Using only a raisin and a plastic bottle can predict a 20-month-old child’s future learning ability. According to a new study to be published in Pediatrics, a child’s future learning ability can be predicted based on how long the child can wait before picking up the raisin in front of him or her. A total of 558 children between 25 and 41 weeks of gestation were included in the study, and their self-control was assessed when the children were 20 months old. The researchers placed raisins in plastic bottles and placed them where the children could easily reach them. The child was prompted that he/she needed to receive the message that he/she could eat the raisins (60 seconds) before he/she could eat them. It was found that children born prematurely were more likely to eat the raisins before receiving the message than children born at full term. A follow-up study found that children who could not control their ability to eat the raisins earlier were less able to learn in school seven years later compared to their peers. A simple, five-minute raisin game task represents a promising new tool for the follow-up assessment of attentional regulation and learning ability in children born prematurely and at term,” noted Professor Dieter Wolke. The results also provide a potential novel intervention for early intervention to treat the regulation and learning abilities of children born prematurely.” When the child was eight years old, the psychologist and pediatrician reassessed him or her, using three different scales of attentional behavior assessment from the parents, the psychologist, and the entire research team. Standardized tests were used to assess the child’s academic performance, including math, reading, and spelling/writing. The results of the study showed that the younger the child’s gestational age, the lower his or her self-control, and that these younger children had poorer attention span and poorer academic performance at age eight. According to Julia Jaekel, “The findings of this new study are an important part of understanding the poorer long-term performance of children born prematurely later in life.” Experts believe that being able to identify a child’s cognitive problems early can lead to professional development in this area, and that medical professionals can tailor educational plans to help children achieve better academic or work performance later in life.