Objective Evaluation of Muscle Strength in Infants with Hypotonia and Muscle Weakness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reus, Linda; van Vlimmeren, Leo A.; Staal, J. Bart; Janssen, Anjo J. W. M.; Otten, Barto J.; Pelzer, Ben J.; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W. G.

2013-01-01

The clinical evaluation of an infant with motor delay, muscle weakness, and/or hypotonia would improve considerably if muscle strength could be measured objectively and normal reference values were available. The authors developed a method to measure muscle strength in infants and tested 81 typically developing infants, 6-36 months of age, and 17…

Quantifying infant physical interactions using sensorized toys in a natural play environment.

PubMed

Goyal, Vatsala; Torres, Wilson; Rai, Roshan; Shofer, Frances; Bogen, Daniel; Bryant, Phillip; Prosser, Laura; Johnson, Michelle J

2017-07-01

Infants with developmental delays must be detected early in their development to minimize the progression of motor and neurological impairments. Our objective is to quantify how sensorized toys in a natural play environment can promote infant-toy physical interactions. We created a hanging elephant toy, equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a pressure transducer, and multiple feedback sensors, to be a hand-grasping toy. We used a 3 DoF robotic model with inputs from the IMU to calculate multiple kinematic metrics and an equation to calculate haptic metrics from the pressure transducer. Six typical infants were tested in the gym set-up. Three infants interacted with the toy for more than half the trial time. The youngest infant exhibited the largest toy displacement with ΔD = 27.6 cm, while the oldest infant squeezed the toy with the largest mean pressure of 4.5 kPa. More data on on both typical and atypical infants needs to be collected. After testing atypical infants in the SmarToyGym set-up, we will be able to identify interaction metrics that differentiate atypical and typical infants.

The Mother-Infant Feeding Relationship across the First Year and the Development of Feeding Difficulties in Low-Risk Premature Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silberstein, Dalia; Feldman, Ruth; Gardner, Judith M.; Karmel, Bernard Z.; Kuint, Jacob; Geva, Ronny

2009-01-01

Although feeding problems are common during infancy and are typically accompanied by relational difficulties, little research observed the mother-infant feeding relationship across the first year as an antecedent to the development of feeding difficulties. We followed 76 low-risk premature infants and their mothers from the transition to oral…

A Retrospective Video Analysis of Canonical Babbling and Volubility in Infants with Fragile X Syndrome at 9-12 Months of Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belardi, Katie; Watson, Linda R.; Faldowski, Richard A.; Hazlett, Heather; Crais, Elizabeth; Baranek, Grace T.; McComish, Cara; Patten, Elena; Oller, D. Kimbrough

2017-01-01

An infant's vocal capacity develops significantly during the first year of life. Research suggests early measures of pre-speech development, such as canonical babbling and volubility, can differentiate typical versus disordered development. This study offers a new contribution by comparing early vocal development in 10 infants with Fragile X…

Infant Development in Fragile X Syndrome: Cross-Syndrome Comparisons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Jane E.; McCary, Lindsay M.; Shinkareva, Svetlana V.; Bailey, Donald B., Jr.

2016-01-01

This study examined the developmental profile of male infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and its divergence from typical development and development of infants at high risk for autism associated with familial recurrence (ASIBs). Participants included 174 boys ranging in age from 5 to 28 months. Cross-sectional profiles on the Mullen Scales of…

Maternal Gesture Use and Language Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talbott, Meagan R.; Nelson, Charles A.; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

2015-01-01

Impairments in language and communication are an early-appearing feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with delays in language and gesture evident as early as the first year of life. Research with typically developing populations highlights the importance of both infant and maternal gesture use in infants' early language development.…

Can typical US home visits affect infant attachment? Preliminary findings from a randomized trial of Healthy Families Durham.

PubMed

Berlin, Lisa J; Martoccio, Tiffany L; Appleyard Carmody, Karen; Goodman, W Benjamin; O'Donnell, Karen; Williams, Janis; Murphy, Robert A; Dodge, Kenneth A

2017-12-01

US government-funded early home visiting services are expanding significantly. The most widely implemented home visiting models target at-risk new mothers and their infants. Such home visiting programs typically aim to support infant-parent relationships; yet, such programs' effects on infant attachment quality per se are as yet untested. Given these programs' aims, and the crucial role of early attachments in human development, it is important to understand attachment processes in home visited families. The current, preliminary study examined 94 high-risk mother-infant dyads participating in a randomized evaluation of the Healthy Families Durham (HFD) home visiting program. We tested (a) infant attachment security and disorganization as predictors of toddler behavior problems and (b) program effects on attachment security and disorganization. We found that (a) infant attachment disorganization (but not security) predicted toddler behavior problems and (b) participation in HFD did not significantly affect infant attachment security or disorganization. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential for attachment-specific interventions to enhance the typical array of home visiting services.

Longitudinal Associations between the Quality of Mother-Infant Interactions and Brain Development across Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernier, Annie; Calkins, Susan D.; Bell, Martha Ann

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate if normative variations in parenting relate to brain development among typically developing children. A sample of 352 mother-infant dyads came to the laboratory when infants were 5, 10, and 24 months of age (final N = 215). At each visit, child resting electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded.…

Description of the Motor Development of 3-12 Month Old Infants with Down Syndrome: The Influence of the Postural Body Position

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tudella, Eloisa; Pereira, Karina; Basso, Renata Pedrolongo; Savelsbergh, Geert J. P.

2011-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to describe the rate of motor development in infants with Down syndrome in the age range of 3-12 months and identify the difficulties both in performance and acquiring motor skills in prone, supine, sitting and standing positions. Nineteen infants with Down syndrome and 25 healthy full term typical infants were…

Associations of biological factors and affordances in the home with infant motor development.

PubMed

Saccani, Raquel; Valentini, Nadia C; Pereira, Keila Rg; Müller, Alessandra B; Gabbard, Carl

2013-04-01

Whereas considerable work has been published regarding biological factors associated with infant health, much less is known about the associations of environmental context with infant development - the focus of the present cross-sectional study. Data were collected on 561 infants, aged newborn to 18 months. Measures included the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale, Alberta Infant Motor Scale, and selected bio/medical factors. Correlation and regression were used to analyze the data. Home environmental factors were associated with children's motor development as much as some typically high-risk biologic factors. The home environment partially explained infant development outcomes and infants at risk could possibly be helped with a home assessment for affordances. © 2012 The Authors. Pediatrics International © 2012 Japan Pediatric Society.

Sit Still and Pay Attention! Trunk Movement and Attentional Resources in Infants with Typical and Delayed Development.

PubMed

Berger, Sarah E; Harbourne, Regina T; Guallpa Lliguichuzhca, Carmen L

2018-02-21

(1) examine infant movement during an early posture (sitting) utilizing a novel video assessment technique; and (2) document the differences between infants with typical development (TD), premature infants with motor delay, and infants with cerebral palsy (CP) during focused and nonfocused attention (NFA). Infants were tested when they began to sit independently. We utilized Eulerian Video Magnification (EVM) to accentuate small trunk and pelvic movements for visual coding from video taken during a natural play task with and without focused attention (FA). Trunk/pelvic movement varied as a function of both motor skill and attention. Infants with TD and CP made fewer trunk movements during periods of FA than NFA. Preterm infants exhibited more trunk/pelvic movement than the other groups and their movement did not differ based on attention type. The EVM technique allowed for replicable coding of real-time "hidden" motor adjustments from video. The capacity to minimize extraneous movements in infants, or "sitting still" may allow greater attention to the task at hand, similar to older children and adults. Premature infants' excessive trunk/pelvic movement that did not adapt to task requirements could, in the long term, impact tasks requiring attentional resources.

Linking infant-directed speech and face preferences to language outcomes in infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Droucker, Danielle; Curtin, Suzanne; Vouloumanos, Athena

2013-04-01

In this study, the authors aimed to examine whether biases for infant-directed (ID) speech and faces differ between infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (SIBS-A) and infant siblings of typically developing children (SIBS-TD), and whether speech and face biases predict language outcomes and risk group membership. Thirty-six infants were tested at ages 6, 8, 12, and 18 months. Infants heard 2 ID and 2 adult-directed (AD) speech passages paired with either a checkerboard or a face. The authors assessed expressive language at 12 and 18 months and general functioning at 12 months using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Mullen, 1995). Both infant groups preferred ID to AD speech and preferred faces to checkerboards. SIBS-TD demonstrated higher expressive language at 18 months than did SIBS-A, a finding that correlated with preferences for ID speech at 12 months. Although both groups looked longer to face stimuli than to the checkerboard, the magnitude of the preference was smaller in SIBS-A and predicted expressive vocabulary at 18 months in this group. Infants' preference for faces contributed to risk-group membership in a logistic regression analysis. Infants at heightened risk of ASD differ from typically developing infants in their preferences for ID speech and faces, which may underlie deficits in later language development and social communication.

Onset of Speech-Like Vocalizations in Infants with Down Syndrome.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Michael P.; And Others

1995-01-01

Evaluation of canonical babbling of 13 infants with Down syndrome found that age of onset of babbling was approximately 2 months later and less stable than that of 27 typically developing infants. Age at onset of canonical babbling for Down syndrome infants was correlated with scores at 27 months on the Early Social-Communication Scales.…

Use of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale to characterize the motor development of infants born preterm at eight months corrected age.

PubMed

Bartlett, Doreen J; Fanning, Jamie E

2003-01-01

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was used to examine variations in motor development of infants born preterm. Sixty infants attending a Developmental Follow-up Clinic participated. Infants were assessed by physical therapists using the AIMS and independently judged by physicians to be neurodevelopmentally and neurologically "normal," "suspect," or "abnormal." The AIMS clearly differentiated infants in these three categories. Compared to the normative sample, infants judged to be "normal" demonstrated similar motor behaviors, infants judged to be "abnormal" were significantly different across a wide range of items, and infants judged to be "suspect" were significantly different on items requiring antigravity postural control, lower extremity dissociation, and trunk rotation. The AIMS can be used to identify infants developing abnormally, to affirm normalcy in infants developing typically, and to identify motor differences in infants who are neurologically "suspect." In the latter group of infants, the AIMS can be used to provide anticipatory guidance to parents regarding the components of movement they might expect their infants to be developing next.

Development of upper body coordination during sitting in typically developing infants

PubMed Central

KYVELIDOU, ANASTASIA; STUBERG, WAYNE A.; HARBOURNE, REGINA T.; DEFFEYES, JOAN E.; BLANKE, DANIEL; STERGIOU, NICHOLAS

2009-01-01

Pediatric Research Articles Ahead of Print contains articles in unedited manuscript form that have been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication. As a service to our readers, we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final definitive form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered, which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Our goal was to determine how the actions of the thorax and the pelvis are organized and coordinated to achieve independent sitting posture in typically developing infants. The participants were ten typically developing infants that were evaluated longitudinally from first onset of sitting until sitting independence. Each infant underwent nine testing sessions. The first session included motor evaluation with the Peabody test. The other eight sessions occurred over a period of four months where sitting behavior was evaluated by angular kinematics of the thorax and the pelvis. A physical therapist evaluated sitting behavior in each session and categorized it according to five stages. The phasing relationship of the thorax and the pelvis was calculated and evaluated longitudinally using a one-way ANOVA. With development, the infants progressed from an in-phase (moving in the same direction) to an out-of-phase (moving in an opposite direction) coordinative relationship between the thorax and the pelvis segments. This change was significant for both the sagittal and frontal planes of motion. Clinically, this relationship is important because it provides a method to quantify infant sitting postural development, and can be used to assess efficacy of early interventions for pediatric populations with developmental motor delays. PMID:19190546

Behavior of Mothers and Infants with and without Down Syndrome during the Still-Face Procedure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Derek G.; Oates, John M.; Goodwin, Julia; Hobson, R. Peter

2008-01-01

There has been limited study of how the constitutional characteristics of infants with Down syndrome (DS) influence the patterning of their relations with caregivers. To assess natural and perturbed interactions between infants with DS and their mothers, we tested ten 6-month-old infants with DS and 20 typically developing (TD) 4-month-old of…

Infants' Meaning-Making and the Development of Mental Health Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tronick, Ed; Beeghly, Marjorie

2011-01-01

We argue that infant meaning-making processes are a central mechanism governing both typical and pathological outcomes. Infants, as open dynamic systems, must constantly garner information to increase their complexity and coherence. They fulfill this demand by making nonverbal "meaning"--affects, movements, representations--about themselves in…

Relation of Infant Vision to Early Cognitive and Language Status.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duckman, Robert; Tulloch, Deborah

Relationships between infant visual skills and the development of object permanence and expressive language skills were examined with 31 infants in three groups: visually typical, visually atypical, and Down Syndrome. Measures used to evaluate visual status were: forced preferential looking, optokinetic nystagmus, and behavioral. Object permanence…

The Development of Siblings of Children with Autism at 4 and 14 Months: Social Engagement, Communication, and Cognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yirmiya, Nurit; Gamliel, Ifat; Pilowsky, Tammy; Feldman, Ruth; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Sigman, Marian

2006-01-01

Aims: To compare siblings of children with autism (SIBS-A) and siblings of children with typical development (SIBS-TD) at 4 and 14 months of age. Methods: At 4 months, mother-infant interactional synchrony during free play, infant gaze and affect during the still-face paradigm, and infant responsiveness to a name-calling paradigm were examined (n…

Identification of Infants at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Language Delay Prior to 12 Months

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samango-Sprouse, Carole A.; Stapleton, Emily J.; Aliabadi, Farhad; Graw, Robert; Vickers, Rebecca; Haskell, Kathryn; Sadeghin, Teresa; Jameson, Robert; Parmele, Charles L.; Gropman, Andrea L.

2015-01-01

Studies have shown an increased head circumference and the absence of the head tilt reflex as possible risk factors for autism spectrum disorder, allowing for early detection at 12 months in typically developing population of infants. Our aim was to develop a screening tool to identify infants prior to 12 months at risk for autism spectrum…

Pre-linguistic communication skill development in an infant with a diagnosis of galactosaemia.

PubMed

Lewis, Fiona M; Coman, David J; Kilcoyne, Sarah; Murdoch, Bruce E; Syrmis, Maryanne

2014-10-01

Neonatal screening for galactosaemia (GAL) identifies the condition early, but subsequent biomedical and genetic testing fails to identify which subgroup of infants with GAL are at most risk of the language disorders associated with the condition. This study aims to present preliminary data on an infant with GAL based on assessment of pre-linguistic communication behaviours known to underpin language development. This single case-control study profiles the pre-linguistic skills of a 13-month-old infant with GAL. The Index Infant's performance was descriptively compared to that of a typically developing, suitably matched control infant. The Index Infant was identified as presenting with clinically significant delays on 9 of the 11 pre-linguistic skills assessed. The early identification of risk of developmental language difficulties in the Index Infant allows for the implementation of early intervention using the infant's parents as facilitators of language stimulation. Monitoring of the infant's progress is warranted.

Decreased head circumference velocity as related to developmental deficit in infancy.

PubMed

Tal, Galit; Cohen, Ayala; Habib, Sonia; Tirosh, Emanuel

2012-11-01

We evaluated the significance of head circumference growth velocity as related to developmental deficits during infancy. Head circumferences, lengths, and developmental diagnoses were retrieved in a standard manner at ≥ 2 time points from 437 infants with developmental deficits, and 3909 normally developing infants. Infants' ages ranged from 1-24 months, with final diagnoses ascertained at age 24 months. Increased velocity during the first 2 months in typical infants was evident in the study group during the period 2-4 months. A differential head circumference growth velocity was observed, and infants diagnosed with motor delay presented decreased velocity between ages 2-4 months, compared with infants receiving other nonmotor developmental diagnoses. These differences remained after controlling for birth weight and length. No significant sex effect was evident. Infants with developmental deficits demonstrate delayed acceleration of head circumference velocity, compared with typical infants in the first 2 months. Infants with motor delay manifest decreased velocity, compared with infants presenting other developmental deficits. These differences may be related to delayed white matter maturation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early gross motor development of preterm infants according to the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

PubMed

van Haastert, I C; de Vries, L S; Helders, P J M; Jongmans, M J

2006-11-01

To systematically examine gross motor development in the first 18 months of life of preterm infants. A total of 800 preterm infants (356 boys), ages between 1 and 18 months and corrected for degree of prematurity, were assessed with the use of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Comparison of the mean Alberta Infant Motor Scale scores of the preterm infants with the norm-referenced values derived from term infants revealed that as a group, the preterm infants scored significantly lower at all age levels, even with full correction for degree of prematurity. In general, preterm infants exhibit different gross motor developmental trajectories compared with term infants in the first 18 months of life. The gross motor developmental profile of preterm infants may reflect a variant of typical gross motor development, which seems most likely to be specific for this population. As a consequence, adjusted norms should be used for proper evaluation and clinical decision-making in relation to preterm infants.

Prosodic Patterns in Interaction of Low-Risk and At-Risk-of-Autism Spectrum Disorders Infants and Their Mothers at 12 and 18 Months

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quigley, Jean; McNally, Sinéad; Lawson, Sarah

2016-01-01

Research has indicated differences in prosodic expression for infants-at-risk-of-autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and it has been proposed that caregiver speech to these infants may also be moderated prosodically. In typical development, the pitch range of maternal infant-directed speech (IDS) narrows and utterance intensity decreases with infant…

Small and Large Number Processing in Infants and Toddlers with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Herwegen, Jo; Ansari, Daniel; Xu, Fei; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette

2008-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that typically developing 6-month-old infants are able to discriminate between small and large numerosities. However, discrimination between small numerosities in young infants is only possible when variables continuous with number (e.g. area or circumference) are confounded. In contrast, large number discrimination…

Infant Neural Sensitivity to Dynamic Eye Gaze Relates to Quality of Parent-Infant Interaction at 7-Months in Infants at Risk for Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elsabbagh, Mayada; Bruno, Ruth; Wan, Ming Wai; Charman, Tony; Johnson, Mark H.; Green, Jonathan

2015-01-01

Links between brain function measures and quality of parent-child interactions within the early developmental period have been investigated in typical and atypical development. We examined such links in a group of 104 infants with and without a family history for autism in the first year of life. Our findings suggest robust associations between…

Heart Activity and Autistic Behavior in Infants and Toddlers with Fragile X Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Jane E.; Tonnsen, Bridgette; Robinson, Ashley; Shinkareva, Svetlana V.

2012-01-01

The present study contrasted physiological arousal in infants and toddlers with fragile X syndrome to typically developing control participants and examined physiological predictors early in development to autism severity later in development in fragile X syndrome. Thirty-one males with fragile X syndrome (ages 8-40 months) and 25 age-matched…

Contingency Detection in a Complex World: A Developmental Model and Implications for Atypical Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northrup, Jessie Bolz

2017-01-01

The present article proposes a new developmental model of how young infants adapt and respond to complex contingencies in their environment, and how this influences development. The model proposes that typically developing infants adjust to an increasingly complex environment in ways that make it easier for them to allocate limited attentional…

Assessing Vocal Development in Infants and Toddlers

PubMed Central

Nathani, Suneeti; Ertmer, David J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in prelinguistic vocal productions during the first 20 months of life. Vocalizations were classified into 23 mutually exclusive and exhaustive types, and grouped into five ascending levels using the Stark Assessment of Early Vocal Development-Revised (SAEVD-R). Data from 30 typically developing infants, aged 0–20 months, show that older infants attained higher developmental levels on the SAEVD-R than younger infants. Infants 0–2, 3–5, and 6–8 months of age primarily produced vocalizations from Levels 1 (Reflexive), 2 (Control of Phonation), and 3 (Expansion). Infants 9–20 months of age also produced vocalizations from Level 4 (Basic Canonical Syllables). Only infants from 16–20 months of age produced Level 5 (Advanced Forms) vocalizations in significant quantities. The outcomes indicate that the SAEVD-R is a valuable instrument for evaluating prelinguistic vocal development. PMID:16728333

Reaching and Grasping Movements in Infants at Risk: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Campos, Ana Carolina; Rocha, Nelci Adriana Cicuto Ferreira; Savelsbergh, Geert J. P.

