Kids born 'late' perform better in elementary and middle school

(Reuters Health) – Children born in the 41st week of pregnancy – which is considered “late-term” - have better test scores and are more likely to be classified as gifted in elementary and middle school, compared with children born “full-term,” that is, at 39 or 40 weeks.

"It has been well-established that late-term births are associated with higher levels of neonatal health problems,” Dr. David N. Figlio from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois told Reuters Health by email. “But due to data limitations, we haven't been able to look well beyond birth to see whether these problems persist, or if there are other potential benefits of late-term births."

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-pregnancy-cognitive-outcomes-idUSKCN0YS1ZJ