Abstract
We evaluated the utilization of special needs education and the complications at school age in children who had an extremely preterm birth. Using a mail questionnaire, we performed an analysis of 91 children born at less than 28 weeks of gestational age at Kitasato University Hospital between 2005 and 2014. Of these, 72 patients belong to regular class, 8 patients need special education in general school, and 11 patients attend special education schools. At the junior high school level, 78.1% of all patients belong to the regular class. The presence of intraventricular hemorrhage（IVH）, periventricular leukomalacia（PVL）, necrotizing enterocolitis-focal intestinal perforation（NEC-FIP）, severe small for gestational age（SGA）, and abnormal ABR significantly reduced the rate of registration for regular classes. Sixty-two patients had some complications; 13 patients had strabismus, and 26 patients（28.6%）needed glasses. In this study, the number of patients requiring special education is almost equivalent to that reported in previously studies. Few children have changed class throughout their school age; therefore, junior high school children, at tend the same class as that in elementary school. The incidence of abnormal ABR at the time of leaving hospital has been to have poor outcomes. We have to carefully observe strabismus because it tends to have a high incidence.