2009-01-01

Although the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the development of reaching and grasping skills in typical infants has been extensively described in the literature, the effect of such factors on at-risk infants is still poorly understood. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to analyze the scientific publications, from 1980…

Infant Joint Attention, Temperament, and Social Competence in Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughan Van Hecke, Amy; Mundy, Peter C.; Acra, C. Francoise.; Block, Jessica J.; Delgado, Christine E. F.; Parlade, Meaghan V.; Meyer, Jessica A.; Neal, A. Rebecca; Pomares, Yuly B.

2007-01-01

Infant joint attention has been observed to be related to social-emotional outcomes in at-risk children. To address whether this relation is also evident in typically developing children, 52 children were tested at 12, 15, 24, and 30 months to examine associations between infant joint attention and social outcomes. Twelve-month initiating and…

New Brazilian developmental curves and reference values for the Alberta infant motor scale.

PubMed

Saccani, Raquel; Valentini, Nadia Cristina; Pereira, Keila R G

2016-11-01

The lack of Brazilian norms restrains the use of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) to precisely categorize infant motor development and discriminate infants with motor difficulties from typically developing infants. This study investigated reference values for the AIMS for Brazilian infants. Descriptive, cross-sectional study of infants from birth-to-18 months old. Trained professionals assessed infants in daycares, homes, and governmental health centers. Results showed increases in raw scores across age groups from 0- to 15-months of age. The stability of raw scores was observed after 16 months of age. Brazilian infants demonstrated lower scores in specific ages compared to the Canadian sample. Canadian and Brazilian children showed differences in motor performance scores across age and norms were established for Brazilian infants. This study highlights the importance to establish reference values for AIMS of infants across cultures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Movement Assessment of Children (MAC): validity, reliability, stability and sensitivity to change in typically developing children.

PubMed

Chandler, L S; Terhorst, L; Rogers, J C; Holm, M B

2016-07-01

The purpose of this study was to establish the validity, reliability, stability and sensitivity to change of the family-centred Movement Assessment of Children (MAC) in typically developing infants/toddlers from 2 months (1 month 16 days) to 2 years (24 months 15 days) of age. Assessment of infant/toddler motor development is critical so that infants and toddlers who are at-risk for developmental delay or whose functional motor development is delayed can be monitored and receive therapy to improve their developmental outcomes. Infants/toddlers are thought to be more responsive during the MAC assessment because parents and siblings participate and elicit responses. Two hundred seventy six children and 405 assessments contributed to the establishment of age-related parameters for typically developing infants and toddlers on the MAC. The MAC assesses three core domains of functional movement (head control, upper extremities and hands, pelvis and lower extremities), and generates a core total score. Four explanatory domains serve to alert examiners to factors that may impact atypical development (general observations, special senses, primitive reflexes/reactions, muscle tone). Construct validity of functional motor development was examined using the relationship between incremental increases in scores and increases in participants' ages. Subsamples were used to establish inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, stability and sensitivity to change. Construct validity was established and inter-rater reliability ICCs for the core items and core total ranged from 0.83 to 0.99. Percent agreement for the explanatory items ranged from 0.72 to 0.96. Stability within age grouping was consistent from baseline to 6 months post-baseline, and sensitivity to change from baseline to 6 months was significant for all core items and the total score. The MAC has proven to be a well-constructed assessment of infant and toddler functional motor development. It is a family-centred and efficient tool that can be used to assess and follow-up of infants and toddlers from 2 months to 2 years. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Language Development in the First Year of Life: What Deaf Children Might Be Missing Before Cochlear Implantation.

PubMed

Levine, Dani; Strother-Garcia, Kristina; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy

2016-02-01

Language development is a multifaceted, dynamic process involving the discovery of complex patterns, and the refinement of native language competencies in the context of communicative interactions. This process is already advanced by the end of the first year of life for hearing children, but prelingually deaf children who initially lack a language model may miss critical experiences during this early window. The purpose of this review is twofold. First, we examine the published literature on language development during the first 12 months in typically developing children. Second, we use this literature to inform our understanding of the language outcomes of prelingually deaf children who receive cochlear implants (CIs), and therefore language input, either before or after the first year. During the first 12 months, typically developing infants exhibit advances in speech segmentation, word learning, syntax acquisition, and communication, both verbal and nonverbal. Infants and their caregivers coconstruct a communication foundation during this time, supporting continued language growth. The language outcomes of hearing children are robustly predicted by their experiences and acquired competencies during the first year; yet these predictive links are absent among prelingually deaf infants lacking a language model (i.e., those without exposure to sign). For deaf infants who receive a CI, implantation timing is crucial. Children receiving CIs before 12 months frequently catch up with their typically developing peers, whereas those receiving CIs later do not. Explanations for the language difficulties of late-implanted children are discussed.

Communicative Gesture Use in Infants with and without Autism: A Retrospective Home Video Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Linda R.; Crais, Elizabeth R.; Baranek, Grace T.; Dykstra, Jessica R.; Wilson, Kaitlyn P.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The authors aimed to compare gesture use in infants with autism with gesture use in infants with other developmental disabilities (DD) or typical development (TD). Method: Children with autism (n = 43), DD (n = 30), and TD (n = 36) were recruited at ages 2 to 7 years. Parents provided home videotapes of children in infancy. Staff compiled…

Neonatal Stroke Causes Poor Midline Motor Behaviors and Poor Fine and Gross Motor Skills during Early Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chao-Ying; Lo, Warren D.; Heathcock, Jill C.

2013-01-01

Upper extremity movements, midline behaviors, fine, and gross motor skills are frequently impaired in hemiparesis and cerebral palsy. We investigated midline toy exploration and fine and gross motor skills in infants at risk for hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Eight infants with neonatal stroke (NS) and thirteen infants with typical development (TD)…

Applications of psychophysical models to the study of auditory development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, Lynne

2003-04-01

Psychophysical models of listening, such as the energy detector model, have provided a framework from which to characterize the function of the mature auditory system and to explore how mature listeners make use of auditory information in sound identification. The application of such models to the study of auditory development has similarly provided insight into the characteristics of infant hearing and listening. Infants intensity, frequency, temporal and spatial resolution have been described at least grossly and some contributions of immature listening strategies to infant hearing have been identified. Infants psychoacoustic performance is typically poorer than adults under identical stimulus conditions. However, the infant's performance typically varies with stimulus condition in a way that is qualitatively similar to the adult's performance. In some cases, though, infants perform in a qualitatively different way from adults in psychoacoustic experiments. Further, recent psychoacoustic studies of children suggest that the classic models of listening may be inadequate to describe the children's performance. The characteristics of a model that might be appropriate for the immature listener will be outlined and the implications for models of mature listening will be discussed. [Work supported by NIH grants DC00396 and by DC04661.

Differential brain responses to cries of infants with autistic disorder and typical development: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Venuti, Paola; Caria, Andrea; Esposito, Gianluca; De Pisapia, Nicola; Bornstein, Marc H; de Falco, Simona

2012-01-01

This study used fMRI to measure brain activity during adult processing of cries of infants with autistic disorder (AD) compared to cries of typically developing (TD) infants. Using whole brain analysis, we found that cries of infants with AD compared to those of TD infants elicited enhanced activity in brain regions associated with verbal and prosodic processing, perhaps because altered acoustic patterns of AD cries render them especially difficult to interpret, and increased activity in brain regions associated with emotional processing, indicating that AD cries also elicit more negative feelings and may be perceived as more aversive and/or arousing. Perceived distress engendered by AD cries related to increased activation in brain regions associated with emotional processing. This study supports the hypothesis that cry is an early and meaningful anomaly displayed by children with AD. It could be that cries associated with AD alter parent-child interactions much earlier than the time that reliable AD diagnosis normally occurs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gut bacteria are rarely shared by co-hospitalized premature infants, regardless of necrotizing enterocolitis development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Raveh-Sadka, Tali; Thomas, Brian C.; Singh, Andrea

Premature infants are highly vulnerable to aberrant gastrointestinal tract colonization, a process that may lead to diseases like necrotizing enterocolitis. Thus, spread of potential pathogens among hospitalized infants is of great concern. Here, we reconstructed hundreds of high-quality genomes of microorganisms that colonized co-hospitalized premature infants, assessed their metabolic potential, and tracked them over time to evaluate bacterial strain dispersal among infants. We compared microbial communities in infants who did and did not develop necrotizing enterocolitis. Surprisingly, while potentially pathogenic bacteria of the same species colonized many infants, our genome-resolved analysis revealed that strains colonizing each baby were typically distinct.more » In particular, no strain was common to all infants who developed necrotizing enterocolitis. The paucity of shared gut colonizers suggests the existence of significant barriers to the spread of bacteria among infants. Furthermore, we demonstrate that strain-resolved comprehensive community analysis can be accomplished on potentially medically relevant time scales.« less

Gut bacteria are rarely shared by co-hospitalized premature infants, regardless of necrotizing enterocolitis development

DOE PAGES

Raveh-Sadka, Tali; Thomas, Brian C.; Singh, Andrea; ...

2015-03-03

Premature infants are highly vulnerable to aberrant gastrointestinal tract colonization, a process that may lead to diseases like necrotizing enterocolitis. Thus, spread of potential pathogens among hospitalized infants is of great concern. Here, we reconstructed hundreds of high-quality genomes of microorganisms that colonized co-hospitalized premature infants, assessed their metabolic potential, and tracked them over time to evaluate bacterial strain dispersal among infants. We compared microbial communities in infants who did and did not develop necrotizing enterocolitis. Surprisingly, while potentially pathogenic bacteria of the same species colonized many infants, our genome-resolved analysis revealed that strains colonizing each baby were typically distinct.more » In particular, no strain was common to all infants who developed necrotizing enterocolitis. The paucity of shared gut colonizers suggests the existence of significant barriers to the spread of bacteria among infants. Furthermore, we demonstrate that strain-resolved comprehensive community analysis can be accomplished on potentially medically relevant time scales.« less

Gut bacteria are rarely shared by co-hospitalized premature infants, regardless of necrotizing enterocolitis development

PubMed Central

Raveh-Sadka, Tali; Thomas, Brian C; Singh, Andrea; Firek, Brian; Brooks, Brandon; Castelle, Cindy J; Sharon, Itai; Baker, Robyn; Good, Misty; Morowitz, Michael J; Banfield, Jillian F

2015-01-01

Premature infants are highly vulnerable to aberrant gastrointestinal tract colonization, a process that may lead to diseases like necrotizing enterocolitis. Thus, spread of potential pathogens among hospitalized infants is of great concern. Here, we reconstructed hundreds of high-quality genomes of microorganisms that colonized co-hospitalized premature infants, assessed their metabolic potential, and tracked them over time to evaluate bacterial strain dispersal among infants. We compared microbial communities in infants who did and did not develop necrotizing enterocolitis. Surprisingly, while potentially pathogenic bacteria of the same species colonized many infants, our genome-resolved analysis revealed that strains colonizing each baby were typically distinct. In particular, no strain was common to all infants who developed necrotizing enterocolitis. The paucity of shared gut colonizers suggests the existence of significant barriers to the spread of bacteria among infants. Importantly, we demonstrate that strain-resolved comprehensive community analysis can be accomplished on potentially medically relevant time scales. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05477.001 PMID:25735037

Neonatal stroke causes poor midline motor behaviors and poor fine and gross motor skills during early infancy.

PubMed

Chen, Chao-Ying; Lo, Warren D; Heathcock, Jill C

2013-03-01

Upper extremity movements, midline behaviors, fine, and gross motor skills are frequently impaired in hemiparesis and cerebral palsy. We investigated midline toy exploration and fine and gross motor skills in infants at risk for hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Eight infants with neonatal stroke (NS) and thirteen infants with typical development (TD) were assessed from 2 to 7 months of age. The following variables were analyzed: percentage of time in midline and fine and gross motor scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-III). Infants with neonatal stroke demonstrated poor performance in midline behaviors and fine and gross motor scores on the BSID-III. These results suggest that infants with NS have poor midline behaviors and motor skill development early in infancy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-cultural analysis of the motor development of Brazilian, Greek and Canadian infants assessed with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale

PubMed Central

Saccani, Raquel; Valentini, Nadia Cristina

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To compare the motor development of infants from three population samples (Brazil, Canada and Greece), to investigate differences in the percentile curves of motor development in these samples, and to investigate the prevalence of motor delays in Brazilian children. METHODS: Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study with 795 Brazilian infants from zero to 18 months of age, assessed by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) at day care centers, nurseries, basic health units and at home. The Brazilian infants' motor scores were compared to the results of two population samples from Greece (424 infants) and Canada (2,400 infants). Descriptive statistics was used, with one-sample t-test and binomial tests, being significant p≤0.05. RESULTS: 65.4% of Brazilian children showed typical motor development, although with lower mean scores. In the beginning of the second year of life, the differences in the motor development among Brazilian, Canadian and Greek infants were milder; at 15 months of age, the motor development became similar in the three groups. A non-linear motor development trend was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The lowest motor percentiles of the Brazilian sample emphasized the need for national norms in order to correctly categorize the infant motor development. The different ways of motor development may be a consequence of cultural differences in infant care. PMID:24142318

Cross-cultural analysis of the motor development of Brazilian, Greek and Canadian infants assessed with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

PubMed

Saccani, Raquel; Valentini, Nadia Cristina

2013-09-01

To compare the motor development of infants from three population samples (Brazil, Canada and Greece), to investigate differences in the percentile curves of motor development in these samples, and to investigate the prevalence of motor delays in Brazilian children. Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study with 795 Brazilian infants from zero to 18 months of age, assessed by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) at day care centers, nurseries, basic health units and at home. The Brazilian infants' motor scores were compared to the results of two population samples from Greece (424 infants) and Canada (2,400 infants). Descriptive statistics was used, with one-sample t-test and binomial tests, being significant p ≤ 0.05. 65.4% of Brazilian children showed typical motor development, although with lower mean scores. In the beginning of the second year of life, the differences in the motor development among Brazilian, Canadian and Greek infants were milder; at 15 months of age, the motor development became similar in the three groups. A non-linear motor development trend was observed. The lowest motor percentiles of the Brazilian sample emphasized the need for national norms in order to correctly categorize the infant motor development. The different ways of motor development may be a consequence of cultural differences in infant care.

Infants with complex congenital heart diseases show poor short-term memory in the mobile paradigm at 3 months of age.

PubMed

Chen, Chao-Ying; Harrison, Tondi; Heathcock, Jill

2015-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine learning, short-term memory and general development including cognitive, motor, and language domains in infants with Complex Congenital Heart Defects (CCDH). Ten infants with CCHD (4 males, 6 females) and 14 infants with typical development (TD) were examined at 3 months of age. The mobile paradigm, where an infant's leg is tethered to an overhead mobile, was used to evaluate learning and short-term memory. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development 3rd edition (Bayley-III) was used to evaluate general development in cognitive, motor, and language domains. Infants with CCHD and infants with TD both showed learning with significant increase in kicking rate (p<0.001) across periods of the mobile paradigm, but only infants with TD demonstrated short-term memory (p=0.017) in the mobile paradigm. There were no differences on cognitive, motor, and language development between infants with CCHD and infants with TD on the Bayley-III. Early assessment is necessary to guide targeted treatment in infants with CCHD. One-time assessment may fail to detect potential cognitive impairments during early infancy in infants with CCHD. Supportive intervention programs for infants with CCHD that focuses on enhancing short-term memory are recommended. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct brain recordings reveal impaired neural function in infants with single-suture craniosynostosis: a future modality for guiding management?

PubMed

Hashim, Peter W; Brooks, Eric D; Persing, John A; Reuman, Hannah; Naples, Adam; Travieso, Roberto; Terner, Jordan; Steinbacher, Derek; Landi, Nicole; Mayes, Linda; McPartland, James C

2015-01-01

Patients with single-suture craniosynostosis (SSC) are at an elevated risk for long-term learning disabilities. Such adverse outcomes indicate that the early development of neural processing in SSC may be abnormal. At present, however, the precise functional derangements of the developing brain remain largely unknown. Event-related potentials (ERPs) are a form of noninvasive neuroimaging that provide direct measurements of cortical activity and have shown value in predicting long-term cognitive functioning. The current study used ERPs to examine auditory processing in infants with SSC to help clarify the developmental onset of delays in this population. Fifteen infants with untreated SSC and 23 typically developing controls were evaluated. ERPs were recorded during the presentation of speech sounds. Analyses focused on the P150 and N450 components of auditory processing. Infants with SSC demonstrated attenuated P150 amplitudes relative to typically developing controls. No differences in the N450 component were identified between untreated SSC and controls. Infants with untreated SSC demonstrate abnormal speech sound processing. Atypicalities are detectable as early as 6 months of age and may represent precursors to long-term language delay. Electrophysiological assessments provide a precise examination of neural processing in SSC and hold potential as a future modality to examine the effects of surgical treatment on brain development.

Development of fine motor skills is associated with expressive language outcomes in infants at high and low risk for autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Choi, Boin; Leech, Kathryn A; Tager-Flusberg, Helen; Nelson, Charles A

2018-04-12

A growing body of research suggests that fine motor abilities are associated with skills in a variety of domains in both typical and atypical development. In this study, we investigated developmental trajectories of fine motor skills between 6 and 24 months in relation to expressive language outcomes at 36 months in infants at high and low familial risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants included 71 high-risk infants without ASD diagnoses, 30 high-risk infants later diagnosed with ASD, and 69 low-risk infants without ASD diagnoses. As part of a prospective, longitudinal study, fine motor skills were assessed at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age and expressive language outcomes at 36 months using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Diagnosis of ASD was determined at the infant's last visit to the lab (18, 24, or 36 months) using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that high-risk infants who later developed ASD showed significantly slower growth in fine motor skills between 6 and 24 months, compared to their typically developing peers. In contrast to group differences in growth from age 6 months, cross-sectional group differences emerged only in the second year of life. Also, fine motor skills at 6 months predicted expressive language outcomes at 3 years of age. These results highlight the importance of utilizing longitudinal approaches in measuring early fine motor skills to reveal subtle group differences in infancy between ASD high-risk and low-risk infant populations and to predict their subsequent language outcomes.

