why they must be closely monitored, for without close supervision, they could die. Another medical condition common to premature infants which affects the brain is Intraventricular Hermorrage, where the blood vessels in the brain bleed. This affects most premature babies, but it is not very severe in most cases, and is easily treated. In more severe cases, it can be associated with cerebral palsy or mental retardation. Premature infants generally show a lower IQ than full term babies, but only by about 10 points. This still puts them in the same IQ range as their full term peers. They are more likely to need special education classes later in life, though, and more likely to have to repeat a grade in school. This is most likely because some premature infants have been shown to have some cognitive impairment when compared to full term infants of the same age. Their memories are not as good, and their information processing speed is significantly lower. There have been many studies performed that compare the cognitive performance of preterm infants with full term infants. One study in particular, performed by Susan A. Rose and Judith F. Feldman, tested the memory and the processing speed of preterm children versus full term children at the age of eleven. They used the Colorado Specific Abilities Test, which is a comparison of eight paper and pencil tasks the child must perform. This test showed the degree of these four abilities: memory, perceptual speed, spatial ability, and verbal ability. They also used the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) which is a detailed exam of memory and speed. This test shows us exactly what aspects of speed and memory it is that pre and full term children differ in, and how much this difference actually affects them. It is comprised of a set of basic cognitive tasks used to study the individual elements of cognitive processing. The results they came upon are detailed, but they are not very surpri...
