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The following is a summary of “Parental Perspectives on Development in Children Born Extremely Preterm,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Pediatrics by Callahan et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to understand how parents assess their children’s development after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. The study also explored why these assessments may differ from those of physicians. 

They conducted semi-structured interviews to explore where parents obtained information about development and how they integrated it to form an overall appraisal of their child’s developmental status. 

The results showed that based on 23 interviews, discharge from the NICU marked two phases of appraising development. In the NICU, most parents recognized that prematurity sequelae would persist but saw discharge as an endpoint. After discharge, parents focused on progress rather than comparison with age-matched peers. They preferred positive, actionable information and integrated external sources with their own observations to assess development. Parents’ views on development were linked to their assessments of family coping. 

Investigators found that understanding the divergence between families’ and medical assessments created an opportunity to better align these measures and support parents. Integrating parents’ perspectives could lead to the development of meaningful metrics. 

Source: jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(25)00158-1/abstract