Maternal Gesture Use and Language Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Talbott, Meagan R.; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

2013-01-01

Impairments in language and communication are an early-appearing feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with delays in language and gesture evident as early as the first year of life. Research with typically developing populations highlights the importance of both infant and maternal gesture use in infants’ early language development. The current study explores the gesture production of infants at risk for autism and their mothers at 12 months of age, and the association between these early maternal and infant gestures and between these early gestures and infants’ language at 18 months. Gestures were scored from both a caregiver-infant interaction (both infants and mothers) and from a semi-structured task (infants only). Mothers of non-diagnosed high risk infant siblings gestured more frequently than mothers of low risk infants. Infant and maternal gesture use at 12 months was associated with infants’ language scores at 18 months in both low risk and non-diagnosed high risk infants. These results demonstrate the impact of risk status on maternal behavior and the importance of considering the role of social and contextual factors on the language development of infants at risk for autism. Results from the subset of infants who meet preliminary criteria for ASD are also discussed. PMID:23585026

Parental Accounts of Home-Based Literacy Processes: Contexts for Infants and Toddlers with Developmental Delays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goin, Robin P.; Nordquist, Vey M.; Twardosz, Sandra

2004-01-01

The early childhood years are critical for literacy development, and there is evidence that the home environments of young children with delays or disabilities are not as rich in literacy opportunities as those of their typically developing peers. The purpose of this study was to obtain information about how parents of infants and toddlers with…

Gender imbalance in infant mortality: a cross-national study of social structure and female infanticide.

PubMed

Fuse, Kana; Crenshaw, Edward M

2006-01-01

Sex differentials in infant mortality vary widely across nations. Because newborn girls are biologically advantaged in surviving to their first birthday, sex differentials in infant mortality typically arise from genetic factors that result in higher male infant mortality rates. Nonetheless, there are cases where mortality differentials arise from social or behavioral factors reflecting deliberate discrimination by adults in favor of boys over girls, resulting in atypical male to female infant mortality ratios. This cross-national study of 93 developed and developing countries uses such macro-social theories as modernization theory, gender perspectives, human ecology, and sociobiology/evolutionary psychology to predict gender differentials in infant mortality. We find strong evidence for modernization theory, human ecology, and the evolutionary psychology of group process, but mixed evidence for gender perspectives.

Vocal patterns in infants with autism spectrum disorder: canonical babbling status and vocalization frequency.

PubMed

Patten, Elena; Belardi, Katie; Baranek, Grace T; Watson, Linda R; Labban, Jeffrey D; Oller, D Kimbrough

2014-10-01

Canonical babbling is a critical milestone for speech development and is usually well in place by 10 months. The possibility that infants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show late onset of canonical babbling has so far eluded evaluation. Rate of vocalization or "volubility" has also been suggested as possibly aberrant in infants with ASD. We conducted a retrospective video study examining vocalizations of 37 infants at 9-12 and 15-18 months. Twenty-three of the 37 infants were later diagnosed with ASD and indeed produced low rates of canonical babbling and low volubility by comparison with the 14 typically developing infants. The study thus supports suggestions that very early vocal patterns may prove to be a useful component of early screening and diagnosis of ASD.

Vocal patterns in infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Canonical babbling status and vocalization frequency

PubMed Central

Patten, Elena; Belardi, Katie; Baranek, Grace T.; Watson, Linda R.; Labban, Jeffrey D.; Oller, D. Kimbrough

2014-01-01

Canonical babbling is a critical milestone for speech development and is usually well in place by 10 months. The possibility that infants with ASD show late onset of canonical babbling has so far eluded evaluation. Rate of vocalization or “volubility” has also been suggested as possibly aberrant in infants with ASD. We conducted a retrospective video study examining vocalizations of 37 infants at 9–12 and 15–18 months. Twenty-three of the 37 infants were later diagnosed with ASD and indeed produced low rates of canonical babbling and low volubility by comparison with the 14 typically developing infants. The study thus supports suggestions that very early vocal patterns may prove to be a useful component of early screening and diagnosis of ASD. PMID:24482292

Prelinguistic Vocal Development in Young Cochlear Implant Recipients and Typically Developing Infants: Year 1 of Robust Hearing Experience

PubMed Central

Ertmer, David J.; Jung, Jongmin

2012-01-01

This investigation examined the time course and sequence of prelinguistic vocal development during the first year of cochlear implant (CI) experience. Thirteen children who were implanted between 8 and 35 months and 11 typically developing (TD) infants participated in this longitudinal study. Adult–child play interactions were video- and audio-recorded at trimonthly intervals for each group, and child utterances were classified into categories representing progressively more mature productions: Precanonical Vocalizations, Basic Canonical Syllables, and Advanced Form vocalizations. Young CI recipients met the 20% criterion for establishment of the Basic Canonical Syllables and Advanced Forms levels with fewer months of robust hearing experience than the TD infants. Most CI recipients followed the sequence of development predicted by the Stark Assessment of Early Vocal Development—Revised. The relatively rapid progress of the CI children suggests that an earlier period of auditory deprivation did not have negative consequences for prelinguistic vocal development. It also supports the notion that young CI recipients comparatively advanced maturity facilitated expeditious auditory-guided speech development. PMID:21586617

Functioning of peripheral Ia pathways in infants with typical development: responses in antagonist muscle pairs

PubMed Central

Ulrich, Beverly D.; Martin, Bernard

2015-01-01

In muscle responses of proprioceptive origin, including the stretch/tendon reflex (T-reflex), the corresponding reciprocal excitation and irradiation to distant muscles have been described from newborn infants to older adults. However, the functioning of other responses mediated primarily by Ia-afferents has not been investigated in infants. Understanding the typical development of these multiple pathways is critical to determining potential problems in their development in populations affected by neurological disease, such as spina bifida or cerebral palsy. Hence, the goal of the present study was to quantify the excitability of Ia-mediated responses in lower limb muscles of infants with typical development. These responses were elicited by mechanical stimulation applied to the distal tendons of the gastrocnemius-soleus (GS), tibialis anterior (TA) and quadriceps (QAD) muscles of both legs in twelve 2- to 10-month-old infants and recorded simultaneously in antagonist muscle pairs by surface EMG. Tendon taps alone elicited responses in either, both or neither muscle. The homonymous response (T-reflex) was less frequent in the TA than the GS or QAD muscle. An 80 Hz vibration superimposed on tendon taps induced primarily an inhibition of monosynaptic responses; however, facilitation also occurred in either muscle of the recorded pair. These responses were not influenced significantly by age or gender. Vibration alone produced a tonic reflex response in the vibrated muscle (TVR) and/or the antagonist muscle (AVR). However, for the TA muscle the TVR was more frequently elicited in older than younger infants. High variability was common to all responses. Overall, the random distribution and inconsistency of muscle responses suggests that the gain of Ia-mediated feedback is unstable. We propose that during infancy the central nervous system needs to learn to set stable feedback gain, or destination of proprioceptive assistance, based on their use during functional movements. This will tailor the neuromuscular connectivity to support adaptive motor behaviors. PMID:21140137

Body Representation in the First Year of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zieber, Nicole; Bhatt, Ramesh S.; Hayden, Angela; Kangas, Ashley; Collins, Rebecca; Bada, Henrietta

2010-01-01

Like faces, bodies are significant sources of social information. However, research suggests that infants do not develop body representation (i.e., knowledge about typical human bodies) until the second year of life, although they are sensitive to facial information much earlier. Yet, previous research only examined whether infants are sensitive…

Infant Sign Training and Functional Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Normand, Matthew P.; Machado, Mychal A.; Hustyi, Kristin M.; Morley, Allison J.

2011-01-01

We taught manual signs to typically developing infants using a reversal design and caregiver-nominated stimuli. We delivered the stimuli on a time-based schedule during baseline. During the intervention, we used progressive prompting and reinforcement, described by Thompson et al. (2004, 2007), to establish mands. Following sign training, we…

Surrogate mobility and orientation affect the early neurobehavioral development of infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

PubMed

Dettmer, Amanda M; Ruggiero, Angela M; Novak, Melinda A; Meyer, Jerrold S; Suomi, Stephen J

2008-05-01

A biological mother's movement appears necessary for optimal development in infant monkeys. However, nursery-reared monkeys are typically provided with inanimate surrogate mothers that move very little. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a novel, highly mobile surrogate mother on motor development, exploration, and reactions to novelty. Six infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were reared on mobile hanging surrogates (MS) and compared to six infants reared on standard stationary rocking surrogates (RS) and to 9-15 infants reared with their biological mothers (MR) for early developmental outcome. We predicted that MS infants would develop more similarly to MR infants than RS infants. In neonatal assessments conducted at Day 30, both MS and MR infants showed more highly developed motor activity than RS infants on measures of grasping (p = .009), coordination (p = .038), spontaneous crawl (p = .009), and balance (p = .003). At 2-3 months of age, both MS and MR infants displayed higher levels of exploration in the home cage than RS infants (p = .016). In a novel situation in which only MS and RS infants were tested, MS infants spent less time near their surrogates in the first five minutes of the test session than RS infants (p = .05), indicating a higher level of comfort. Collectively, these results suggest that when nursery-rearing of infant monkeys is necessary, a mobile hanging surrogate may encourage more normative development of gross motor skills and exploratory behavior and may serve as a useful alternative to stationary or rocking surrogates.

Infant botulism: review and clinical update.

PubMed

Rosow, Laura K; Strober, Jonathan B

2015-05-01

Botulism is a rare neuromuscular condition, and multiple clinical forms are recognized. Infant botulism was first identified in the 1970s, and it typically occurs in infants younger than 1 year of age who ingest Clostridium botulinum spores. A specific treatment for infant botulism, intravenous botulism immunoglobulin (BIG-IV or BabyBIG®), was developed in 2003, and this treatment has substantially decreased both morbidity and hospital costs associated with this illness. This article will review the pathogenesis of infant botulism as well as the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of this condition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Objective evaluation of muscle strength in infants with hypotonia and muscle weakness.

PubMed

Reus, Linda; van Vlimmeren, Leo A; Staal, J Bart; Janssen, Anjo J W M; Otten, Barto J; Pelzer, Ben J; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G

2013-04-01

The clinical evaluation of an infant with motor delay, muscle weakness, and/or hypotonia would improve considerably if muscle strength could be measured objectively and normal reference values were available. The authors developed a method to measure muscle strength in infants and tested 81 typically developing infants, 6-36 months of age, and 17 infants with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) aged 24 months. The inter-rater reliability of the measurement method was good (ICC=.84) and the convergent validity was confirmed by high Pearson's correlations between muscle strength, age, height, and weight (r=.79-.85). A multiple linear regression model was developed to predict muscle strength based on age, height, and weight, explaining 73% of the variance in muscle strength. In infants with PWS, muscle strength was significantly decreased. Pearson's correlations showed that infants with PWS in which muscle strength was more severely affected also had a larger motor developmental delay (r=.75). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the Other Hand: Overflow Movements of Infants’ Hands and Legs During Unimanual Object Exploration

PubMed Central

Soska, Kasey C.; Galeon, Margaret A.; Adolph, Karen E.

2011-01-01

Motor overflow is extraneous movement in a limb not involved in a motor action. Typically, overflow is observed in people with neurological impairments and in healthy children and adults during strenuous and attention-demanding tasks. In the current study, we found that young infants produce vast amounts of motor overflow, corroborating claims of symmetry being the default state of the motor system. While manipulating an object with one hand, all 27 of the typically-developing 4.5- to 7.5-month-old infants who we observed displayed overflow movements of the free hand (on 4/5 of unimanual actions). Mirror-image movements of the hands occurred on 1/8 of unimanual actions, and the hands and legs moved in synchrony on 1/3 of unimanual acts. Motor overflow was less frequent when infants were in a sitting posture and when infants watched their acting hand, suggesting that upright posture and visual examination may help to alleviate overflow and break obligatory symmetry in healthy infants. PMID:22487940

Early social communication in infants with fragile X syndrome and infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Hahn, Laura J; Brady, Nancy C; McCary, Lindsay; Rague, Lisa; Roberts, Jane E

2017-12-01

Little research in fragile X syndrome (FXS) has prospectively examined early social communication. To compare early social communication in infants with FXS, infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASIBs), and typically developing (TD) infants. Participants were 18 infants with FXS, 21 ASIBs, and 22 TD infants between 7.5-14.5 months. Social communication was coded using the Communication Complexity Scale during the administration of Autism Observation Scale for Infants. Descriptively different patterns were seen across the three groups. Overall infants with FXS had lower social communication than ASIBs or TD infants when controlling for nonverbal cognitive abilities. However, infants with FXS had similar levels of social communication as ASIBs or TD infants during peek-a-boo. No differences were observed between ASIBs and TD infants. For all infants, higher social communication was related to lower ASD risk. Findings provide insight into the developmental course of social communication in FXS. The dynamic nature of social games may help to stimulate communication in infants with FXS. Language interventions with a strong social component may be particularly effective for promoting language development in FXS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Precursors to language development in typically and atypically developing infants and toddlers: the importance of embracing complexity.

PubMed

D'Souza, Dean; D'Souza, Hana; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette

2017-05-01

In order to understand how language abilities emerge in typically and atypically developing infants and toddlers, it is important to embrace complexity in development. In this paper, we describe evidence that early language development is an experience-dependent process, shaped by diverse, interconnected, interdependent developmental mechanisms, processes, and abilities (e.g. statistical learning, sampling, functional specialization, visual attention, social interaction, motor ability). We also present evidence from our studies on neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome) that variations in these factors significantly contribute to language delay. Finally, we discuss how embracing complexity, which involves integrating data from different domains and levels of description across developmental time, may lead to a better understanding of language development and, critically, lead to more effective interventions for cases when language develops atypically.

Surrogate Mobility and Orientation Affect the Early Neurobehavioral Development of Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

PubMed Central

Dettmer, Amanda M.; Ruggerio, Angela M.; Novak, Melinda A.; Meyer, Jerrold S.; Suomi, Stephen J.

2008-01-01

A biological mother’s movement appears necessary for optimal development in infant monkeys. However, nursery-reared monkeys are typically provided with inanimate surrogate mothers that move very little. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a novel, highly mobile surrogate mother on motor development, exploration, and reactions to novelty. Six infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were reared on mobile hanging surrogates (MS) and compared to six infants reared on standard stationary rocking surrogates (RS) and to 9-15 infants reared with their biological mothers (MR) for early developmental outcome. We predicted that MS infants would develop more similarly to MR infants than RS infants. In neonatal assessments conducted at day 30, both MS and MR infants showed more highly developed motor activity than RS infants on measures of grasping (p=.009), coordination (p=.038), spontaneous crawl (p=.009), and balance (p=.003). At 2-3 months of age, both MS and MR infants displayed higher levels of exploration in the home cage than RS infants (p=.016). In a novel situation in which only MS and RS infants were tested, MS infants showed less of a stress response, spending less time near their surrogates in the first five minutes of the test session than RS infants (p=.05) and exhibiting a significantly lower rise in salivary cortisol after the test than RS infants (p=.018). Collectively, these results suggest that when nursery-rearing of infant monkeys is necessary, a mobile hanging surrogate may encourage more normative development of gross motor skills and exploratory behavior and may serve as a useful alternative to stationary or rocking surrogates. PMID:19810188

Neural measures of social attention across the first years of life: characterizing typical development and markers of autism risk.

PubMed

Luyster, Rhiannon J; Powell, Christine; Tager-Flusberg, Helen; Nelson, Charles A

2014-04-01

Few studies employing event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine infant perception/cognition have systematically characterized age-related changes over the first few years of life. Establishing a 'normative' template of development is important in its own right, and doing so may also better highlight points of divergence for high-risk populations of infants, such as those at elevated genetic risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present investigation explores the developmental progression of the P1, N290, P400 and Nc components for a large sample of young children between 6 and 36 months of age, addressing age-related changes in amplitude, sensitivity to familiar and unfamiliar stimuli and hemispheric lateralization. Two samples of infants are included: those at low- and high-risk for ASD. The four components of interest show differential patterns of change over time and hemispheric lateralization; however, infants at low- and high-risk for ASD do not show significant differences in patterns of neural response to faces. These results will provide a useful point of reference for future developmental cognitive neuroscience research targeting both typical development and vulnerable populations. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Biracial and Monoracial Infant Own-Race Face Perception: An Eye Tracking Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaither, Sarah E.; Pauker, Kristin; Johnson, Scott P.

2012-01-01

We know that early experience plays a crucial role in the development of face processing, but we know little about how infants learn to distinguish faces from different races, especially for non-Caucasian populations. Moreover, it is unknown whether differential processing of different race faces observed in typically studied monoracial infants…

Preparing Home Visitors to Partner with Families of Infants and Toddlers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roggman, Lori A.; Peterson, Carla A.; Chazan-Cohen, Rachel; Ispa, Jean; Decker, Kallie B.; Hughes-Belding, Kere; Cook, Gina A.; Vallotton, Claire D.

2016-01-01

Home visitors provide individualized services to families of infants and young children in their homes. Due to their unique role, home visitors must develop a specialized set of critical competencies--specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes. They therefore require preparation that differs in distinct ways from the preparation typically available…

Neural Correlates of Human and Monkey Face Processing in 9-Month-Old Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Lisa S.; Shannon, Robert W.; Nelson, Charles A.

2006-01-01

Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence suggests a gradual, experience-dependent specialization of cortical face processing systems that takes place largely in the 1st year of life. To further investigate these findings, event-related potentials (ERPs) were collected from typically developing 9-month-old infants presented with pictures of…

Introducing the Infant Bookreading Database (IBDb)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson Kam, Carla L.; Matthewson, Lisa

2017-01-01

Studies on the relationship between bookreading and language development typically lack data about which books are actually read to children. This paper reports on an Internet survey designed to address this data gap. The resulting dataset (the Infant Bookreading Database or IBDb) includes responses from 1,107 caregivers of children aged 0-36…

Ibuprofen for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm or low birth weight (or both) infants.

