The link between being small at birth and poorer academic outcomes persisted into mid-teens, suggesting brain development effects that can last beyond early childhood.

Children smaller than peers of the same sex and gestational age tended to have lower scores in mathematics and reading in adolescence, indicating lasting associations between birth size and academic performance.

A University of Warwick study followed 92,551 children in Norway from infancy to adolescence, all born full term (37–41 weeks).

Experts caution that long-term effects may be mitigated by parenting, home stimulation, and school support, underscoring the importance of monitoring growth and providing appropriate support.

Among babies born slightly earlier (37–38 weeks), language and motor skills were modestly poorer in early childhood, but differences largely disappeared by school age.