We bet Matilda would have passed this test with flying colours.

Researchers from the University of Warwick in the UK formulated a test to determine how well a toddler will perform at school at age eight. The test was part of a wider, long-term German study of 558 children who were born between 26-41 weeks gestation.

The children, all aged 20 months, were seated in front of a sultana that was placed under a cup, within easy reach. They were asked for wait, for 60 seconds, until they were told they could touch and eat the sultana.

The researchers found the toddlers who were born very prematurely were more likely to eat the sultana before the allotted time.

In the follow-up German study, they found that these children who couldn’t exhibit self control as toddlers didn’t perform as well in school as their peers, who had been born at full-term, seven years later.

“The lower a child’s gestational age, the lower the inhibitory control and the more likely that the child had poor attention regulation and low academic achievement,” states the study, which was publishin in the Journal of Pediatrics.

“Adverse effects of preterm birth on attention and academic outcomes are partially mediated by toddlers’ inhibitory control abilities. These findings provide new information about the mechanisms linking preterm birth with long-term attention difficulties and academic underachievement.”

Professor Dieter Wolke from University of Warwick’s Medical School said: “An easy, five-minute raisin game task represents a promising new tool for follow-up assessments to predict attention regulation and learning in preterm and term born children.

“The results also point to potential innovative avenues to early intervention after preterm birth.”

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