PubMed

Ohlsson, Arne; Walia, Rajneesh; Shah, Sachin S

2015-02-18

Indomethacin is used as standard therapy to close a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) but is associated with reduced blood flow to several organs. Ibuprofen, another cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, may be as effective as indomethacin with fewer adverse effects. To determine the effectiveness and safety of ibuprofen compared with indomethacin, other cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, placebo or no intervention for closing a patent ductus arteriosus in preterm, low birth weight, or preterm and low birth weight infants. We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Clincialtrials.gov, Controlled-trials.com, and www.abstracts2view.com/pas in May 2014. Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of ibuprofen for the treatment of a PDA in newborn infants. Data collection and analysis conformed to the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. We included 33 studies enrolling 2190 infants.Two studies compared intravenous (iv) ibuprofen versus placebo (270 infants). In one study (134 infants) ibuprofen reduced the incidence of failure to close a PDA (risk ratio (RR) 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51 to 0.99; risk difference (RD) -0.18, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.01; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 6, 95% CI 3 to 100). In one study (136 infants), ibuprofen reduced the composite outcome of infant mortality, infants who dropped out, or infants who required rescue treatment (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.89; RD -0.22, 95% CI -0.38 to -0.06; NNTB 5, 95% CI 3 to 17). One study (64 infants) compared oral ibuprofen with placebo and noted a significant reduction in failure to close a PDA (RR 0.26, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.62; RD -0.44, 95% CI -0.65 to -0.23; NNTB 2, 95% CI 2 to 4).Twenty-one studies (1102 infants) reported failure rates for PDA closure with ibuprofen (oral or iv) compared with indomethacin (oral or iv). There was no significant difference between the groups (typical RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.20; I(2) = 0%; typical RD 0.00, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.05; I(2) = 0%). The risk of developing necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) was reduced for ibuprofen (16 studies, 948 infants; typical RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.93; typical RD -0.05, 95% CI -0.08 to -0.01; NNTB 20, 95% CI 13 to 100; I(2) = 0% for both RR and RD). The duration of ventilatory support was reduced with ibuprofen (oral or iv) compared with iv or oral indomethacin (six studies, 471 infants; mean difference (MD) -2.4 days, 95% CI -3.7 to -1.0; I(2) = 19%).Eight studies (272 infants) reported on failure rates for PDA closure in a subgroup of the above studies comparing oral ibuprofen with indomethacin (oral or iv). There was no significant difference between the groups (typical RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.27; typical RD -0.01, 95% CI -0.12 to 0.09). The risk of NEC was reduced with oral ibuprofen compared with indomethacin (oral or iv) (seven studies, 249 infants; typical RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.73; typical RD -0.13, 95% CI -0.22 to -0.05; NNTB 8, 95% CI 5 to 20; I(2) = 0% for both RR and RD). There was a decreased risk of failure to close a PDA with oral ibuprofen compared with iv ibuprofen (four studies, 304 infants; typical RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.64; typical RD -0.21, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.12; NNTB 5, 95% CI 3 to 8). Transient renal insufficiency was less common in infants who received ibuprofen compared with indomethacin. High dose versus standard dose of iv ibuprofen, early versus expectant administration of iv ibuprofen, echocardiographically guided iv ibuprofen treatment vs. standard iv ibuprofen treatment and continuous infusion of ibuprofen vs. intermittent boluses of ibuprofen and long-term follow-up were studied in too few trials to draw any conclusions. Ibuprofen is as effective as indomethacin in closing a PDA and currently appears to be the drug of choice. Ibuprofen reduces the risk of NEC and transient renal insufficiency. Oro-gastric administration of ibuprofen appears as effective as iv administration. To make further recommendations, studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of high-dose versus standard-dose ibuprofen, early versus expectant administration of ibuprofen, echocardiographically guided versus standard iv ibuprofen, and continuous infusion versus intermittent boluses of ibuprofen. Studies are lacking evaluating the effect of ibuprofen on longer-term outcomes in infants with PDA.

Infant Regulatory Disorders: Temperamental, Physiological, and Behavioral Features

PubMed Central

Dale, Lourdes P.; O‘Hara, Emily A.; Keen, Julie; Porges, Stephen W.

2010-01-01

Successful development during the first year of life is dependent on the infant’s ability to regulate behavioral and physiological state in response to unpredictable environmental challenges. While most infants develop skills to self-soothe and regulate behavior, a subset lacks these skills and develops regulatory disorders (RD). Objectives To evaluate the component features of RD by determining if infants with RD differ from typically developing infants on measures of temperament, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, heart rate, and mother-infant interactions. Methods Parents of 50 9-month old infants completed behavioral questionnaires that provided information necessary to complete the Regulatory Disorders Checklist, which evaluates for difficulties in self-regulation and hypersensitivities. Infants with difficulties in both domains were assigned to the RD group. Mothers and their infants were videotaped interacting for 10 minutes. Infant heart rate was monitored before and during the mental development test. Results The RD group (n=10) was more temperamentally difficult and exhibited atypical physiological regulation relative to infants with difficulties in either self-regulation or hypersensitivity (n=25) or infants with no difficulties (n=15). During the mother-infant interactions, the RD group exhibited more high-level withdrawal behaviors, including verbal and physical protests, although there were no differences in the quantity and quality of the maternal approaches. Conclusion Infants with RD have both temperamental and physiological regulation difficulties, and may be in a physiologically state that makes it difficult to moderate behavior in response to social demands. Mothers of RD infants might be taught to modify their behavior to help their infants regulate behavioral and physiological state. PMID:21057324

The Structure of Mother-Child Play: Young Children with Down Syndrome and Typically Developing Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Mary A.; Barratt, Marguerite Stevenson; Miller, Jon F.; Leavitt, Lewis A.

1998-01-01

Compared mothers' play with infants with Down syndrome (DSC) and typically developing children (TDC) matched for mental or chronological age. Found that TDC mothers exhibited more object demonstrations with their developmentally younger children, who showed less object play. DSC mothers were more directive and supportive than mothers of younger…

An investigation into the relationship between vigabatrin, movement disorders, and brain magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in children with infantile spasms.

PubMed

Fong, Choong Yi; Osborne, John P; Edwards, Stuart W; Hemingway, Cheryl; Hancock, Eleanor; Johnson, Anthony L; Kennedy, Colin R; Kneen, Rachel; Likeman, Marcus; Lux, Andrew L; Mordekar, Santosh R; Murugan, Velayutham; Newton, Richard W; Pike, Michael; Quinn, Michael; Spinty, Stefan; Vassallo, Grace; Verity, Christopher M; Whitney, Andrea; O'Callaghan, Finbar J K

2013-09-01

We aimed to investigate the relationship between movement disorders, changes on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and vigabatrin therapy in children with infantile spasms. Retrospective review and brain MRI analysis of children enrolled in the International Collaborative Infantile Spasms Study (ICISS) who developed a movement disorder on vigabatrin therapy. Comparisons were made with controls within ICISS who had no movement disorder. Ten of 124 infants had a movement disorder and in eight it had developed on vigabatrin therapy. Two had a movement disorder that resolved on dose-reduction of vigabatrin, one had improvement on withdrawing vigabatrin, two had resolution without any dose change, and in three it persisted despite vigabatrin withdrawal. The typical brain MRI changes associated with vigabatrin therapy were noted in two infants. Ten control infants were identified. Typical MRI changes noted with vigabatrin were noted in three controls. It is possible that in two out of eight cases, vigabatrin was associated with the development of a movement disorder. In six out of eight cases a causal relationship was less plausible. The majority of infants treated with vigabatrin did not develop a movement disorder. MRI changes associated with vigabatrin do not appear to be specifically related to the movement disorder. © 2013 Mac Keith Press.

Imitation from 12 to 24 months in autism and typical development: A longitudinal Rasch analysis

PubMed Central

Young, Gregory S.; Rogers, Sally J.; Hutman, Ted; Rozga, Agata; Sigman, Marian; Ozonoff, Sally

2013-01-01

The development of imitation during the second year of life plays an important role in domains of socio-cognitive development such as language and social learning. Deficits in imitation ability in persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have also been repeatedly documented from toddlerhood into adulthood, raising the possibility that early disruptions in imitation contribute to the onset of ASD and the deficits in language and social interaction that define the disorder. This study prospectively examined the development of imitation between 12 and 24 months of age in 154 infants at familial risk for ASD and 78 typically developing infants who were all later assessed at 36 months for ASD or other developmental delays. The study established a developmental measure of imitation ability, and examined group differences over time, using an analytic Rasch measurement model. Results revealed a unidimensional latent construct of imitation and verified a reliable sequence of imitation skills that was invariant over time for all outcome groups. Results also showed that all groups displayed similar significant linear increases in imitation ability between 12 and 24 months and that these increases were related to individual growth in both expressive language and ratings of social engagement, but not fine motor development. The group of children who developed ASD by age 3 years exhibited delayed imitation development compared to the low-risk typical outcome group across all time-points, but were indistinguishable from other high-risk infants who showed other cognitive delays not related to ASD. PMID:21910524

Face processing in Williams syndrome is already atypical in infancy.

PubMed

D'Souza, Dean; Cole, Victoria; Farran, Emily K; Brown, Janice H; Humphreys, Kate; Howard, John; Rodic, Maja; Dekker, Tessa M; D'Souza, Hana; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette

2015-01-01

Face processing is a crucial socio-cognitive ability. Is it acquired progressively or does it constitute an innately-specified, face-processing module? The latter would be supported if some individuals with seriously impaired intelligence nonetheless showed intact face-processing abilities. Some theorists claim that Williams syndrome (WS) provides such evidence since, despite IQs in the 50s, adolescents/adults with WS score in the normal range on standardized face-processing tests. Others argue that atypical neural and cognitive processes underlie WS face-processing proficiencies. But what about infants with WS? Do they start with typical face-processing abilities, with atypicality developing later, or are atypicalities already evident in infancy? We used an infant familiarization/novelty design and compared infants with WS to typically developing controls as well as to a group of infants with Down syndrome matched on both mental and chronological age. Participants were familiarized with a schematic face, after which they saw a novel face in which either the features (eye shape) were changed or just the configuration of the original features. Configural changes were processed successfully by controls, but not by infants with WS who were only sensitive to featural changes and who showed syndrome-specific profiles different from infants with the other neurodevelopmental disorder. Our findings indicate that theorists can no longer use the case of WS to support claims that evolution has endowed the human brain with an independent face-processing module.

Developmental milestones record - 12 months

MedlinePlus

... to 2 naps during the day SENSORY AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT The typical 12-month-old: Begins pretend play ( ... Editorial team. Infant and Newborn Development Read more Toddler Development Read more NIH MedlinePlus Magazine Read more A. ...

Profiles of observed infant anger predict preschool behavior problems: Moderation by life stress

PubMed Central

Brooker, Rebecca J.; Buss, Kristin A.; Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn; Aksan, Nazan; Davidson, Richard J.; Goldsmith, H. Hill

2014-01-01

Using both traditional composites and novel profiles of anger, we examined associations between infant anger and preschool behavior problems in a large, longitudinal data set (N = 966). We also tested the role of life stress as a moderator of the link between early anger and the development of behavior problems. Although traditional measures of anger were largely unrelated to later behavior problems, profiles of anger that dissociated typical from atypical development predicted behavior problems during preschool. Moreover, the relation between infant anger profiles and preschool behavior problems was moderated such that, when early life stress was low, infants with atypical profiles of early anger showed more preschool behavior problems than did infants with normative anger profiles. However, when early life stress was high, infants with atypical and normative profiles of infant anger did not differ in preschool behavior problems. We conclude that a discrete emotions approach including latent profile analysis is useful for elucidating biological and environmental developmental pathways to early problem behaviors. PMID:25151247

Relation between early motor delay and later communication delay in infants at risk for autism.

PubMed

Bhat, A N; Galloway, J C; Landa, R J

2012-12-01

Motor delays have been reported in retrospective studies of young infants who later develop Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). In this study, we prospectively compared the gross motor development of a cohort at risk for ASDs; infant siblings of children with ASDs (AU sibs) to low risk typically developing (LR) infants. 24 AU sibs and 24 LR infants were observed at 3 and 6 months using a standardized motor measure, the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). In addition, as part of a larger study, the AU sibs also received a follow-up assessment to determine motor and communication performance at 18 months using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Significantly more AU sibs showed motor delays at 3 and 6 months than LR infants. The majority of the AU sibs showed both early motor delays and later communication delays. Small sample size and limited follow-up. Early motor delays are more common in AU sibs than LR infants. Communication delays later emerged in 67-73% of the AU sibs who had presented with early motor delays. Overall, early motor delays may be predictive of future communication delays in children at risk for autism. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Comparison of the Gestural Communication of Apes and Human Infants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomasello, Michael; Camaioni, Luigia

1997-01-01

Compared the gestures of typical human infants, children with autism, chimpanzees, and human-raised chimpanzees. Typical infants differed from the other groups in their use of: triadic gestures directing another's attention to an outside entity; declarative gestures; and imitation in acquiring some gestures. These differences derive from an…

The Development of Expert Face Processing: Are Infants Sensitive to Normal Differences in Second-Order Relational Information?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayden, Angela; Bhatt, Ramesh S.; Reed, Andrea; Corbly, Christine R.; Joseph, Jane E.

2007-01-01

Sensitivity to second-order relational information (i.e., spatial relations among features such as the distance between eyes) is a vital part of achieving expertise with face processing. Prior research is unclear on whether infants are sensitive to second-order differences seen in typical human populations. In the current experiments, we examined…

Reduced brain resting-state network specificity in infants compared with adults.

PubMed

Wylie, Korey P; Rojas, Donald C; Ross, Randal G; Hunter, Sharon K; Maharajh, Keeran; Cornier, Marc-Andre; Tregellas, Jason R

2014-01-01

Infant resting-state networks do not exhibit the same connectivity patterns as those of young children and adults. Current theories of brain development emphasize developmental progression in regional and network specialization. We compared infant and adult functional connectivity, predicting that infants would exhibit less regional specificity and greater internetwork communication compared with adults. Functional magnetic resonance imaging at rest was acquired in 12 healthy, term infants and 17 adults. Resting-state networks were extracted, using independent components analysis, and the resulting components were then compared between the adult and infant groups. Adults exhibited stronger connectivity in the posterior cingulate cortex node of the default mode network, but infants had higher connectivity in medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex than adults. Adult connectivity was typically higher than infant connectivity within structures previously associated with the various networks, whereas infant connectivity was frequently higher outside of these structures. Internetwork communication was significantly higher in infants than in adults. We interpret these findings as consistent with evidence suggesting that resting-state network development is associated with increasing spatial specificity, possibly reflecting the corresponding functional specialization of regions and their interconnections through experience.

Vowels Development in Babbling of typically developing 6-to-12-month old Persian-learning Infants.

PubMed

Fotuhi, Mina; Yadegari, Fariba; Teymouri, Robab

2017-10-01

Pre-linguistic vocalizations including early consonants, vowels, and their combinations into syllables are considered as important predictors of the speech and language development. The purpose of this study was to examine vowel development in babblings of normally developing Persian-learning infants. Eight typically developing 6-8-month-old Persian-learning infants (3 boys and 5 girls) participated in this 4-month longitudinal descriptive-analytic study. A weekly 30-60-minute audio- and video-recording was obtained at home from the comfort state vocalizations of infants and the mother-child interactions. A total of 74:02:03 hours of vocalizations were phonetically transcribed. Seven vowels comprising /i/,/e/,/a/,/u/,/o/,/ɑ/, and /ә/ were identified in the babblings. The inter-rater reliability was obtained for 20% of vocalizations. The data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient using SPSS software version 20. The results showed that two vowels /a/ (46.04) and /e/ (23.60) were produced with the highest mean frequency of occurrence, respectively. Regarding front/back dimension, the front vowels were the most prominent ones (71.87); in terms of height, low (46.78) and mid (32.45) vowels occurred maximally. A good inter-rater reliability was obtained (0.99, P < .01). The increased frequency of occurrence of the low and mid front vowels in the current study was consistent with previous studies on the emergence of vowels in pre-linguistic vocalization in other languages.

Relationship between early motor delay and later communication delay in infants at risk for autism

PubMed Central

Bhat, A. N.; Galloway, J. C.; Landa, R. J.

2012-01-01

Background Motor delays have been reported in retrospective studies of young infants who later develop Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Objective In this study, we prospectively compared the gross motor development of a cohort at risk for ASDs; infant siblings of children with ASDs (AU sibs) to low risk typically developing (LR) infants. Methods 24 AU sibs and 24 LR infants were observed at 3 and 6 months using a standardized motor measure, the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). In addition, as part of a larger study, the AU sibs also received a follow-up assessment to determine motor and communication performance at 18 months using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Results Significantly more AU sibs showed motor delays at 3 and 6 months than LR infants. The majority of the AU sibs showed both early motor delays and later communication delays. Limitations Small sample size and limited follow-up. Conclusions Early motor delays are more common in infant AU sibs than LR infants. Communication delays later emerged in 67–73% of the AU sibs who had presented with early motor delays. Overall, early motor delays may be predictive of future communication delays in children at risk for autism. PMID:22982285

Novel classification system of rib fractures observed in infants.

PubMed

Love, Jennifer C; Derrick, Sharon M; Wiersema, Jason M; Pinto, Deborrah C; Greeley, Christopher; Donaruma-Kwoh, Marcella; Bista, Bibek

2013-03-01

Rib fractures are considered highly suspicious for nonaccidental injury in the pediatric clinical literature; however, a rib fracture classification system has not been developed. As an aid and impetus for rib fracture research, we developed a concise schema for classifying rib fracture types and fracture location that is applicable to infants. The system defined four fracture types (sternal end, buckle, transverse, and oblique) and four regions of the rib (posterior, posterolateral, anterolateral, and anterior). It was applied to all rib fractures observed during 85 consecutive infant autopsies. Rib fractures were found in 24 (28%) of the cases. A total of 158 rib fractures were identified. The proposed schema was adequate to classify 153 (97%) of the observed fractures. The results indicate that the classification system is sufficiently robust to classify rib fractures typically observed in infants and should be used by researchers investigating infant rib fractures. © 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Regional (spinal, epidural, caudal) versus general anaesthesia in preterm infants undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy in early infancy.

PubMed

Jones, Lisa J; Craven, Paul D; Lakkundi, Anil; Foster, Jann P; Badawi, Nadia

2015-06-09

With improvements in neonatal intensive care, more preterm infants are surviving the neonatal period and presenting for surgery in early infancy. Inguinal hernia is the most common condition requiring early surgery, appearing in 38% of infants whose birth weight is between 751 grams and 1000 grams. Approximately 20% to 30% of otherwise healthy preterm infants having general anaesthesia for inguinal hernia surgery at a postmature age have at least one apnoeic episode within the postoperative period. Research studies have failed to adequately distinguish the effects of apnoeic episodes from other complications of extreme preterm gestation on the risk of brain injury, or to investigate the potential impact of postoperative apnoea upon longer term neurodevelopment. In addition to episodes of apnoea, there are concerns that anaesthetic and sedative agents may have a direct toxic effect on the developing brain of preterm infants even after reaching postmature age. It is proposed that regional anaesthesia may reduce the risk of postoperative apnoea, avoid the risk of anaesthetic-related neurotoxicity and improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants requiring surgery for inguinal hernia at a postmature age. To determine if regional anaesthesia reduces postoperative apnoea, bradycardia, the use of assisted ventilation, and neurological impairment, in comparison to general anaesthesia, in preterm infants undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy at a postmature age. The following databases and resources were searched: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, 2015, Issue 2), MEDLINE (December 2002 to 25 February 2015), EMBASE (December 2002 to 25 February 2015), controlled-trials.com and clinicaltrials.gov, reference lists of published trials and abstracts published in Pediatric Research and Pediatric Anesthesia. Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials of regional (spinal, epidural, caudal) versus general anaesthesia, or combined regional and general anaesthesia, in former preterm infants undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy in early infancy. At least two of three review authors (LJ, JF, AL) independently extracted data and performed analyses. Authors were contacted to obtain missing data. The methodological quality of each study was assessed according to the criteria of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. Data were analysed using Review Manager 5. Meta-analyses were performed with calculation of risk ratios (RR) and risk difference (RD), along with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) where appropriate. Seven small trials comparing spinal with general anaesthesia in the repair of inguinal hernia were identified. Two trial reports are listed as 'Studies awaiting classification' due to insufficient information on which to base an eligibility assessment. There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of postoperative apnoea/bradycardia (typical RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.06; 4 studies, 138 infants), postoperative oxygen desaturation (typical RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.11; 2 studies, 48 infants), the use of postoperative analgesics (RR 0.42, 95% CI 0.15 to 1.18; 1 study, 44 infants), or postoperative respiratory support (typical RR 0.09, 95% CI 0.01 to1.64; 3 studies, 98 infants) between infants receiving spinal or general anaesthesia. When infants who had received preoperative sedatives were excluded, the meta-analysis supported a reduction in the risk of postoperative apnoea in the spinal anaesthesia group (typical RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.82; 4 studies, 129 infants). Infants with no history of apnoea in the preoperative period and receiving spinal anaesthesia (including a subset of infants who had received sedatives) had a reduced risk of postoperative apnoea and this reached statistical significance (typical RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.81; 4 studies, 134 infants). Infants receiving spinal rather than general anaesthesia had a statistically significant increased risk of anaesthetic agent failure (typical RR 7.83, 95% CI 1.51 to 40.58; 3 studies, 92 infants). Infants randomised to receive spinal anaesthesia had an increased risk of anaesthetic placement failure of borderline statistical significance (typical RR 7.38, 95% CI 0.98 to 55.52; typical RD 0.15, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.27; 3 studies, 90 infants). There is moderate-quality evidence to suggest that the administration of spinal in preference to general anaesthesia without pre- or intraoperative sedative administration may reduce the risk of postoperative apnoea by up to 47% in preterm infants undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy at a postmature age. For every four infants treated with spinal anaesthesia, one infant may be prevented from having an episode of postoperative apnoea (NNTB=4). In those infants without preoperative apnoea, there is low-quality evidence that spinal rather than general anaesthesia may reduce the risk of preoperative apnoea by up to 66%. There was no difference in the effect of spinal compared with general anaesthesia on the overall incidence of postoperative apnoea, bradycardia, oxygen desaturation, need for postoperative analgesics or respiratory support. Limitations on these results included varying use of sedative agents, or different anaesthetic agents, or combinations of these factors, in addition to trial quality aspects such as allocation concealment and inadequate blinding of intervention and outcome assessment. The meta-analyses may have inadequate power to detect a difference between groups for some outcomes, with estimates of effect based on a total population of fewer than 140 infants.The effect of newer, rapidly acting, quickly metabolised general anaesthetic agents on safety with regard to the risk of postoperative apnoea and neurotoxic exposure has not so far been established in randomised trials. There is potential for harm from postoperative apnoea and direct brain toxicity from general anaesthetic agents superimposed upon pre-existing altered brain development in infants born at very to extreme preterm gestation. This highlights the clear need for the examination of neurodevelopmental outcomes in the context of large randomised controlled trials of general, compared with spinal, anaesthesia, in former preterm infants undergoing surgery for inguinal hernia.There is a particular need to examine the impact of the choice of spinal over general anaesthesia on respiratory and neurological outcomes in high-risk infant subgroups with severe respiratory disease and previous brain injury.

