. The high prevalence of late walking among infants born before 28 weeks' gestation (46%) was almost entirely accounted for by a high incidence of impairment. Late walking is a simple marker of morbidity in this group of infants.

Original publication

DOI

10.1136/adc.65.5.486

Type

Journal article

Journal

Archives of disease in childhood

Publication Date

05/1990

Volume

65

Pages

486 - 488

Addresses

Oxford Region Child Development Project, John Radcliffe Hospital.

Keywords

Humans, Cerebral Palsy, Risk Factors, Predictive Value of Tests, Developmental Disabilities, Age Factors, Gestational Age, Locomotion, Child, Preschool, Infant