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…

Discusses some of the legal questions raised when infants and children of drug-abusing mothers are exposed to crack. Courts have generally moved in a punitive direction against these mothers although some critics warn against intervention that is too fast. Foster care system has been overwhelmed by these difficult cases, and many child welfare…

Outlines the medical and social consequences of adolescent pregnancy, including maternal and infant mortality, and low birth weight. Discusses why pregnant adolescents do not seek prenatal care and implications for health providers. (FMW)

Findings of a study of 32 infants attending a neonatal intensive care unit follow-up clinic included mechanically ventilated infants were more irritable than nonventilated infants; infants from lower income families were fussier than infants from higher income families; 5-minute Apgar scores were more predictive of infants' success on a visual…

Rejects the neuronal fatigue, or selective adaptation, hypothesis of young infant habituation. Holds that studies cited by Dannemiller and Banks do not support the inferences of selective adaptation. Rejects the hypothetical neurophysiological mechanism of neuronal fatigue. Proposes that studies do not indicate that young infants' visual cortical…

Examines gender differences in the nurturant interactions of an older child with an infant sibling and the maternal socialization of the older child's behavior. Finds that older girls interacted more with their infant siblings with virtually no evidence of maternal socialization of the gender difference. (FMW)

Studied feeding-related arousal effects on a visual recognition paired-comparison task at newborn, 1, and 4 months of age. Found that newborns and 1-month olds shifted from a familiarity preference before feeding to a novelty preference after feeding. Control-group testing confirmed that shift was not due to increased stimulus exposure. By 4…

A brief history is provided of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a treatment option for infants that provides prolonged circulation and reoxgenation of blood outside the body to temporarily support a failing heart or lungs. The University of Kentucky ECMO program is described, along with the positive outcomes of 19 infants. (Contains…

This study examined the cognitive and motor functioning of 52 survivors of neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) at age 5. Ten percent were diagnosed with mental retardation, while an additional 12 percent presented other disabilities. A common pattern of specific vulnerabilities in cognitive, gross motor, fine motor, and motor…

In an ideal world, each neonate should have a comprehensive neurological examination but in practice this is often difficult. In this review we will describe what a routine neurological evaluation in the full-term neonate should consist of and how the Dubowitz examination is performed. The examination has been used for over 20 years and can be…

Action Learning is now a well established strategy for reflective inquiry in healthcare. Whilst a great deal is know about action learning there has been inadequate research on the process of learning that takes place, and the impact that this holds for individuals, groups or organisations. This article reports on the findings of 15-month action…

The aim of newborn screening is to identify presymptomatic healthy infants that will develop significant metabolic or endocrine derangements if left undiagnosed and untreated. The goal of ultimately reducing or eliminating irreversible sequelae is reached by maximizing test sensitivity of the primary newborn screening that measures specific…

Newborn screening and genetic technologies are expanding and changing rapidly, increasing the demand for genetic specialty services. Because of the scarcity and geographic maldistribution of genetic specialty services, access to these services is a critical issue. This article discusses some of the efforts initiated by the Maternal and Child…

This consensus statement on early identification of hearing impairment in infants and young children was developed by a nonadvocate, non-Federal panel of 58 experts during a 3-day meeting in 1993. The panel concluded that: (1) all infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit should be screened for hearing loss prior to discharge; (2)…

This manual describes the screening procedures used to identify infants and children in need of further diagnosis and treatment for hearing loss in Minnesota. It is intended for use by Community Health Service agencies, school health programs, Head Start agencies, and voluntary agencies, and should be used as a post-training reference. Newborn…