Increased Prevalence of Unusual Sensory Behaviors in Infants at Risk for, and Teens with, Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Van Etten, Hannah M; Kaur, Maninderjit; Srinivasan, Sudha M; Cohen, Shereen J; Bhat, Anjana; Dobkins, Karen R

2017-11-01

The current study investigated the prevalence and pattern of unusual sensory behaviors (USBs) in teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and infants (3-36 months) at risk for ASD. From two different sites (UCSD and UConn), caregivers of infants at high (n = 32) and low risk (n = 33) for ASD, and teenagers with (n = 12) and without ASD (n = 11), completed age-appropriate Sensory Profile questionnaires (Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile; Dunn 2002; Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile; Brown and Dunn 2002). The results show that high-risk infants and teenagers with ASD exhibit higher-than-typical prevalence of USBs. Results of our distribution analyses investigating the direction of sensory atypicalities (greater-than-typical vs. less-than-typical) revealed a fair degree of consistency amongst teens, however, USB patterns were more varied in high-risk infants.

Night Waking, Sleep-Wake Organization, and Self-Soothing in the First Year of Life

PubMed Central

GOODLIN-JONES, BETH L.; BURNHAM, MELISSA M.; GAYLOR, ERIKA E.; ANDERS, THOMAS F.

2005-01-01

Few objective data are available regarding infants’ night waking behaviors and the development of self-soothing during the first year of life. This cross-sectional study examined 80 infants in one of four age groups (3, 6, 9, or 12 mo) for four nights by using videosomnography to code nighttime awakenings and parent-child interactions. A large degree of variability was observed in parents’ putting the infant to bed awake or asleep and in responding to vocalizations after nighttime awakenings. Most infants woke during the night at all ages observed. Younger infants tended to require parental intervention at night to return to sleep, whereas older infants exhibited a greater proportion of self-soothing after nighttime awakenings. However, even in the 12-month-old group, 50% of infants typically required parental intervention to get back to sleep after waking. Results emphasize the individual and contextual factors that effect the development of self-soothing behavior during the first year of life. PMID:11530895

Development of the Daily Activities of Infants Scale: a measure supporting early motor development.

PubMed

Bartlett, Doreen J; Fanning, Jamie Kneale; Miller, Linda; Conti-Becker, Angela; Doralp, Samantha

2008-08-01

We describe the development and preliminary psychometric testing of the Daily Activities of Infants Scale (DAIS), a parent-completed measure of opportunities parents provide infants for development of postural control and movement. First we obtained 1300 photographs of typical activities from 17 families with infants aged 4 to 11 months. Through consensus we established nine dimensions of activities, graded across three levels of opportunity for development. Pilot testing supported content validity of the DAIS. Subsequently, 50 parents of infants born preterm aged 4 to 11 months participated in psychometric testing. There were 25 male and 25 female infant participants with a mean gestational age of 29.4 weeks (SD 3.6) and a mean birthweight of 1266 grams (SD 635). We found that completion of the DAIS over 1 day was representative of data collected over 3 sequential days. Older infants obtained significantly higher DAIS scores than younger infants, providing preliminary evidence for discriminant validity. The DAIS scores demonstrated a part-correlation of 0.20 (p<0.01) with scores on the Alberta Infant Motor Scale obtained concurrently, providing some evidence for convergent validity. The intraclass correlation coefficients reflecting interrater reliability and test-retest reliability of the total DAIS score were 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.60-0.86) and 0.77 (95% CI 0.60-0.87) respectively. The DAIS has sufficient reliability and validity for use in clinical practice and research.

EEG complexity as a biomarker for autism spectrum disorder risk

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Complex neurodevelopmental disorders may be characterized by subtle brain function signatures early in life before behavioral symptoms are apparent. Such endophenotypes may be measurable biomarkers for later cognitive impairments. The nonlinear complexity of electroencephalography (EEG) signals is believed to contain information about the architecture of the neural networks in the brain on many scales. Early detection of abnormalities in EEG signals may be an early biomarker for developmental cognitive disorders. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that the modified multiscale entropy (mMSE) computed on the basis of resting state EEG data can be used as a biomarker of normal brain development and distinguish typically developing children from a group of infants at high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), defined on the basis of an older sibling with ASD. Methods Using mMSE as a feature vector, a multiclass support vector machine algorithm was used to classify typically developing and high-risk groups. Classification was computed separately within each age group from 6 to 24 months. Results Multiscale entropy appears to go through a different developmental trajectory in infants at high risk for autism (HRA) than it does in typically developing controls. Differences appear to be greatest at ages 9 to 12 months. Using several machine learning algorithms with mMSE as a feature vector, infants were classified with over 80% accuracy into control and HRA groups at age 9 months. Classification accuracy for boys was close to 100% at age 9 months and remains high (70% to 90%) at ages 12 and 18 months. For girls, classification accuracy was highest at age 6 months, but declines thereafter. Conclusions This proof-of-principle study suggests that mMSE computed from resting state EEG signals may be a useful biomarker for early detection of risk for ASD and abnormalities in cognitive development in infants. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an information theoretic analysis of EEG data for biomarkers in infants at risk for a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. PMID:21342500

Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants.

PubMed

Conde-Agudelo, Agustin; Belizán, José M; Diaz-Rossello, Jose

2011-03-16

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), originally defined as skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent and exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from hospital, has been proposed as an alternative to conventional neonatal care for low birthweight (LBW) infants. To determine whether there is evidence to support the use of KMC in LBW infants as an alternative to conventional neonatal care. The standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Group was used. This included searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, POPLINE, CINAHL databases (from inception to January 31, 2011), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2011). In addition, we searched the web page of the Kangaroo Foundation, conference and symposia proceedings on KMC, and Google scholar. Randomized controlled trials comparing KMC versus conventional neonatal care, or early onset KMC (starting within 24 hours after birth) versus late onset KMC (starting after 24 hours after birth) in LBW infants. Data collection and analysis were performed according to the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. Sixteen studies, including 2518 infants, fulfilled inclusion criteria. Fourteen studies evaluated KMC in LBW infants after stabilization, one evaluated KMC in LBW infants before stabilization, and one compared early onset KMC with late onset KMC in relatively stable LBW infants. Eleven studies evaluated intermittent KMC and five evaluated continuous KMC. At discharge or 40 - 41 weeks' postmenstrual age, KMC was associated with a reduction in the risk of mortality (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 to 0.93; seven trials, 1614 infants), nosocomial infection/sepsis (typical RR 0.42, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.73), hypothermia (typical RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.55), and length of hospital stay (typical mean difference 2.4 days, 95% CI 0.7 to 4.1). At latest follow up, KMC was associated with a decreased risk of mortality (typical RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.96; nine trials, 1952 infants) and severe infection/sepsis (typical RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.80). Moreover, KMC was found to increase some measures of infant growth, breastfeeding, and mother-infant attachment. The evidence from this updated review supports the use of KMC in LBW infants as an alternative to conventional neonatal care mainly in resource-limited settings. Further information is required concerning effectiveness and safety of early onset continuous KMC in unstabilized LBW infants, long term neurodevelopmental outcomes, and costs of care.

Similarities and Differences in Maternal Responsiveness in Three Societies: Evidence From Fiji, Kenya, and the United States.

PubMed

Broesch, Tanya; Rochat, Philippe; Olah, Kata; Broesch, James; Henrich, Joseph

2016-05-01

The first relationship between an infant and her caregiver, typically the mother, lays the foundation for cognitive, social, and emotional development. Maternal responsiveness and affect mirroring have been studied extensively in Western societies yet very few studies have systematically examined these caregiving features in non-Western settings. Sixty-six mother-infant dyads (7 months, SD = 3.1) were observed in a small-scale, rural island society in Fiji, a village in Kenya, and an urban center in the United States. Mothers responded similarly to infant bids overall, but differences were found across societies in the ways mothers selectively respond to affective displays. This has implications for understanding early emotion socialization as well as understanding variation in infant social ecologies across the globe. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Early Language Development in Infants and Toddlers with Fragile X Syndrome: Change over Time and the Role of Attention

PubMed Central

Kover, Sara T.; McCary, Lindsay M.; Ingram, Alexandra M.; Hatton, Deborah D.; Roberts, Jane E.

2017-01-01

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is associated with significant language and communication delays, as well as problems with attention. This study investigated early language abilities in infants and toddlers with FXS (n = 13) and considered visual attention as a predictor of those skills. We found that language abilities increased over the study period of 9 to 24 months with moderate correlations among language assessments. In comparison to typically developing infants (n = 11), language skills were delayed beyond chronological age- and developmental level-expectations. Aspects of early visual attention predicted later language ability. Atypical visual attention is an important aspect of the FXS phenotype with implications for early language development, particularly in the domain of vocabulary. PMID:25715182

Infant and Mother-Infant Play and the Presence of the Television

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masur, Elise Frank; Flynn, Valerie

2008-01-01

Forty-eight middle-class mothers answered questionnaires about their 11-through 18-month-old infants' typical television watching and interest, the frequency and duration of their independent play with toys and dyadic play with and without toys, and whether the television was typically on or not on in the room at the time. Mothers reported that…

Infants' Responses to Real Humans and Representations of Humans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heron, Michelle; Slaughter, Virginia

2010-01-01

Infants' responses to typical and scrambled human body shapes were assessed in relation to the realism of the human body stimuli presented. In four separate experiments, infants were familiarized to typical human bodies and then shown a series of scrambled human bodies on the test. Looking behaviour was assessed in response to a range of different…

The importance of the eyes: communication skills in infants of blind parents.

PubMed

Senju, Atsushi; Tucker, Leslie; Pasco, Greg; Hudry, Kristelle; Elsabbagh, Mayada; Charman, Tony; Johnson, Mark H

2013-06-07

The effects of selectively different experience of eye contact and gaze behaviour on the early development of five sighted infants of blind parents were investigated. Infants were assessed longitudinally at 6-10, 12-15 and 24-47 months. Face scanning and gaze following were assessed using eye tracking. In addition, established measures of autistic-like behaviours and standardized tests of cognitive, motor and linguistic development, as well as observations of naturalistic parent-child interaction were collected. These data were compared with those obtained from a larger group of sighted infants of sighted parents. Infants with blind parents did not show an overall decrease in eye contact or gaze following when they observed sighted adults on video or in live interactions, nor did they show any autistic-like behaviours. However, they directed their own eye gaze somewhat less frequently towards their blind mothers and also showed improved performance in visual memory and attention at younger ages. Being reared with significantly reduced experience of eye contact and gaze behaviour does not preclude sighted infants from developing typical gaze processing and other social-communication skills. Indeed, the need to switch between different types of communication strategy may actually enhance other skills during development.

Center of pressure and the projection of the time-course of sitting skill acquisition.

PubMed

Haworth, Joshua L; Harbourne, Regina T; Vallabhajosula, Srikant; Stergiou, Nicholas

2013-09-01

A normal time-course for the acquisition of sitting is essential. A delay in sitting may affect other developmental milestones, resulting in deficiencies in overall skill. Therefore, our aim was to identify variables whose measures at the very beginning of sitting would allow for the projection of the evolution of the sitting skill. Center of pressure data were collected from the postural sway of twenty-six typically developing infants while sitting on a force platform with a beginning ability to sit upright. Spatial, temporal and frequency variables of postural sway were obtained from both the medial/lateral and anterior/posterior directions of sway. Discriminant function analysis was conducted to identify potential predictors of the duration between onset and fully independent sitting. Gender (p=0.025), median frequency (p=0.006), and correlation dimension (p=0.002) were identified to be predictive of grouping with 73.1% correct classification of the participating infants into short, mid, and long delay groups. In conclusion, measures taken at the earliest stage of sitting may allow the projection of the time-course to achieve independent sitting for typical infants. This approach may be useful for monitoring typical development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neural mechanisms of attention become more specialised during infancy: Insights from combined eye tracking and EEG.

PubMed

Kulke, Louisa; Atkinson, Janette; Braddick, Oliver

2017-03-01

The Fixation Shift Paradigm (FSP) measures infants' ability to shift gaze from a central fixation stimulus to a peripheral target (e.g. Hood & Atkinson, 1993: Infant Behavior and Development, 16(4), 405-422). Cortical maturation has been suggested as crucial for the developing ability to shift attention. This study investigated the development of neural mechanisms by combining EEG with simultaneous eye tracking during FSP testing, in typically developing infants aged between 1 and 8 months. The most prominent neural response was a frontal positivity which occurred only in the hemisphere contralateral to the target in the youngest infants but became more ipsilateral with age. This changing lateralisation was associated with improving ability to shift attention (decreasing saccade latencies and fewer 'sticky fixations'-failures to disengage attention from the central target). These findings suggest that the lateralisation of neural responses develops during infancy, possibly due to developing intracortical connections, allowing infants to shift attention more efficiently. Successful use of combined simultaneous remote eye tracking and EEG to measure infant attention shifts. Neural responses involved in attention shifts change in the first year of life. The lateralisation of EEG responses changes with age in the first year of life. Frontal cortex is involved in attention shifts from around 2 months of age. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Approximate Entropy Values Demonstrate Impaired Neuromotor Control of Spontaneous Leg Activity in Infants with Myelomeningocele

PubMed Central

Smith, Beth A.; Teulier, Caroline; Sansom, Jennifer; Stergiou, Nicholas; Ulrich, Beverly D.

2012-01-01

Purpose One obstacle to providing early intervention to infants with myelomeningocele (MMC) is the challenge of quantifying impaired neuromotor control of movements early in life. Methods We used the nonlinear analysis tool Approximate Entropy (ApEn) to analyze periodicity and complexity of supine spontaneous lower extremity movements of infants with MMC and typical development (TD) at 1, 3, 6 and 9 months of age. Results Movements of infants with MMC were more regular and repeatable (lower ApEn values) than movements of infants with TD indicating less adaptive and flexible movement patterns. For both groups ApEn values decreased with age, and the movements of infants with MMC were less complex than movements of infants with TD. Further, for infants with MMC, lesion level and age of walking onset correlated negatively with ApEn values. Conclusions Our study begins to demonstrate the feasibility of ApEn to identify impaired neuromotor control in infants with MMC. PMID:21829116

Assessing motivation to move and its relationship to motor development in infancy.

PubMed

Atun-Einy, Osnat; Berger, Sarah E; Scher, Anat

2013-06-01

Motivation to move has typically been a post hoc explanation for infants' discovery of new patterns of behavior. As a first step to studying motivation to move directly, we qualitatively assessed motivation to move and measured its relationship to motor development in infancy. We observed 27 infants longitudinally from ages 7 to 12 months. Every 3 weeks we assessed infants' motor motivation based on persistence, activity level, activity preference, and stimulus strength needed to elicit movement. We documented the onset of sitting, pulling-to-stand, crawling and cruising, as well as infants' overall motor development as measured with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). Motor motivation increased over the course of the study and we identified two distinct motivation profiles. Strongly motivated infants had earlier onsets for all four motor milestones than weakly motivated infants (all p-values <0.05). Infants' motivation to move score was positively correlated with their AIMS percentile at the same and subsequent sessions. These findings provide empirical evidence for a motivational cascade whereby motivation to move and motor development enjoy a reciprocal relationship. These findings have important clinical implications for children with motor delay, suggesting that evaluation of motivation could be included as part of the assessment procedure so that both treatment and expectations can be tailored appropriately. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biracial and monoracial infant own-race face perception: an eye tracking study.

PubMed

Gaither, Sarah E; Pauker, Kristin; Johnson, Scott P

2012-11-01

We know that early experience plays a crucial role in the development of face processing, but we know little about how infants learn to distinguish faces from different races, especially for non-Caucasian populations. Moreover, it is unknown whether differential processing of different race faces observed in typically studied monoracial infants extends to biracial infants as well. Thus, we investigated 3-month-old Caucasian, Asian and biracial (Caucasian-Asian) infants' ability to distinguish Caucasian and Asian faces. Infants completed two within-subject, infant-controlled habituation sequences and test trials as an eye tracker recorded looking times and scanning patterns. Examination of individual differences revealed significant positive correlations between own-race novelty preference and scanning frequency between eye and mouth regions of own-race habituation stimuli for Caucasian and Asian infants, suggesting that facility in own-race face discrimination stems from active inspection of internal facial features in these groups. Biracial infants, however, showed the opposite effect: An 'own-race' novelty preference was associated with reduced scanning between eye and mouth regions of 'own-race' habituation stimuli, suggesting that biracial infants use a distinct approach to processing frequently encountered faces. Future directions for investigating face processing development in biracial populations are discussed. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Postural complexity influences development in infants born preterm with brain injury: relating perception-action theory to 3 cases.

