Incidence of developmental disorders and special educational needs and disabilities in children in the UK.

The study relied on medical coding, so children who did not access care or were not diagnosed may have been missed. The analysis did not account for congenital anomalies like Down syndrome, which are associated with both preterm birth and developmental disorders. The cohort is largely bi-ethnic (Pakistani and White British), so findings may not generalize to other ethnic groups. There were very few children born extremely preterm, limiting conclusions for that specific group.

The study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council, Wellcome, and the National Institute for Health Research. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not interpret the lack of statistical significance in the White British subgroup as evidence that preterm birth is safe for this group; the confidence intervals were wide due to smaller sample sizes, and the direction of effect was similar to the main analysis.