Increasing attention has been devoted to the maturation of sensory processing in the first year of life. While the development of cortical visual function has been thoroughly studied, much less information is available on auditory processing and its early disorders. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the assessment techniques for…

The objective of this study was to determine the predictors of early-onset permanent hearing loss (EPHL) among undernourished infants in a low-income country where routine screening for developmental disabilities in early childhood is currently unattainable. All infants attending four community-based clinics for routine immunization who met the…

In the human brain, the morphology of cortical gyri and sulci is complex and variable among individuals, and it may reflect pathological functioning with specific abnormalities observed in certain developmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Since cortical folding occurs early during brain development, these structural abnormalities might be…

Research on perceptual and cognitive capacities of the newborn has revealed that state variables typically interfere with or override the neonate's attentional and stimulus processing tendencies. This finding argues for the power of early state variables as behavioral determinants and, further, that neonatal state measures might provide good…

Baseline and heelstick measures of behavioral state, heart period, vagal tone, and salivary cortisol were obtained from 50 full-term newborns. Mothers completed Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire when the infants reached six months of age. Greater reactivity to the heelstick was associated with lower scores on the…

Scores generated by two optimality and three complication scales used to assess perinatal risk for 103 infants were compared for accuracy in predicting a variety of neonatal and infant outcome measures. Results suggested an advantage in favor of the three complication scales. (Author/RH)

Longitudinal data indicated a significant relation between five-month vagal tone and negative reactivity elicited in the laboratory and maternal ratings of activity level and smiling behavior. Newborn vagal tone predicted maternal ratings of frustration and fear. Moderate stability was found for infant reactivity. (RH)

Examined association between mother's marital status and perinatal outcome among single births in Finland in 1987 (n=56,595 infants). Found that perinatal deaths, low birthweight, and preterm infants were more common among single mothers than among married mothers. Results for cohabiting mothers were more similar to those of married than to those…

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…

The normal course of family adaptation to pregnancy, birth, and early parenting is examined in this study, and variables predictive of difficulties in family adjustment during this period are investigated. Subjects were 89 married couples and 9 women whose husbands did not participate. The women had a mean age of 28 years; 46 were pregnant for the…

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…

A study examined rates of labor induction using pitocin in 41 boys with autism and 25 matched controls with either typical development or mental retardation. There were no differences in pitocin induction rates as a function of either diagnostic group (autism vs. control) or IQ level (average vs. subaverage range). (Contains references.)…

This study investigated the contributions of parent, infant, and contextual variables to the prediction of maternal ratings of infant temperament. Between the time when they gave birth and six months after the birth, 104 mothers completed measures of parenting attitudes, maternal anxiety and depression, family social support, demographic…

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…