PubMed

Dusing, Stacey C; Izzo, Theresa; Thacker, Leroy R; Galloway, James Cole

2014-10-01

Perception-action theory suggests a cyclical relationship between movement and perceptual information. In this case series, changes in postural complexity were used to quantify an infant's action and perception during the development of early motor behaviors. Three infants born preterm with periventricular white matter injury were included. Longitudinal changes in postural complexity (approximate entropy of the center of pressure), head control, reaching, and global development, measured with the Test of Infant Motor Performance and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, were assessed every 0.5 to 3 months during the first year of life. All 3 infants demonstrated altered postural complexity and developmental delays. However, the timing of the altered postural complexity and the type of delays varied among the infants. For infant 1, reduced postural complexity or limited action while learning to control her head in the midline position may have contributed to her motor delay. However, her ability to adapt her postural complexity eventually may have supported her ability to learn from her environment, as reflected in her relative cognitive strength. For infant 2, limited early postural complexity may have negatively affected his learning through action, resulting in cognitive delay. For infant 3, an increase in postural complexity above typical levels was associated with declining neurological status. Postural complexity is proposed as a measure of perception and action in the postural control system during the development of early behaviors. An optimal, intermediate level of postural complexity supports the use of a variety of postural control strategies and enhances the perception-action cycle. Either excessive or reduced postural complexity may contribute to developmental delays in infants born preterm with white matter injury. © 2014 American Physical Therapy Association.

Gross motor development is delayed following early cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Long, Suzanne H; Harris, Susan R; Eldridge, Beverley J; Galea, Mary P

2012-10-01

To describe the gross motor development of infants who had undergone cardiac surgery in the neonatal or early infant period. Gross motor performance was assessed when infants were 4, 8, 12, and 16 months of age with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. This scale is a discriminative gross motor outcome measure that may be used to assess infants from birth to independent walking. Infants were videotaped during the assessment and were later evaluated by a senior paediatric physiotherapist who was blinded to each infant's medical history, including previous clinical assessments. Demographic, diagnostic, surgical, critical care, and medical variables were considered with respect to gross motor outcomes. A total of 50 infants who underwent elective or emergency cardiac surgery at less than or up to 8 weeks of age, between July 2006 and January 2008, were recruited to this study and were assessed at 4 months of age. Approximately, 92%, 84%, and 94% of study participants returned for assessment at 8, 12, and 16 months of age, respectively. Study participants had delayed gross motor development across all study time points; 62% of study participants did not have typical gross motor development during the first year of life. Hospital length of stay was associated with gross motor outcome across infancy. Active gross motor surveillance of all infants undergoing early cardiac surgery is recommended. Further studies of larger congenital heart disease samples are required, as are longitudinal studies that determine the significance of these findings at school age and beyond.

Infant and Toddler Language Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Jill Englebright

A child's need for formal communication may be as much an emotional need as a cognitive need. Several theories attempt to explain children's language development, including the theories developed by B. F. Skinner, Noam Chomsky, and J. Bruner. Most children typically follow a standard sequence of language development: crying and cooing, babbling,…

Enhancing attachment security in the infants of women in a jail-diversion program.

PubMed

Cassidy, Jude; Ziv, Yair; Stupica, Brandi; Sherman, Laura J; Butler, Heidi; Karfgin, Andrea; Cooper, Glen; Hoffman, Kent T; Powell, Bert

2010-07-01

Pregnant female offenders face multiple adversities that make successful parenting difficult. As a result, their children are at risk of developing insecure attachment and attachment disorganization, both of which are associated with an increased likelihood of poor developmental outcomes. We evaluated the outcomes of participants in Tamar's Children, a 15-month jail-diversion intervention for pregnant, nonviolent offenders with a history of substance abuse. All women received extensive wrap-around social services as well as the Circle of Security Perinatal Protocol (Cooper, Hoffman, & Powell, 2003). We present data on 20 women and their infants who completed the full dosage of treatment (a residential-living phase from pregnancy until infant age six months and community-living phase until 12 months). Results indicated that (1) program infants had rates of attachment security and attachment disorganization comparable to rates typically found in low-risk samples (and more favorable than those typically found in high-risk samples); (2) program mothers had levels of maternal sensitivity comparable to mothers in an existing community comparison group; and (3) improvement over time emerged for maternal depressive symptomatology, but not other aspects of maternal functioning. Given the lack of a randomized control group, results are discussed in terms of the exploratory, program-development nature of the study.

Sensorized toys for measuring manipulation capabilities of infants at home.

PubMed

Passetti, Giovanni; Cecchi, Francesca; Baldoli, Ilaria; Sgandurra, Giuseppina; Beani, Elena; Cioni, Giovanni; Laschi, Cecilia; Dario, Paolo

2015-01-01

Preterm infants, i.e. babies born after a gestation period shorter than 37 weeks, spend less time exploring objects. The quantitative measurement of grasping actions and forces in infants can give insights on their typical or atypical motor development. The aim of this work was to test a new tool, a kit of sensorized toys, to longitudinally measure, monitor and promote preterm infants manipulation capabilities with a purposive training in an ecological environment. This study presents preliminary analysis of grasping activity. Three preterm infants performed 4 weeks of daily training at home. Sensorized toys with embedded pressure sensors were used as part of the training to allow quantitative analysis of grasping (pressure and acceleration applied to toys while playing). Each toy was placed on the midline, while the infant was in supine position. Preliminary data show differences in the grasping parameters in relation to infants age and the performed daily training. Ongoing clinical trial will allow a full validation of this new tool for promoting object exploration in preterm infants.

From resilience to vulnerability: mechanistic insights into the effects of stress on transitions in critical period plasticity.

PubMed

Callaghan, Bridget L; Graham, Bronwyn M; Li, Stella; Richardson, Rick

2013-01-01

While early experiences are proposed to be important for the emergence of anxiety and other mental health problems, there is little empirical research examining the impact of such experiences on the development of emotional learning. Of the research that has been performed in this area, however, a complex picture has emerged in which the maturation of emotion circuits is influenced by the early experiences of the animal. For example, under typical laboratory rearing conditions infant rats rapidly forget learned fear associations (infantile amnesia) and express a form of extinction learning which is relapse-resistant (i.e., extinction in infant rats may be due to fear erasure). In contrast, adult rats exhibit very long-lasting memories of past learned fear associations, and express a form of extinction learning that is relapse-prone (i.e., the fear returns in a number of situations). However, when rats are reared under stressful conditions then they exhibit adult-like fear retention and extinction behaviors at an earlier stage of development (i.e., good retention of learned fear and relapse-prone extinction learning). In other words, under typical rearing conditions infant rats appear to be protected from exhibiting anxiety whereas after adverse rearing fear learning appears to make those infants more vulnerable to the later development of anxiety. While the effects of different experiences on infant rats' fear retention and extinction are becoming better documented, the mechanisms which mediate the early transition seen following stress remain unclear. Here we suggest that rearing stress may lead to an early maturation of the molecular and cellular signals shown to be involved in the closure of critical period plasticity in sensory modalities (e.g., maturation of GABAergic neurons, development of perineuronal nets), and speculate that these signals could be manipulated in adulthood to reopen infant forms of emotional learning (i.e., those that favor resilience).

Mother-infant interactions and regional brain volumes in infancy: an MRI study.

PubMed

Sethna, Vaheshta; Pote, Inês; Wang, Siying; Gudbrandsen, Maria; Blasi, Anna; McCusker, Caroline; Daly, Eileen; Perry, Emily; Adams, Kerrie P H; Kuklisova-Murgasova, Maria; Busuulwa, Paula; Lloyd-Fox, Sarah; Murray, Lynne; Johnson, Mark H; Williams, Steven C R; Murphy, Declan G M; Craig, Michael C; McAlonan, Grainne M

2017-07-01

It is generally agreed that the human brain is responsive to environmental influences, and that the male brain may be particularly sensitive to early adversity. However, this is largely based on retrospective studies of older children and adolescents exposed to extreme environments in childhood. Less is understood about how normative variations in parent-child interactions are associated with the development of the infant brain in typical settings. To address this, we used magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the relationship between observational measures of mother-infant interactions and regional brain volumes in a community sample of 3- to 6-month-old infants (N = 39). In addition, we examined whether this relationship differed in male and female infants. We found that lower maternal sensitivity was correlated with smaller subcortical grey matter volumes in the whole sample, and that this was similar in both sexes. However, male infants who showed greater levels of positive communication and engagement during early interactions had smaller cerebellar volumes. These preliminary findings suggest that variations in mother-infant interaction dimensions are associated with differences in infant brain development. Although the study is cross-sectional and causation cannot be inferred, the findings reveal a dynamic interaction between brain and environment that may be important when considering interventions to optimize infant outcomes.

Biracial and Monoracial Infant Own-Race Face Perception: An Eye Tracking Study

PubMed Central

Gaither, Sarah E.; Pauker, Kristin; Johnson, Scott P.

2012-01-01

We know early experience plays a crucial role in the development of face processing, but we know little about how infants learn to distinguish faces from different races, especially for non-Caucasian populations. Moreover, it is unknown whether differential processing of different race faces observed in typically-studied monoracial infants extends to biracial infants as well. Thus, we investigated 3-month-old Caucasian, Asian and biracial (Caucasian-Asian) infants’ ability to distinguish Caucasian and Asian faces. Infants completed two within-subject, infant-controlled habituation sequences and test trials as an eye tracker recorded looking times and scanning patterns. Examination of individual differences revealed significant positive correlations between own-race novelty preference and scanning frequency between eye and mouth regions of own-race habituation stimuli for Caucasian and Asian infants, suggesting that facility in own-race face discrimination stems from active inspection of internal facial features in these groups. Biracial infants, however, showed the opposite effect: An “own-race” novelty preference was associated with reduced scanning between eye and mouth regions of “own-race” habituation stimuli, suggesting that biracial infants use a distinct approach to processing frequently encountered faces. Future directions for investigating face processing development in biracial populations are discussed. PMID:23106731

Intersubjective Interaction Between Deaf Parents/Deaf Infants During the Infant's First 18 Months.

PubMed

Roos, Carin; Cramér-Wolrath, Emelie; Falkman, Kerstin W

2016-01-01

This study is part of a larger longitudinal project with the aim of focusing early social interaction and development of mentalizing ability in 12 deaf infants, including the interaction between the infants and their deaf parents. The aim of the present paper is to describe early social interaction and moments of intersubjectivity between the deaf infants and their deaf parents during the first 18 months of the infant's life. The study is focused on the dyadic interaction rather than on the behaviors of the infant and the caregiver separately. In the analysis, the Intersubjective Developmental Theory Model (Loots, Devisé, & Sermijn, 2003) and the definitions of moments of intersubjectivity (Loots, Devisé, & Jacquet, 2005) were used. The findings show that the participating infants follow a typical developmental trajectory of intersubjectivity, both with regard to developmental stages and age. This development is supported by a visual, simultaneous way of communicating by gaze rather than having constant eye contact. Parents use complex visual communication skills in maintaining joint attention and also expect the infant to grasp the meaning of the interaction by use of gaze contact. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The tonic response to the infant knee jerk as an early sign of cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Hamer, Elisa G; La Bastide-Van Gemert, Sacha; Boxum, Anke G; Dijkstra, Linze J; Hielkema, Tjitske; Jeroen Vermeulen, R; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

2018-04-01

Early identification of infants at risk of cerebral palsy (CP) is desirable in order to provide early intervention. We previously demonstrated differences in knee jerk responses between 3-month-old high risk and typically developing infants. To improve early identification by investigating whether the presence of tonic responses (continuous muscle activity occurring after the typical phasic response), clonus or contralateral responses to the knee jerk during infancy is associated with CP. Longitudinal EMG-study. We included 34 high-risk infants (median gestational age 31.9 weeks) who participated in the LEARN2MOVE 0-2 years trial. Video-recorded knee jerk EMG-assessments were performed during infancy (1-4 times). Developmental outcome was assessed at 21 months corrected age (CA). Binomial generalized estimating equations models with repeated measurements were fitted using predictor variables. Infants who later were diagnosed with CP (n = 18) showed more often than infants who were not diagnosed with CP i) tonic responses - from 4 months CA onwards, ii) clonus - from 13 months CA onwards, and iii) contralateral responses - from 15 months CA onwards. The main limitation is the relatively small sample size. The assessment of tonic responses to the knee jerk using EMG may be a valuable add-on tool to appraise a high risk of CP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Skeletal Growth Dysregulation in Australian Male Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Green, Cherie C; Dissanayake, Cheryl; Loesch, Danuta Z; Bui, Minh; Barbaro, Josephine

2018-06-01

Recent findings suggest that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are larger in size for head circumference (HC), height, and weight compared to typically developing (TD) children; however, little is known about their rate of growth, especially in height and weight. The current study aimed to: (a) confirm and extend upon previous findings of early generalized overgrowth in ASD; and (b) determine if there were any differences in the rate of growth between infants and toddlers with ASD compared to their TD peers. Measurements of HC, height, and weight were available for 135 boys with ASD and 74 TD boys, from birth through 3 years of age. Size and growth rate in HC, height, and weight were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. Infants with ASD were significantly smaller in size at birth for HC, body length, and weight compared to TD infants (all P < 0.05); however, they grew at a significantly faster rate in HC and height in comparison to the TD children (P < 0.001); there was no significant difference between the groups in growth rate for weight (P > 0.05). The results confirmed that male infants and toddlers with ASD exhibit skeletal growth dysregulation early in life. Autism Res 2018, 11: 846-856. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Recent findings suggest that infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are smaller in size at birth compared to typically developing infants but grow larger than their peers during the first year. Little is known about their rate of growth, especially for height and weight. Our findings confirmed that infants with ASD are smaller in size at birth for head circumference (HC), height, and weight, but grow at a faster rate in HC and height than their peers from birth to 3 years. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Visual Attention in the First Years: Typical Development and Developmental Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Janette; Braddick, Oliver

2012-01-01

The development of attention is critical for the young child's competence in dealing with the demands of everyday life. Here we review evidence from infants and preschool children regarding the development of three neural subsystems of attention: selective attention, sustained attention, and attentional (executive) control. These systems overlap…

Pupil responses to near visual demand during human visual development

PubMed Central

Bharadwaj, Shrikant R.; Wang, Jingyun; Candy, T. Rowan

2014-01-01

Pupil responses of adults to near visual demands are well characterized but those of typically developing infants and children are not. This study determined the following pupil characteristics of infants, children and adults using a PowerRefractor (25 Hz): i) binocular and monocular responses to a cartoon movie that ramped between 80 and 33 cm (20 infants, 20 2–4-yr-olds and 20 adults participated) ii) binocular and monocular response threshold for 0.1 Hz sinusoidal stimuli of 0.25 D, 0.5 D or 0.75 D amplitude (33 infants and 8 adults participated) iii) steady-state stability of pupil responses at 80 cms (8 infants and 8 adults participated). The change in pupil diameter with viewing distance (Δpd) was significantly smaller in infants and 2–4-yr-olds than in adults (p < 0.001) and significantly smaller under monocular than binocular conditions (p < 0.001). The 0.75 D sinusoidal stimulus elicited a significant binocular pupillary response in infants and a significant binocular and monocular pupillary response in adults. Steady-state pupillary fluctuations were similar in infants and adults (p = 0.25). The results suggest that the contribution of pupil size to changes in retinal image quality when tracking slow moving objects may be smaller during development than in adulthood. Smaller monocular Δpd reflects the importance of binocular cues in driving near-pupillary responses. PMID:21482712

Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants.

PubMed

Conde-Agudelo, Agustin; Díaz-Rossello, José L

2014-04-22

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), originally defined as skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent and exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from hospital, has been proposed as an alternative to conventional neonatal care for low birthweight (LBW) infants. To determine whether there is evidence to support the use of KMC in LBW infants as an alternative to conventional neonatal care. The standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Group was used. This included searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, POPLINE, CINAHL databases (all from inception to March 31, 2014) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2014) In addition, we searched the web page of the Kangaroo Foundation, conference and symposia proceedings on KMC, and Google scholar. Randomized controlled trials comparing KMC versus conventional neonatal care, or early onset KMC (starting within 24 hours after birth) versus late onset KMC (starting after 24 hours after birth) in LBW infants. Data collection and analysis were performed according to the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. Eighteen studies, including 2751 infants, fulfilled inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies evaluated KMC in LBW infants after stabilization, one evaluated KMC in LBW infants before stabilization, and one compared early onset KMC with late onset KMC in relatively stable LBW infants. Thirteen studies evaluated intermittent KMC and five evaluated continuous KMC. At discharge or 40-41 weeks' postmenstrual age, KMC was associated with a reduction in the risk of mortality (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 to 0.92; eight trials, 1736 infants), nosocomial infection/sepsis (typical RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.76), hypothermia (typical RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.67), and length of hospital stay (typical mean difference 2.2 days, 95% CI 0.6 to 3.7). At latest follow up, KMC was associated with a decreased risk of mortality (typical RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.95; 11 trials, 2167 infants) and severe infection/sepsis (typical RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.78). Moreover, KMC was found to increase some measures of infant growth, breastfeeding, and mother-infant attachment. There were no significant differences between KMC infants and controls in neurodevelopmental and neurosensory impairment at one year of corrected age. Sensitivity analysis suggested that the inclusion of studies with high risk of bias did not affect the general direction of findings or the size of the treatment effect for the main outcomes. The evidence from this updated review supports the use of KMC in LBW infants as an alternative to conventional neonatal care mainly in resource-limited settings. Further information is required concerning effectiveness and safety of early onset continuous KMC in unstabilized or relatively stabilized LBW infants, long term neurodevelopmental outcomes, and costs of care.

Perceptual Training Prevents the Emergence of the Other Race Effect during Infancy

PubMed Central

Heron-Delaney, Michelle; Anzures, Gizelle; Herbert, Jane S.; Quinn, Paul C.; Slater, Alan M.; Tanaka, James W.; Lee, Kang; Pascalis, Olivier

2011-01-01

Experience plays a crucial role in the development of the face processing system. At 6 months of age infants can discriminate individual faces from their own and other races. By 9 months of age this ability to process other-race faces is typically lost, due to minimal experience with other-race faces, and vast exposure to own-race faces, for which infants come to manifest expertise [1]. This is known as the Other Race Effect. In the current study, we demonstrate that exposing Caucasian infants to Chinese faces through perceptual training via picture books for a total of one hour between 6 and 9 months allows Caucasian infants to maintain the ability to discriminate Chinese faces at 9 months of age. The development of the processing of face race can be modified by training, highlighting the importance of early experience in shaping the face representation. PMID:21625638

Measuring infant attachment security in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): adaptation of the attachment Q-set.

PubMed

Warfield, James J; Kondo-Ikemura, Kiyomi; Waters, Everett

2011-02-01

John Bowlby defined offspring-parent attachment as a relationship in which an infant or child uses one or a few preferred adults as a secure base from which to explore and as a haven of safety. He defined attachment security in terms of confidence in the adult's availability and responsiveness and the smooth organization of exploration and proximity seeking. Developmental psychologists have found this perspective productive in both observational and laboratory research. At the same time, they emphasize that such a construct cannot be operationalized in terms of one or a few behaviors. Instead, naturalistic observations of human infant attachment typically employ the Q-sort method to develop the Attachment q-set (AQS), 90 behaviorally descriptive items sorted in terms of how characteristic each item is of the infant's typical behavior. Meta-analyses of research using the AQS attest to its reliability and validity. This article reports an adaptation of the AQS to the task of assessing infant attachment security in nonhuman primates and illustrates its use. The availability of comparable measures of attachment security will contribute to an expanded understanding of patterns of attachment behavior in nonhuman primate societies and will facilitate interaction between comparative and developmental psychologists. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

How HANDy Are Baby Signs? A Systematic Review of the Impact of Gestural Communication on Typically Developing, Hearing Infants under the Age of 36 Months: Response to Howard and Doherty-Sneddon's Commentary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth M.; Johnston, J. Cyne; Thibert, Jonelle; Grandpierre, Viviane

2014-01-01

A systematic review was conducted to synthesize the evidence related to the effectiveness of baby sign language for children with typical development. This response to a Commentary on the review stresses that the primary purpose of the review was to assist caregivers and policy makers with informed decision-making related to the benefits of the…

Preventing abusive head trauma resulting from a failure of normal interaction between infants and their caregivers.

