Research on the contribution of low birthweight, perinatal problems, congenital disorders, and mental retardation to child abuse is reviewed. Analysis indicates handicapping conditions are not major causal factors, while longitudinal research suggest that minor deviations in child behavior rather than major handicaps are related to the occurence…

The article reviews diagnosis and treatments for facially disfigured children including craniofacial reconstruction and microsurgical techniques. Noted are associated disease processes that affect the social and intellectual outcomes of the afflicted child. (Author/DB)

Reviewed are the causes of oxygenation deprivation during the birth process, effects on the brain, clinical manifestations, developmental consequences in terms of cognitive and motor deficits, and implications for educators. (JDD)

This article provides a brief overview of basic types of genetic disorders and how they are manifested in children with particular emphasis on facial deformities that early childhood special educators see in the classroom. Service delivery networks for genetic screening are described as well as sources of family support groups. (Author)

Language abilities in two twin pairs, in which one twin suffered perinatal left hemisphere brain injury, were studied from the age of 23-30 months to 41-46 months. Twins performed similarly on tests of mental development, picture vocabulary, and receptive language, but brain-injured twins' scores were lower than controls' on expressive language.…

This study compared the interactive behavior of 20 cocaine-using mothers and their neonates with a control group of drug-free mothers and newborns. Cocaine-exposed infants were asleep or distressed for significantly longer periods, and cocaine-using mothers spent significantly more time disengaged from, and passively looking at, infants than did…

This follow-up study examines the developmental patterns and status of 14 children with congenital or acquired brain injury. Children with congenital impairments exhibited greater progress than the acquired impairment group. Program variables that might account for the differential progress are discussed. (Author/JDD)

This article reviews experimental studies of home-based early interventions for infants at biological risk and their families. The paper presents a description of developmental interventions in intensive care nurseries, a rationale for continuing developmental interventions (in particular, home-based services), and implications for early…

Seven full-term infants with severe encephalopathy following perinatal asphyxia were followed longitudinally to two years of age to determine health and developmental outcome and to investigate mother-infant interaction patterns over time. Six infants demonstrated delayed development; five were diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Mother-infant…

This follow-up study of low birthweight children at the age of 4-5 found that 14 control children (who did not participate in early home intervention) scored lower than 31 preterm treatment children and 22 full-term controls on expressive language, comprehension, personal-social skills, visual-motor skills, and home environment. (Author/JDD)

This article describes TORCH infections, a congenital cluster of infections including toxoplasmosis, syphilis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes which often results in developmental disabilities for infected children. Methods of transmission, incidence, and developmental outcomes for common TORCH infections are described, as are program…

This article reviews 46 experimental studies on behavioral and developmental outcomes associated with prenatal exposure to illicit drugs. Only half of the 460 individual outcomes significantly indicated adverse effects of prenatal exposure. The greatest number of these outcomes was for infants younger than one month, with relatively few outcomes…

A review of the literature on biological and environmental effects of cocaine use suggests that the classification of infants and young children as prenatally cocaine exposed is neither descriptive nor predictive of behavior. The classification of behavior rather than labeling of the child is encouraged, as are partnerships with families of…

This article reviews current research on the long-term outcomes of children exposed to alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and multiple drugs in utero. Differential intervention efforts based primarily on knowledge of a child's intrauterine exposure to drugs were unsupported by available evidence. The use of an ecological model for assessment and…