This study aims to characterize participation of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) graduates in early intervention (EI). We used data from the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study. We fit models of days from referral to Individualized Family Service Plan creation (plan time), days from referral to initiation of services (service time),…

Earlier results from the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia showed that newborn event-related potentials (ERPs) of children with and without familial risk for dyslexia were associated with receptive language and verbal memory skills between 2.5 and 5 years of age. We further examined whether these ERPs (responses to synthetic consonant-vowel…

When predicting child developmental outcomes, reliance on children's scores on measures of developmental functioning alone might mask more subtle behavioral difficulties, especially in children with developmental risk factors. The current study examined predictors and stability of examiner behavior ratings and their association with concurrent and…

In response to O'Brien et al., who examined predictors of child outcome among at-risk infants as possible eligibility criteria for early intervention programs, this paper notes that most biological risk factors in infants are not adequately predictive of developmental dysfunction. It stresses that when social problems are the cause of…

High-risk infants may exhibit hearing impairments which can subsequently impede speech/language development. Discussed are prenatal risk factors, including environmental toxins and infections; and perinatal factors such as prematurity, asphyxia, intracranial hemorrhage, bilirubin, ototoxic drugs, and environmental noise. A table summarizes factors…

In response to O'Brien et al., who examined predictors of child outcomes among at-risk infants, this article suggests that the goal of prevention and early detection can be more efficiently met if the focus shifts from prediction to ongoing monitoring of children's developmental growth. A three-step model involving ongoing screening, eligibility…

Analyzes the effects of the following factors on low birth weight of 103,072 Black and White infants in Chicago: (1) median family income; (2) maternal age; (3) education; and (4) marital status. Concludes that family income shows racial disparity and that traditional risk factors do not completely explain racial differences in neonatal outcome.…

Neonatal assessments should provide valid estimates of behavior and neurological status, reflect recovery from acute effects, predict subsequent outcome, and point to specific intervention strategies for any problems noted. The authors report relations among measures designed to evaluate early behavioral capabilities and dysfunctions in areas…

This paper presents results of a preliminary study which evaluated medical birth data as potential predictors of developmental outcome, and developed and tested an instrument designed for this purpose. Forty low birthweight children, all of whom had experienced neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage, were evaluated at school age (66 months) on the…

This study evaluated the usefulness of perinatal medical status, environmental risk, and infant developmental status as predictors of low IQ at age 4 among 70 4-year-olds who had been in a neonatal intensive care unit at birth. It found family environment the most predictive, 18-month developmental assessments somewhat useful, and perinatal health…