PubMed

Barr, Ronald G

2012-10-16

Head trauma from abuse, including shaken baby syndrome, is a devastating and potentially lethal form of infant physical abuse first recognized in the early 1970s. What has been less recognized is the role of the early increase in crying in otherwise normal infants in the first few months of life as a trigger for the abuse. In part, this is because infant crying, especially prolonged unsoothable crying, has been interpreted clinically as something wrong with the infant, the infant's caregiver, or the interactions between them. Here, we review an alternative developmental interpretation, namely, that the early increase in crying is a typical behavioral development in normal infants and usually does not reflect anything wrong or abnormal. We also review evidence indicating that this normal crying pattern is the most common trigger for abusive head trauma (AHT). Together, these findings point to a conceptualization of AHT as the consequence of a failure in an otherwise common, iterative, and developmentally normal infant-caregiver interaction. They also imply that there is a window of opportunity for prevention of AHT, and potentially other forms of infant abuse, through a public health primary universal prevention strategy aimed at changing knowledge and behaviors of caregivers and society in general concerning normal development of infants and the significance of early increased infant crying. If effective, there may be important implications for prevention of infant abuse nationally and internationally.

Early versus late erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Aher, Sanjay M; Ohlsson, Arne

2012-10-17

Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anaemia. To assess the effectiveness and safety of early versus late initiation of EPO in reducing red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in preterm and/or low birth weight (LBW) infants. The standard search of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group (CNRG) was performed in 2006 and updated in 2009. Updated search in September 2009 as follows: The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (search via PubMed), CINAHL and EMBASE were searched from 2005 to September 2009. The searches were repeated in March 2012. The Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual meetings were searched electronically from 2000 to 2012 at Abstracts2View(TM) as were clinical trials registries (clinicaltrials.gov; controlled-trials.com; and who.int/ictrp). Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials enrolling preterm or LBW infants less than eight days of age. Early initiation of EPO (initiated at less than eight days of age) versus late initiation of EPO (initiated at eight to 28 days of age). The standard methods of the CNRG were followed. Weighted treatment effects included typical risk ratio (RR), typical risk difference (RD), number needed to treat to benefit (NNTB), number needed to treat to harm (NNTH) and mean difference (MD), all with 95% confidence intervals (CI). A fixed-effect model was used for meta-analyses and heterogeneity was evaluated using the I-squared (I(2)) test. No new trials were identified in March of 2012. Two high quality randomised double-blind controlled studies enrolling 262 infants were identified. A non-significant reduction in the 'Use of one or more RBC transfusions' [two studies 262 infants; typical RR 0.91 (95% CI 0.78 to 1.06); typical RD -0.07 (95% CI -0.18 to 0.04; I(2) = 0% for both RR and RD] favouring early EPO was noted. Early EPO administration resulted in a non-significant reduction in the "number of transfusions per infant" compared with late EPO [typical MD - 0.32 (95% CI -0.92 to 0.29)]. There was no significant reduction in total volume of blood transfused per infant or in the number of donors to whom the infant was exposed. Early EPO led to a significant increase in the risk of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (all stages) [two studies, 191 infants; typical RR 1.40 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.86); typical RD 0.16 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.29); NNTH 6 (95% CI 3 to 33)]. There was high heterogeneity for this outcome (I(2) = 86% for RR and 81% for RD). Both studies (191 infants) reported on ROP stage ≥ 3. No statistically significant increase in risk was noted [typical RR 1.56 (95% CI 0.71 to 3.41); typical RD 0.05 (-0.04 to 0.14)] There was no heterogeneity for this outcome (0% for both RR and RD). No other important favourable or adverse neonatal outcomes or side effects were reported. The use of early EPO did not significantly reduce the 'Use of one or more RBC transfusions' or the 'Number of transfusions per infant" compared with late EPO administration. The finding of a statistically significant increased risk of ROP (any grade) and a similar trend for ROP stage ≥ 3 with early EPO treatment is of great concern.

Response to Name in Infants Developing Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Prospective Study

PubMed Central

Miller, Meghan; Iosif, Ana-Maria; Hill, Monique; Young, Gregory S.; Schwichtenberg, A. J.; Ozonoff, Sally

2017-01-01

Objective To examine longitudinal patterns of response to name from 6–24 months of age in infants at high and low risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Study design A response to name task was tested at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 24 months of age in 156 infant siblings of children with ASD (high-risk) or typical development (low-risk). At 36 months of age, participants were classified into 1 of 3 outcome groups: group with ASD (n = 20), high-risk group without ASD (n = 76), or low-risk group without ASD (n = 60). Differences in longitudinal performance were assessed using generalized estimating equations, and sensitivity and specificity for identifying ASD were calculated. Differences in age 36-month functioning were examined between infants who developed ASD and repeatedly vs infrequently failed to respond to name. Results At 9 months of age, infants developing ASD were more likely to fail to orient to their names, persisting through 24 months. Sensitivity/specificity for identifying ASD based on at least 1 failure between 12 and 24 months were estimated at .70 in this sample. One-half of the infants who developed ASD had repeated failures in this timeframe, and demonstrated lower age 36-month receptive language, and earlier diagnosis of ASD than infants with ASD who had infrequent failures. Conclusions In addition to recommended routine broad-based and ASD-specific screening, response to name should be regularly monitored in infants at risk for ASD. Infants who consistently fail to respond to their names in the second year of life may be at risk not only for ASD but also for greater impairment by age 3 years. PMID:28162768

Comparative predictive validity of the Harris Infant Neuromotor Test and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

PubMed

Harris, Susan R; Backman, Catherine L; Mayson, Tanja A

2010-05-01

We compared abilities of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and the Harris Infant Neuromotor Test (HINT), during the infant's first year, in predicting scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) at age 2 and 3 years. This prospective study involved 144 infants (71 females, 73 males), assessed with the HINT and AIMS at 4 to 6.5 and 10 to 12.5 months and with the BSID at 2 and 3 years. Inclusion criteria for typical infants (n=58) were the following: 38 to 42 weeks' gestation, birthweight at least 2500g, and no congenital anomaly, postnatal health concern, nor major prenatal or perinatal maternal risk factor. For at-risk infants (n=86), inclusion criteria were any of the following: less than 38 weeks' gestation, birthweight less than 2500g, maternal age older than 35 years or younger than 19 years at infant birth, maternal psychiatric/mental health concerns, prenatal drug/alcohol exposure, multiple births, or use of reproductive technology. For the overall sample, the early (4-6.5mo) HINT had higher predictive correlations than the AIMS for 2-year BSID-II motor outcomes (r=-0.36 vs 0.26), and 3-year BSID-III gross motor outcomes (r=-0.45 vs 0.31), as did the 10- to 12.5-month HINT (r=-0.55 vs 0.47). Correlations were identical for 10- to 12.5-month HINT and AIMS scores and 3-year BSID-III gross motor (r=-0.58 and 0.58) and fine motor (r=-0.35 and 0.35) subscales. When the sample was divided into typical and at-risk groups, predictive correlations were consistently stronger for the at-risk infants. Categorical predictive analyses were reasonably similar across both tests. Results suggest that the HINT has comparable predictive validity to the AIMS and should be considered for use in clinical and research settings.

Is Prosodic Production Driven by Lexical Development? Longitudinal Evidence from Babble and Words

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Clerck, Ilke; Pettinato, Michele; Verhoeven, Jo; Gillis, Steven

2017-01-01

This study investigated the relation between lexical development and the production of prosodic prominence in disyllabic babble and words. Monthly recordings from nine typically developing Belgian-Dutch-speaking infants were analyzed from the onset of babbling until a cumulative vocabulary of 200 words was reached. The differentiation between the…

Pediatric Perimeter-A Novel Device to Measure Visual Fields in Infants and Patients with Special Needs.

PubMed

Satgunam, PremNandhini; Datta, Sourav; Chillakala, Koteswararao; Bobbili, Karthik R; Joshi, Dhruv

2017-07-01

There are no commercially available devices to measure visual fields in infants. We developed a device, "Pediatric Perimeter," that quantifies visual field extent (VFE) for infants. We describe the construction, validation, and use of this device. A hemispherical dome with light emitting diodes (LEDs) was constructed. The LEDs were controlled using a computer program to measure reaction time (RT) to gross visual fields (GVF) and the VFE. Participants were tested in supine position in a dark room. Eye or head movement towards the stimuli was monitored with an infrared (IR) camera. Validation was done on 10 adults (mean age: 24.4 ± 5 years) with tunnel vision simulator. Perimetry was performed on 19 infants (age: 2.3-12 months), five infants with normal milestones. GVF and VFE were estimated in 17 and 7 infants, respectively. Median RT of infants with developmental delay was 663 ms and 380 ms for healthy infants. Also, 14 children (age: 14 months-6 years) with developmental delay and five patients with cognitive impairment were tested. Visual field isopter and RT can be examined with the Pediatric Perimeter device on infants and patients with special needs. Further testing on infants will need to assess the repeatability. A large-scale study will be needed to compare typically developing infants and infants with delayed milestones with this device. Quantifiable parameters obtained with this device can be used as outcome measures in clinical examination of infants and patients with special needs. This device can be used in pediatric, neurology, and ophthalmology clinics.

Effects of targeting lower versus higher arterial oxygen saturations on death or disability in preterm infants.

PubMed

Askie, Lisa M; Darlow, Brian A; Davis, Peter G; Finer, Neil; Stenson, Ben; Vento, Maximo; Whyte, Robin

2017-04-11

The use of supplemental oxygen in the care of extremely preterm infants has been common practice since the 1940s. Despite this, there is little agreement regarding which oxygen saturation (SpO₂) ranges to target to maximise short- or long-term growth and development, while minimising harms. There are two opposing concerns. Lower oxygen levels (targeting SpO₂ at 90% or less) may impair neurodevelopment or result in death. Higher oxygen levels (targeting SpO₂ greater than 90%) may increase severe retinopathy of prematurity or chronic lung disease.The use of pulse oximetry to non-invasively assess neonatal SpO₂ levels has been widespread since the 1990s. Until recently there were no randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that had assessed whether it is better to target higher or lower oxygen saturation levels in extremely preterm infants, from birth or soon thereafter. As a result, there is significant international practice variation and uncertainty remains as to the most appropriate range to target oxygen saturation levels in preterm and low birth weight infants. 1. What are the effects of targeting lower versus higher oxygen saturation ranges on death or major neonatal and infant morbidities, or both, in extremely preterm infants?2. Do these effects differ in different types of infants, including those born at a very early gestational age, or in those who are outborn, without antenatal corticosteroid coverage, of male sex, small for gestational age or of multiple birth, or by mode of delivery? We used the standard search strategy of Cochrane Neonatal to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2016, Issue 4), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 11 April 2016), Embase (1980 to 11 April 2016) and CINAHL (1982 to 11 April 2016). We also searched clinical trials databases, conference proceedings and the reference lists of retrieved articles for randomised controlled trials. Randomised controlled trials that enrolled babies born at less than 28 weeks' gestation, at birth or soon thereafter, and targeted SpO₂ ranges of either 90% or below or above 90% via pulse oximetry, with the intention of maintaining such targets for at least the first two weeks of life. We used the standard methods of Cochrane Neonatal to extract data from the published reports of the included studies. We sought some additional aggregate data from the original investigators in order to align the definitions of two key outcomes. We conducted the meta-analyses with Review Manager 5 software, using the Mantel-Haenszel method for estimates of typical risk ratio (RR) and risk difference (RD) and a fixed-effect model. We assessed the included studies using the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' and GRADE criteria in order to establish the quality of the evidence. We investigated heterogeneity of effects via pre-specified subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Five trials, which together enrolled 4965 infants, were eligible for inclusion. The investigators of these five trials had prospectively planned to combine their data as part of the NeOProM (Neonatal Oxygen Prospective Meta-analysis) Collaboration. We graded the quality of evidence as high for the key outcomes of death, major disability, the composite of death or major disability, and necrotising enterocolitis; and as moderate for blindness and retinopathy of prematurity requiring treatment.When an aligned definition of major disability was used, there was no significant difference in the composite primary outcome of death or major disability in extremely preterm infants when targeting a lower (SpO₂ 85% to 89%) versus a higher (SpO₂ 91% to 95%) oxygen saturation range (typical RR 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.98 to 1.10; typical RD 0.02, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.05; 5 trials, 4754 infants) (high-quality evidence). Compared with a higher target range, a lower target range significantly increased the incidence of death at 18 to 24 months corrected age (typical RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.31; typical RD 0.03, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.05; 5 trials, 4873 infants) (high-quality evidence) and necrotising enterocolitis (typical RR 1.24, 95% 1.05 to 1.47; typical RD 0.02, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.04; 5 trials, 4929 infants; I² = 0%) (high-quality evidence). Targeting the lower range significantly decreased the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity requiring treatment (typical RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.85; typical RD -0.04, 95% CI -0.06 to -0.02; 5 trials, 4089 infants; I² = 69%) (moderate-quality evidence). There were no significant differences between the two treatment groups for major disability including blindness, severe hearing loss, cerebral palsy, or other important neonatal morbidities.A subgroup analysis of major outcomes by type of oximeter calibration software (original versus revised) found a significant difference in the treatment effect between the two software types for death (interaction P = 0.03), with a significantly larger treatment effect seen for those infants using the revised algorithm (typical RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.68; typical RD 0.06, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.10; 3 trials, 1716 infants). There were no other important differences in treatment effect shown by the subgroup analyses using the currently available data. In extremely preterm infants, targeting lower (85% to 89%) SpO₂ compared to higher (91% to 95%) SpO₂ had no significant effect on the composite outcome of death or major disability or on major disability alone, including blindness, but increased the average risk of mortality by 28 per 1000 infants treated. The trade-offs between the benefits and harms of the different oxygen saturation target ranges may need to be assessed within local settings (e.g. alarm limit settings, staffing, baseline outcome risks) when deciding on oxygen saturation targeting policies.

Transient symptomatic zinc deficiency resembling acrodermatitis enteropathica in a breast-fed premature infant: case report and brief review of the literature.

PubMed

Zattra, E; Belloni Fortina, A

2013-12-01

Transient symptomatic zinc deficiency is a rare disorder clinically indistinguishable from acrodermatitis enteropathica characterized by periorificial and acral dermatitis that usually occurs in exclusively breast-fed infant especially if preterm. We describe a three-month-old breast-fed preterm boy who developed the typical skin lesions. Maternal breast milk zinc was lower than the levels from other 2 mothers of infants at the same gestational age. The disease improved and serum zinc level became normal with oral supplementation of zinc. No recurrence of the dermatosis was observed when the treatment was stopped after weaning.

Regional infant brain development: an MRI-based morphometric analysis in 3 to 13 month olds.

PubMed

Choe, Myong-Sun; Ortiz-Mantilla, Silvia; Makris, Nikos; Gregas, Matt; Bacic, Janine; Haehn, Daniel; Kennedy, David; Pienaar, Rudolph; Caviness, Verne S; Benasich, April A; Grant, P Ellen

2013-09-01

Elucidation of infant brain development is a critically important goal given the enduring impact of these early processes on various domains including later cognition and language. Although infants' whole-brain growth rates have long been available, regional growth rates have not been reported systematically. Accordingly, relatively less is known about the dynamics and organization of typically developing infant brains. Here we report global and regional volumetric growth of cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem with gender dimorphism, in 33 cross-sectional scans, over 3 to 13 months, using T1-weighted 3-dimensional spoiled gradient echo images and detailed semi-automated brain segmentation. Except for the midbrain and lateral ventricles, all absolute volumes of brain regions showed significant growth, with 6 different patterns of volumetric change. When normalized to the whole brain, the regional increase was characterized by 5 differential patterns. The putamen, cerebellar hemispheres, and total cerebellum were the only regions that showed positive growth in the normalized brain. Our results show region-specific patterns of volumetric change and contribute to the systematic understanding of infant brain development. This study greatly expands our knowledge of normal development and in future may provide a basis for identifying early deviation above and beyond normative variation that might signal higher risk for neurological disorders.

"They Can't Find Anything Wrong with Him, Yet": Mothers' experiences of parenting an infant with a prenatally diagnosed copy number variant (CNV).

PubMed

Werner-Lin, Allison; Walser, Sarah; Barg, Frances K; Bernhardt, Barbara A

2017-02-01

Chromosome microarray (CMA) testing is used widely in prenatal settings. Some copy number variants (CNVs) detected using CMA are associated with variable or uncertain phenotype and/or possible neurocognitive involvement. Little is known about parenting an infant following such findings. Researchers conducted interviews with 23 mothers of infants diagnosed prenatally with a potentially pathogenic CNV to elicit perspectives on the child's development and disclosure of results to others. Interviews were audiotaped and analyzed for common themes. Most respondents reported their infants were developing typically. The majority expressed concern about their child's future development given the CNV. They reassured themselves their child was unaffected by: comparing him/her to siblings, scrutinizing the child's appearance and behavior, or following provider reassurances. Even without developmental and neurological concerns, some remained acutely observant of their child's neurocognitive development, leading to enrollment in early intervention or ongoing medical assessments. Mothers who were unconcerned stated they would likely attribute atypical behavior or developmental to the CNV. All interviewees shared the result with pediatricians, relatives, or friends, and many shared across groups. Most shared information with pregnant friends considering prenatal testing, but withheld partial or full information from family members due to stigma, lack of understanding, inability to explain the CNV, or presumptions that the child was unaffected. Research must address the long-term consequences of returning uncertain results for parent-child bonding and costs of ongoing assessment and early intervention for typically developing children. Follow up appointments will permit providers to screen for anxiety and assuage worry in the absence of symptoms. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

General movements and motor outcomes in two infants exposed to Zika virus: brief report.

PubMed

Soares-Marangoni, Daniele de Almeida; Tedesco, Natália Matos; Nascimento, Andressa Lagoa; Almeida, Priscila Rimoli De; Santos Pereira, Caroline Neder Dos

2018-02-16

We described the general movements (GMs) in the fidgety period and the motor performance of two infants who were exposed to Zika virus (ZIKV) during distinct trimesters of gestation. Infants were assessed at 4 and 12 months of age. Prechtl's GM assessment and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale were used. In Case 1, the mother presented confirmed ZIKV infection in the 10th week of gestation and the infant was born full-term with brain abnormalities and microcephaly. Fidgety movements were absent at 16 weeks after term and motor development was severely impaired at 12 months of age. In Case 2, the mother presented confirmed ZIKV infection in the 34th week of gestation and the infant was born full-term with no signs of brain changes or microcephaly. Fidgety movements at 13 weeks were normal in presentation and motor outcome was typical at 12 months. GM assessment can be useful for ZIKV-exposed infants. These findings represent the first information on GMs and long-term motor outcomes in ZIKV-exposed infants.

