While effects of institutional care on behavioral development have been studied extensively, effects on neural systems underlying these socioemotional and attention deficits are only beginning to be examined. The current study assessed electroencephalogram (EEG) power in 18-month-old internationally adopted, postinstitutionalized children (n = 37)…

Longitudinal analyses on normal versus impaired functioning across 7 domains were conducted in children who had experienced profound institutional deprivation up to the age of 42 months and were adopted from Romania into U.K. families. Comparisons were made with noninstitutionalized children adopted from Romania and with nondeprived within-U.K.…

This paper critically reviews the theoretical and empirical basis supporting the traditional early experience position formulated by Bloom and Hunt, discusses the factors responsible for the emergence of the newer life span position and the implications of this new view for understanding both the role of early experience and the facilitation of…

Identifies stages in a child's life (particularly low-income children) at which he might be "disadvantaged" or "advantaged" in relation to certain influences in his life at that time, and argues that the child experiences the most critical influences before the school receives him.

IT IS PROPOSED THAT MENTAL RETARDATION IS NOT NECESSARILY CAUSED BY A GENETIC FACTOR OR BY BRAIN INJURY, BUT MAY BE CAUSED BY THE CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH CHILDREN ARE RAISED. WHEN CHILDREN ARE LEFT IN PSYCHOSOCIALLY DEPRIVED HOMES, THEIR RATE OF DEVELOPMENT WILL TEND TO DECLINE. IF, AT AN EARLY AGE, THEY ARE PLACED IN A SCHOOL FOR A FEW…

The development of 58 preterm low-risk infants was compared over their first 7 years with 100 full-term infants. The study found "catch up" phenomena at certain ages and periods of reversal. Results also indicated that advantaged family circumstances may reduce or compensate for preterm birth whereas a disadvantaged environment may amplify adverse…

Offers a framework for the analysis and evaluation of actions taken on behalf of children upon their environment. Examines defining suitable child development outcomes for intervention programs. Discusses poverty and prejudice, two examples of environmental conditions that threaten children's development. Summarizes the characteristics of a…

Contents of this study include the following essays: (1) "Economic Considerations of Poverty," Harry Lacombe; (2) "Physical Growth and Development: Some Socioeconomic Factors During Prenatal and Postnatal Life," Geoffrey C. Robinson, (3) "Language, Cognition and Poverty," Alan R. Moffit; (4) "Personality…

Describes early childhood developmental deficits associated with long-term poverty as indicated by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Suggests substantial disadvantages in cognitive development among young children in chronically poor families. Deficits appear in a variety of indices of cognitive or socioemotional development,…

Examined the impact of individual environmental and biological risks on the home environment of three-year olds in a sample of low birth weight, premature infants. Suggests that compared to nonpoor families, poor families experienced more multiple risk factors. Poverty clearly had a negative effect on the provision of learning experiences,…

This study used longitudinal data from the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) to examine three issues regarding effects of economic deprivation on child development: (1) the effects on children's developmental outcomes of poverty and such poverty correlates as single parenthood, ethnicity, and maternal education; (2) the developmental…

Suggests that intimate, proximal situations within the genetic environment, more than heredity, determine child development and achievement. Stresses the need to compensate for skill deficiencies among children from disadvantaged environments through early training for language acquisition and personality development. Describes a program in Iran…

Children born to heroin-dependent mothers (n=83) were compared to 76 children born to heroin-dependent fathers and to 3 control groups with and without environmental deprivation and health problems. Results found that developmental delays and behavioral disorders found among heroin-exposed children resulted primarily from severe environmental…

Examines the consequences for children of life in families that receive at least part of their income from welfare. Suggests these children appear to complete less schooling, even after adjustment for other differences between recipient and nonrecipient families. Low family income and maternal employment are also found to reduce completed…