Motor weaknesses are frequently observed in very preterm children (VPT; gestational age [GA] < 30 weeks) prior to school entry and may serve as markers of risk for school-age cognitive and behavioral deficits. The aims of the present study were to: (1) determine if weaknesses in preschool motor skills in children born VPT and a full-term comparison group (FT; GA > 37 weeks) are associated with lower scores on tests of cognition and caregiver ratings of behavior in early elementary school; (2) explore the possibility that weaknesses in preschool motor abilities predict less positive changes in cognition and behavior across follow-up; and (3) determine if associations between preschool motor skills and later cognitive and behavioral functioning differed for the two groups.

Thirty-eight children born VPT and thirty born FT completed measures of motor skills, global cognitive ability, and executive function and caregivers completed questionnaires assessing children's behavior at age 4 (T1; M = 4.71 years) and at ages 7 or 8 (T2; M = 7.87 years). ANCOVAs were used to examine group differences in cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd Ed. (MABC-2) total score at T1 as a predictor of T2 scores on cognitive tests and behavior ratings (step 1). Covariates included sex and socioeconomic status (step 1). Outcomes included the Differential Ability Scales-II (DAS-II), NIH Toolbox Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Global Executive Composite (BRIEF GEC), Emotion Regulation Checklist, and Social Communications Questionnaire at T2. T1 status on the T2 cognitive and behavioral outcomes was included as a predictor to determine if T1 MABC-2 predicted change in these outcomes from T1 to T2 (step 2). In separate analyses, T1 MABC-2 x group interactions were included to determine if associations of the T1 MABC-2 with T2 outcomes differed by group.

The VPT group had significantly lower scores than the FT group on the DAS-II at T2. Lower scores on the T1 MABC-2 were significantly associated (p < .05) with lower scores on the DAS-II and DCCS and more executive dysfunction on the BRIEF-GEC. These associations were stronger for the VPT group than for the FT group for the T2 DAS-II Global Cognitive Ability and Verbal composites but not for the other outcomes. Lower scores on the T1 MABC-2 were associated with less positive change on the DAS-II Nonverbal composite and the DCCS and increased executive dysfunction on the BRIEF-GEC.

Weaknesses in motor abilities at 4 years of age were associated with cognitive and behavioral difficulties at early school age, both for children born VPT and those born FT. These weaknesses were also associated with less favorable changes in cognition and behavior across the transition from preschool to early school age. Findings suggest that early motor abilities provide a marker of generalized developmental impairment or that early motor impairments have cascading effects on development. These results support the need for early screening and intervention for motor deficits in preschoolers born either VPT or FT.