Premature birth (defined as delivery before 37 weeks gestation) and low birthweight (below 2,500 grams) are major health problems in the United States. Infants in these categories account for 75 per cent of neonatal deaths and 50 per cent of deaths in the first year of life. Survivors contribute disproportionately to the pool of handicapped…

An autocorrelation technique was used to determine the periodicity underlying successive recurrences of specific sleep states (Quiet Sleep and Active Sleep). Groups of short (2-3 hour) polygraphic records and individual all night recordings were analyzed. Active Sleep and Quiet Sleep periodicities at 32 weeks conceptional age were 12 minutes. At…

The conference proceedings on the prevention of mental retardation through improved maternity care consist of six major papers which are followed by panel discussions with two to five participants. Epidemiology of prematurity, topic of the first paper, is discussed in terms of cigarette smoking, asymptomatic bacertiuria, maternal heart volume,…

For availibility see EC 103 548 Among findings of a 2-year followup study of 43 infants of birth weight less than 1000 grams were the following: average height at age 2 years was between the tenth and twenty-fifth percentiles; average weight was between the third and tenth percentiles; 15 Ss developed lower respiratory tract infections during the…

Examined effects of birth of premature infant on the family system , focusing on how problems associated with premature birth place family at risk. Mothers of preterm infants felt overprotective, were unwilling to leave infants with babysitters, and perceived initial negative effect on the family. Preterm infants showed less exploratory play and…

Findings indicated that attachment-related affect may reflect an affect continuum that underlies certain mother- and stranger-directed behaviors in the Strange Situation. However, not all aspects of reunion behavior can be predicted by prior separation reactions. (Author/RH)

Using vital records for live births which occurred in New York City in 1968, and infant deaths among them, this study of Risks, Medical Care, and Infant Mortality examined the characteristics of prenatal care among pregnant women from a wide range of racial, social, and economic backgrounds. (Author/SB)

The conclusion from these results is that while prenatal anomalies or an impoverished home environment may retard development, in the majority of cases the environmental conditions fall within the limits of sufficiency that permit the genetic blueprint to determine the course of infant development. (Authors)

Assessments of play, sensorimotor, language, and general developmental skills were administered to two preterm and 20 full-term infants. Preterm infants showed some delays greater than would be predicted from biological maturity alone, but delays were not present for all skills and generally were not maintained beyond 2 years of age. (Author/RH)

The development of 100 preterm infants from various social class and ethnic backgrounds was followed from birth to 5 years. Results indicated that developmental outcome at age 5 could be predicted moderately well from a single measure (infant visual attention) administered as early as term date. (Author/RH)

Analyses were made of the pattern and frequency of mothers' visits to the intensive care nursery for premature infants. Visiting was found to be uncorrelated with medical, socioeconomic, or demographic variables, but was apparently related to significantly higher state levels achieved by infants who received a program of early stimulation.…

Ninety-two clinically normal infants (48 male, 44 female) were tested at 2 and 90 days of age to examine the continuity of newborn behavior through early infancy across a broad range of behaviors. (MP)

The Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant instrument was developed by means of pilot, exploratory, and validation studies. The validation study tested the generalizability of results for different cohorts, test versions, hospitals, and examiners. Seven stable functions were identified: motor development; scarf sign; popliteal angle;…