Introduction		The two most important things a parent of a premie in the NICU wants to know are, "Will my baby live?" and "Will my baby be normal?" The first is a question the neonatologist can answer with some accuracy. There is no shortage of survival data reported in the literature. The major contributors to mortality have been identified. In fact, the neonatologist can probably give a reasonably precise answer based on survival data from his very own NICU. However, the second question is exceedingly difficult even to define, let alone answer. What does this particular family mean by "normal"? Is it simply the absence of major handicaps, as they are usually defined? Or does it imply a level of intelligence similar to other family members? It almost certainly implies a lack of chronic medical and behavioral problems. The neonatologist is ill-equipped to answer this question for many reasons, the foremost of which is the fact that it is very likely he will never see this patient again after discharge from the NICU. Rather, long term follow-up of this patient will fall to the pediatrician. Even though it is impossible to precisely predict the outcome, or for that matter the survival, of one specific baby, the pediatrician needs to be aware of the spectrum of possible disabilities for this premie - even more so, which ones are probable - so that he can guide the family through this baby's childhood. This lecture then will discuss a variety of major handicaps and less severe sequelae of premature birth. As an aside, it is well-known that abbreviations are beloved by neonatologists, especially 3-lettered ones. Those that relate to birthweight (Bwt) and are used in this lecture are: LBW - low birthweight - < 2500 gm VLBW - very low birthweight - < 1500 gm ELBW - extremely low birthweight - < 1000 gm A recent article coined the expression "incredibly low birthweight" for those < 750 gm, but this will not be used here. Return to top of page