Abstract: Premature delivery could accompany with a battery of risk factors which hindered the cognitive development of children, which affected the academic achievement and social adaptation later. In this paper, we reviewed the effect of premature delivery on cognitive development, We mainly focused on three issues: whether the gestational age influenced the developmental courses of sensory perception, thinking, language and executive function; whether the delay of cognitive development persisted long-term; whether preterm delivery made a specific contribution to the delayed cognitive development. Effective screening and intervention to improve outcome of preterm children were suggested.

Key words: Cognition, Cognition disorders, Developmental disabilities, Infant, premature, Obstetric labor, premature, Mental health