Investigated whether maltreated, substance-exposed infants have higher risk of out-of-home placement than non-abused, substance-exposed children, as well as a higher risk of death than children overall. Followed 480 infants through Illinois death registry and computerized central registry of child abuse reports. Found out-of-home placement and…

Describes the origins of the Assistants to Infancy Montessori program from 1947. Focuses on the role of Assistants in helping parents provide a beneficial environment for children during pregnancy and from birth to age three. (Author/KB)

Three experiments investigated 2- to 6-month-olds' perception of the continuity of an object trajectory that was briefly occluded. Results across experiments provided little evidence of veridical responses to trajectory occlusion in the youngest infants, but by 6 months, perception completion was more robust. Results suggest that perceptual…

Reviews research from several disciplines to examine impact of stillbirth and infant death on parents, and the effect of various socio-demographic, pregnancy-related, and postbirth factors upon parents' grieving and adjustment. Reports that one-third of mothers reported serious physical and emotional deterioration. Notes that care and emotional…

Discusses the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality's research concerning infant mortality and low birth weight. Also discusses the Commission's public policy efforts regarding the health of children, infants, and pregnant women. (RJC)

Explored premature, low-birth-weight infants' experience with early intervention at home and at day-care centers, and intervention effects on child and parental outcomes in the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP). Number of contacts, number of activities per visit, and parental interest in activities influenced scores for IQ and Home…

Assessed maternal sensitivity and infants' attachment behavior to test validity of a system of classifying attachment relationships at home. Subjects were 47 mothers of preterm and 42 mothers of full-term infants. Results reaffirm Ainsworth's conceptualization of distinct attachment relationships. (HTH)

Evaluated the effect of pacifiers and sucrose stimulation on the heart rate, coordination, and behaviors of normal infants and infants born to methadone-maintained mothers. Found that pacifiers stimulated immediate changes in all behaviors, which returned to baseline levels when pacifiers were removed. Sucrose stimulation precipitated gradual…

This article discusses the benefits of support groups and networks for parents of premature and high-risk infants. Options for starting and maintaining groups are discussed, and a resource section lists self-help organizations, training materials, and reference works. (Author/PB)

Examined associations among parents' characteristics, prenatal expectations for and postpartum perceptions of infant temperament, and observers' ratings of temperament. Found that parents shared expectations for infant's emotional expressivity but differed in expectation for predictability and adaptability. Parent's postpartum ratings of…

This observational study examined 60 mothers' comments during play with their 4- to 8-month-old infants who had been either full-term, preterm well, or preterm sick. Mothers of sick preterm babies engaged in the most overall talking, mothers of full-term babies made the most negative remarks, and mothers of healthy preterm babies made the fewest…

This study examined differences between the preverbal communicative behaviors of 20 premature and 20 full-term infants at 4 and 7 months of age. Significant differences between groups were found in such communicative skills as gestures, eye contact, tactile-kinesthetic behaviors, and vocalizations. Mothers also differed in their communication…

The histories and behaviors of 5 infants with deafness or hearing deficits and other disabilities were compared with 10 at-risk infants with hearing deficits, 8 infants with hearing deficits not at risk for other disabilities, and 20 normal infants. Mothers' stress levels and infants' behaviors were assessed for the three groups. (SW)

Compared infants who had evidenced similar levels of crying as neonates but differed at five months of age. For initially high-crying infants, mothers' personality and marital quality, and infant variables discriminated stable from changing infants. Mother sensitivity and infant responsiveness at five months were related to continuity of infants'…

Investigated developmental change in symbolic representational ability by examining infants' imitation of vocalizations, words, visible motor actions, and nonvisible motor behaviors at ages 10, 13, 17, and 21 months. Results revealed a pattern of increasing imitation, supporting the view that a domain-independent representational capacity develops…