Cranial sonography and neurological examination at term and motor performance through 19 months of age.

This study examined the role of cranial sonography and neurological examination in the prediction of developmental progress during the first 19 months of life in extremely preterm infants. Forty-seven infants with mean birth weight 993 +/- 197 g and gestational age 27.9 +/- 1.9 weeks were studied. Each infant was classified as normal, suspect, or abnormal using cranial sonography and a structured neurological examination. Developmental outcome was assessed using the Infant Neurological International Battery (INFANIB) at 4, 8, and 14 months and the Rockford Infant Developmental Evaluation Skills (RIDES) at 19 months. Sonographic classification was the best predictor of outcome through 14 months, F(2.72) = 12.4, p < .001. The neurological examination predicted performance only at 4 months. No infant classified as normal on both examinations was abnormal on follow-up. Infants with suspect or abnormal neurological examinations had normal outcomes if their sonographic findings were normal.

Time sampling: a methodological critique.

Numerous developmental studies of social behavior employ an observational technique called time sampling. This technique is used to estimate the frequencies and proportions of time that actual behaviors occur and to measure group or individual differences. By contrasting time sampling to continuous sampling, we demonstrate that (a) time sampling is inaccurate for estimating actual durations or frequencies of behavior, and (b) resulting individual and/or group differences can change depending on whether time sampling or continuous sampling is used. Error rates are particularly high when the total bout lengths of the actual behaviors are short (as in mother-infant interactions) and/or when interval length is long. Because the majority of mother and infant behaviors are short in bout length (less than 60 sec), when percent error is the greatest, we suggest that alternative sampling methods that have proven validity be used in future studies (e.g., scan, point, or continuous sampling).

Cranial sonography and neurological examination of extremely preterm infants.

Fifty-one extremely preterm infants were studied to ascertain whether there is an association between sonographic abnormalities and neurological examination at term, controlling for factors such as low birthweight and chronic lung-disease. Their mean birthweight was 956g and mean gestational age was 27.9 weeks. Sonography was performed at least once during the first week, twice within the first month, and once within a month of term-corrected age. Neurological assessment was used to classify the infants as normal, suspect or abnormal at term. Infants were divided into three groups, based on sonographic findings: group 1 (no hemorrhage), group 2 (grade 1 to 3 hemorrhage but normal sonogram or unilateral ventriculomegaly at term) and group 3 (periventricular leukomalacia, grade 4 hemorrhage or ventriculomegaly at term). On neurological examination, 23 infants were found to be normal, 15 suspect and 13 abnormal. On sonography, 27 infants were placed in group 1, 12 in group 2 and 12 in group 3. Sonographic findings and birthweight were the best predictors of the infant's performance on the neurological examination at term.

Growth and development of preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

This study examines the growth and development of 37 preterm infants, 20 with respiratory distress syndrome and 17 with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The groups were balanced by sex, parity, family configuration, and socioeconomic status and were studied at either 12 or 18 months after hospital discharge. Findings indicate that infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia are at greater risk for growth retardation in their second year than infants with respiratory distress syndrome. Furthermore, results from cognitive, sensorimotor, and language measures (the Bayley, Uzgiris-Hunt, and Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language scales) demonstrate that infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia perform significantly less well than infants with respiratory distress syndrome. The group performance of the infants with respiratory distress syndrome suggests that their developmental scores are comparable to those of average, healthy full-term infants of the same age. In contrast, the group of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia performed in the low-average to delayed range. Moreover, regression analyses show that type of respiratory illness explains more of the variance in cognitive outcomes than such neonatal factors as birth weight or gestational age. Thus, this study demonstrates that infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia are at high risk for developmental problems in their second year, and that the contribution of bronchopulmonary dysplasia to explanations of differential cognitive outcomes cannot be reduced to between-group differences in perinatal status.

Perceptions of quality of life following divorce: a study of children's prognostic thinking.

The general quality of latency-aged children's prognostic thinking and the way in which they view the long-range impact of divorce upon peer adaptation are explored. When interviewed about responses to two fictional peers with marked behavior problems, 80 children in the third and fifth grades displayed an optimism in their prognostic thinking about the future of these peers. In general, peers from divorced homes were perceived as having a more positive future adjustment than peers from intact homes. However, male subjects from disrupted homes revealed a significantly pessimistic orientation regarding the impact of divorce upon the future; females from disrupted homes had a strikingly optimistic view. Implications for school-based interventions are discussed.

Locus of control in children of divorce.

Scores on the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children (N-SLOCSC) were compared for third and fifth grade boys and girls from intact versus maritally disrupted family backgrounds. Significant main effects for each independent variable revealed that fifth graders more than third, boys more than girls, and the marital disruption more than the intact group, exhibited higher internality in their locus of control scores. These findings strongly suggest that experiencing a parental divorce in childhood has a significant influence on generalized perceptions of personal control and effectance, perceptions which may ultimately mediate both short- and long-term outcomes in children's post-divorce adjustment.

Parents' treatment expectations and attrition from a child psychiatric service.

In a large Child Psychiatric Service a structured questionnaire completed by parents (N = 80) prior to clinic contact tested the hypothesis that congruence between parent expectations and clinic actions as to the form, duration and process of treatment would be associated with greater acceptance of services. Empirical support was found for the importance of congruent expectations of treatment form and duration, but not of treatment process.