The Interplay between Language, Gesture, and Affect during Communicative Transition: A Dynamic Systems Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parlade, Meaghan V.; Iverson, Jana M.

2011-01-01

From a dynamic systems perspective, transition points in development are times of increased instability, during which behavioral patterns are susceptible to temporary decoupling. This study investigated the impact of the vocabulary spurt on existing patterns of communicative coordination. Eighteen typically developing infants were videotaped at…

[PCR testing for Bordetella pertussis in household contacts as a diagnostic tool for atypical whooping cough in unvaccinated young infants].

PubMed

Cosnes-Lambe, Cecile; Raymond, Josette; Vallet, Christelle; Armengaud, Jean-Baptiste; Bosdure, Emmanuelle; Catalano-Pons, Charlotte; Chalumeau, Martin; El Hajje, Marie-Joelle; Moulin, Florence; de Suremain, Nathalie; Reglier-Poupet, Hélène; Poyart, Claire; Gendrel, Dominique

2008-10-01

False-negative findings of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genuine pertussis as well as the numerous atypical forms of whooping cough make it difficult to diagnose this disease in young babies. For two years, real-time PCR was performed to test for Bordetella pertussis in 86 infants younger than 6 months hospitalized for apnea or paroxysmal and/or vomiting cough and in 205 of their household contacts, whether or not they coughed. Group 1 included 30 infants for whom PCR detected B. pertussis (25 of whom were also RSV+). PCR was also positive for at least one household contact in 25/30 families. This group included 16 babies with apnea and 12 who developed a whooping cough during follow-up. Group 2 comprised 12 infants whose PCR was negative while at least one household contact had positive results. Five of these infants had severe apnea and 6 developed a whooping cough. Group 3 included 44 infants (28 RSV +) for whom PCR was negative in the index case and in the household contacts: none developed a whooping cough during follow-up. Only 3 of the 54 positive household contacts had a paroxysmal cough or a typical whooping cough and 12 had no cough at all. Positive PCR in a household contact, symptomatic or not, is helpful for the diagnosis of atypical whooping cough in young infants.

Early versus late erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Aher, S M; Ohlsson, A

2006-07-19

Hematocrit falls after birth in preterm infants due to physiological factors and frequent blood letting. Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anaemia. To assess the effectiveness and safety of early (before 8 days after birth) versus late (between 8 - 28 days after birth) initiation of EPO in reducing red blood cell transfusions in preterm and/or low birth weight infants. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2006) was searched. Electronic and manual searches were conducted in November 2005 of MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL, personal files, bibliographies of identified trials and abstracts by the Pediatric Academic Societies' and the European Society of Pediatric Research Meetings published in Pediatric Research. Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials. Preterm (< 37 weeks gestational age) or low birth weight infants (< 2500 g) less than eight days of age. Early initiation of EPO (initiated at < 8 days of age) vs. late initiation of EPO (initiated at 8 - 28 days of age). Outcomes; At least one of the following outcomes were reported: Use of one or more red blood cell transfusions; Total volume (ml/kg) of blood transfused per infant; Number of transfusions per infant; Number of donors to whom the infant was exposed; Mortality during initial hospital stay (all causes); and common outcomes associated with preterm birth. The standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group were followed independently by the authors to assess study quality and report outcomes. Weighted treatment effects, calculated using RevMan 4.2.8 included typical relative risk (RR), typical risk difference (RD), number needed to treat to benefit (NNTB), number needed to treat to harm (NNTH) and mean difference (MD), all with 95% confidence intervals (CI). A fixed effect model was used for meta-analyses. Heterogeneity tests including the I-squared (I(2)) test were performed to assess the appropriateness of pooling the data. Two high quality randomized double-blind controlled studies enrolling 262 infants were identified (Donato 2000; Maier 2002). Both studies used well defined, but not identical, criteria for blood transfusions. Between 14 and 32% of the enrolled infants had received blood transfusions prior to study entry. A non-significant reduction in the 'use one or more red blood cell transfusions' [typical RR 0.91 (95% CI 0.78, 1.06); typical RD - 0.07 (95% CI -0.18, 0.04)] favouring early EPO was noted. Both studies (n = 262) reported on "number of transfusions per infant"; early EPO administration resulted in a non-significant reduction compared to late EPO [typical WMD - 0.32 (95% CI -0.92, 0.29)]. There was no significant reduction in total volume of blood transfused per infant or in the number of donors to whom the infant was exposed. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (all stages) was assessed in 191 infants. Early EPO led to a significant increase in the risk of ROP [(typical RR 1.40 (95% CI 1.05, 1.86); typical RD 0.16 (95% CI 0.03, 0.29); NNTH 6 (95% CI 3 -33)]. There was statistically significant heterogeneity for this outcome. Both studies (n = 191) reported on ROP stage > 3. No statistically significant increase in risk was noted [typical RR 1.56 (95% CI 0.71, 3.41); typical RD was 0.05 (95% CI - 0.04, 0.14)]. There was no statistically significant heterogeneity for this outcome for either RR or for RD. No other important favourable or adverse neonatal outcomes or side effects were reported. The use of early EPO did not significantly reduce the primary outcome of "use of one or more red blood cell transfusions", or "number of transfusions per infant" compared to late EPO administration. Currently there is lack of evidence that early EPO vs. late EPO confers any substantial benefits with regard to any donor blood exposure as a large proportion (14 - 30 %) of infants enrolled in these studies were exposed to donor blood prior to study entry. The finding of a statistically significant increased risk of ROP (any grade) and a similar trend for ROP stage > 3 with early EPO treatment is of great concern. No further studies comparing early vs. late administration of EPO are warranted.

Communicative Gesture Use in Infants with and without Autism: A Retrospective Home Video Study

PubMed Central

Watson, Linda R.; Crais, Elizabeth R.; Baranek, Grace T.; Dykstra, Jessica R.; Wilson, Kaitlyn P.

2012-01-01

Purpose Compare gesture use in infants with autism to infants with other developmental disabilities (DD) or typical development (TD). Method Children with autism (n = 43), other DD (n = 30), and TD (n = 36) were recruited at ages 2 to 7 years. Parents provided home videotapes of children in infancy. Staff compiled video samples for two age intervals (9-12 and 15-18 months), and coded samples for frequency of social interaction (SI), behavior regulation (BR), and joint attention (JA) gestures. Results At 9-12 months, infants with autism were less likely to use JA gestures than infants with other DD or TD, and less likely to use BR gestures than infants with TD. At 15-18 months, infants with autism were less likely than infants with other DD to use SI or JA gestures, and less likely than infants with TD to use BR, SI, or JA gestures. Among infants able to use gestures, infants with autism used fewer BR gestures than those with TD at 9-12 months, and fewer JA gestures than infants with other DD or TD at 15-18 months. Conclusions Differences in gesture use in infancy have implications for early autism screening, assessment, and intervention. PMID:22846878

Early androgens, activity levels and toy choices of children in the second year of life.

PubMed

Alexander, Gerianne M; Saenz, Janet

2012-09-01

The hypothesis that stronger preferences for active play styles contribute to stronger preferences for male-typical toys was examined in 47 boys and 37 girls at 19-months of age using ambulatory monitoring technology (i.e., actigraphy) to measure activity levels during contact with male-typical, female-typical, and gender-neutral toys. Digit ratios and salivary testosterone levels were measured earlier in children at 3-4 months of age. There were no significant sex differences in digit ratios, salivary testosterone levels, or overall activity levels during toy play. In contrast, contact times showed large sex differences in infants' toy preferences. The within-sex comparisons showed that infant girls had significant preferences for female-typical toys over male-typical toys, whereas infant boys showed only a small preference for male-typical toys over female-typical toys. More male-typical digit ratios in early infancy predicted higher activity counts during toy play and less female-typical toy preferences in girls. However, in both sexes, activity levels were unrelated to toy preferences suggesting that factors other than activity level preferences contribute to the early emergence of gender-linked toy preferences. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preventing abusive head trauma resulting from a failure of normal interaction between infants and their caregivers

PubMed Central

Barr, Ronald G.

2012-01-01

Head trauma from abuse, including shaken baby syndrome, is a devastating and potentially lethal form of infant physical abuse first recognized in the early 1970s. What has been less recognized is the role of the early increase in crying in otherwise normal infants in the first few months of life as a trigger for the abuse. In part, this is because infant crying, especially prolonged unsoothable crying, has been interpreted clinically as something wrong with the infant, the infant’s caregiver, or the interactions between them. Here, we review an alternative developmental interpretation, namely, that the early increase in crying is a typical behavioral development in normal infants and usually does not reflect anything wrong or abnormal. We also review evidence indicating that this normal crying pattern is the most common trigger for abusive head trauma (AHT). Together, these findings point to a conceptualization of AHT as the consequence of a failure in an otherwise common, iterative, and developmentally normal infant–caregiver interaction. They also imply that there is a window of opportunity for prevention of AHT, and potentially other forms of infant abuse, through a public health primary universal prevention strategy aimed at changing knowledge and behaviors of caregivers and society in general concerning normal development of infants and the significance of early increased infant crying. If effective, there may be important implications for prevention of infant abuse nationally and internationally. PMID:23045677

Infant fMRI: A Model System for Cognitive Neuroscience.

PubMed

Ellis, Cameron T; Turk-Browne, Nicholas B

2018-05-01

Our understanding of the typical human brain has benefitted greatly from studying different kinds of brains and their associated behavioral repertoires, including animal models and neuropsychological patients. This same comparative perspective can be applied to early development - the environment, behavior, and brains of infants provide a model system for understanding how the mature brain works. This approach requires noninvasive methods for measuring brain function in awake, behaving infants. fMRI is becoming increasingly viable for this purpose, with the unique ability to precisely measure the entire brain, including both cortical and subcortical structures. Here we discuss potential lessons from infant fMRI for several domains of adult cognition and consider the challenges of conducting such research and how they might be mitigated. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Infant sleep and its relation with cognition and growth: a narrative review

PubMed Central

Tham, Elaine KH; Schneider, Nora; Broekman, Birit FP

2017-01-01

Objective Infant sleep development is a highly dynamic process occurring in parallel to and in interaction with cognitive and physical growth. This narrative review aims to summarize and discuss recent literature and provide an overview of the relation between infant sleep and cognitive development as well as physical growth. Methods We conducted online literature search using MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. We considered original research on humans published in the English language from January 2005 to December 2015. Search terms included “sleep” AND “infant” AND “cognition” OR “memory” OR “executive functioning”, OR “growth” OR “obesity” OR “growth hormone” OR “stunting”, and combinations thereof. Results Ten studies on infant sleep and cognition were included in this review. Overall, findings indicated a positive association between sleep, memory, language, executive function, and overall cognitive development in typically developing infants and young children. An additional 20 studies support the positive role of infant sleep in physical growth, with the current literature focusing largely on weight gain and obesity rather than healthy growth. Existing evidence in both the domains is mainly based on cross-sectional designs, on association studies, and on parental reports. In contrast, there were limited studies on longitudinal sleep trajectories and intervention effects, or studies have not used more objective sleep measures such as actigraphy and polysomnography. Conclusion The reviewed studies support a critical and positive role of infant sleep in cognition and physical growth. Future studies should consider key environmental and parental confounders, include a combination of more objective (actigraphy) and subjective measures (sleep diaries and questionnaires), and move towards longitudinal trajectory designs of infant sleep and development. PMID:28553151

Early Head Growth in Infants at Risk of Autism: A Baby Siblings Research Consortium Study

PubMed Central

Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie; Young, Gregory S.; Stone, Wendy L.; Dobkins, Karen; Ozonoff, Sally; Brian, Jessica; Bryson, Susan E.; Carver, Leslie J.; Hutman, Ted; Iverson, Jana M.; Landa, Rebecca J.; Messinger, Daniel

2014-01-01

Objective: While early brain overgrowth is frequently reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the relationship between ASD and head circumference (HC) is less clear, with inconsistent findings from longitudinal studies that include community controls. Our aim was to examine whether head growth in the first 3 years differed between children with ASD from a high-risk (HR) sample of infant siblings of children with ASD (by definition, multiplex), HR siblings not diagnosed with ASD, and low-risk (LR) controls. Method: Participants included 442 HR and 253 LR infants from 12 sites of the international Baby Siblings Research Consortium. Longitudinal HC data were obtained prospectively, supplemented by growth records. Random effects non-linear growth models were used to compare HC in HR infants and LR infants. Additional comparisons were conducted with the HR group stratified by diagnostic status at age 3: ASD (n=77), developmental delay (DD; n=32), and typical development (TD; n=333). Nonlinear growth models were also developed for height to assess general overgrowth associated with ASD. Results: There was no overall difference in head circumference growth over the first 3 years between HR and LR infants, although secondary analyses suggested possible increased total growth in HR infants, reflected by the model asymptote. Analyses stratifying the HR group by 3-year outcomes did not detect differences in head growth or height between HR infants who developed ASD and those who did not, nor between infants with ASD and LR controls. Conclusion: Head growth was uninformative as an ASD risk marker within this HR cohort. PMID:25245349

Deficits in Top-Down Sensory Prediction in Infants At Risk due to Premature Birth.

PubMed

Emberson, Lauren L; Boldin, Alex M; Riccio, Julie E; Guillet, Ronnie; Aslin, Richard N

2017-02-06

A prominent theoretical view is that the brain is inherently predictive [1, 2] and that prediction helps drive the engine of development [3, 4]. Although infants exhibit neural signatures of top-down sensory prediction [5, 6], in order to establish that prediction supports development, it must be established that deficits in early prediction abilities alter trajectories. We investigated prediction in infants born prematurely, a leading cause of neuro-cognitive impairment worldwide [7]. Prematurity, independent of medical complications, leads to developmental disturbances [8-12] and a broad range of developmental delays [13-17]. Is an alteration in early prediction abilities the common cause? Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we measured top-down sensory prediction in preterm infants (born <33 weeks gestation) before infants exhibited clinically identifiable developmental delays (6 months corrected age). Whereas preterm infants had typical neural responses to presented visual stimuli, they exhibited altered neural responses to predicted visual stimuli. Importantly, a separate behavioral control confirmed that preterm infants detect pattern violations at the same rate as full-terms, establishing selectivity of this response to top-down predictions (e.g., not in learning an audiovisual association). These findings suggest that top-down sensory prediction plays a crucial role in development and that deficits in this ability may be the reason why preterm infants experience altered developmental trajectories and are at risk for poor developmental outcomes. Moreover, this work presents an opportunity for establishing a neuro-biomarker for early identification of infants at risk and could guide early intervention regimens. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gross Motor Development, Movement Abnormalities, and Early Identification of Autism

PubMed Central

Young, Gregory S.; Goldring, Stacy; Greiss-Hess, Laura; Herrera, Adriana M.; Steele, Joel; Macari, Suzanne; Hepburn, Susan; Rogers, Sally J.

2015-01-01

Gross motor development (supine, prone, rolling, sitting, crawling, walking) and movement abnormalities were examined in the home videos of infants later diagnosed with autism (regression and no regression subgroups), developmental delays (DD), or typical development. Group differences in maturity were found for walking, prone, and supine, with the DD and Autism-No Regression groups both showing later developing motor maturity than typical children. The only statistically significant differences in movement abnormalities were in the DD group; the two autism groups did not differ from the typical group in rates of movement abnormalities or lack of protective responses. These findings do not replicate previous investigations suggesting that early motor abnormalities seen on home video can assist in early identification of autism. PMID:17805956

INFANT SIGN TRAINING AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

PubMed Central

Normand, Matthew P; Machado, Mychal A; Hustyi, Kristin M; Morley, Allison J

2011-01-01

We taught manual signs to typically developing infants using a reversal design and caregiver-nominated stimuli. We delivered the stimuli on a time-based schedule during baseline. During the intervention, we used progressive prompting and reinforcement, described by Thompson et al. (2004, 2007), to establish mands. Following sign training, we conducted functional analyses and verified that the signs functioned as mands. These results provide preliminary validation for the verbal behavior functional analysis methodology and further evidence of the functional independence of verbal operants. PMID:21709786

Acoustic parameters of infant-directed singing in mothers of infants with down syndrome.

PubMed

de l'Etoile, Shannon; Behura, Samarth; Zopluoglu, Cengiz

2017-11-01

This study compared the acoustic parameters and degree of perceived warmth in two types of infant-directed (ID) songs - the lullaby and the playsong - between mothers of infants with Down syndrome (DS) and mothers of typically-developing (TD) infants. Participants included mothers of 15 DS infants and 15 TD infants between 3 and 9 months of age. Each mother's singing voice was digitally recorded while singing to her infant and subjected to feature extraction and data mining. Mothers of DS infants and TD infants sang both lullabies and playsongs with similar frequency. In comparison with mothers of TD infants, mothers of DS infants used a higher maximum pitch and more key changes during playsong. Mothers of DS infants also took more time to establish a rhythmic structure in their singing. These differences suggest mothers are sensitive to the attentional and arousal needs of their DS infants. Mothers of TD infants sang with a higher degree of perceived warmth which does not agree with previous observations of "forceful warmth" in mothers of DS infants. In comparison with lullaby, all mothers sang playsong with higher overall pitch and slower tempo. Playsongs were also distinguished by higher levels of spectral centroid properties related to emotional expressivity, as well as higher degrees of perceived warmth. These similarities help to define specific song types, and suggest that all mothers sing in an expressive manner that can modulate infant arousal, including mothers of DS infants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comparison of vowel formant frequencies in the babbling of infants exposed to Canadian English and Canadian French

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattock, Karen; Rvachew, Susan; Polka, Linda; Turner, Sara

2005-04-01

It is well established that normally developing infants typically enter the canonical babbling stage of production between 6 and 8 months of age. However, whether the linguistic environment affects babbling, either in terms of the phonetic inventory of vowels produced by infants [Oller & Eiler (1982)] or the acoustics of vowel formants [Boysson-Bardies et al. (1989)] is controversial. The spontaneous speech of 42 Canadian English- and Canadian French-learning infants aged 8 to 11, 12 to 15 and 16 to 18 months of age was recorded and digitized to yield a total of 1253 vowels that were spectrally analyzed and statistically compared for differences in first and second formant frequencies. Language-specific influences on vowel acoustics were hypothesized. Preliminary results reveal changes in formant frequencies as a function of age and language background. There is evidence of decreases over age in the F1 values of French but not English infants vowels, and decreases over age in the F2 values of English but not French infants vowels. The notion of an age-related shift in infants attention to language-specific acoustic features and the implications of this for early vocal development as well as for the production of Canadian English and Canadian French vowels will be discussed.

The Interplay Between Language, Gesture, and Affect During Communicative Transition: A Dynamic Systems Approach

PubMed Central

Parladé, Meaghan V.; Iverson, Jana M.

2012-01-01

From a dynamic systems perspective, transition points in development are times of increased instability, during which behavioral patterns are susceptible to temporary decoupling. This study investigated the impact of the vocabulary spurt on existing patterns of communicative coordination. Eighteen typically developing infants were videotaped at home 1 month before, at, and after the vocabulary spurt. Infants were identified as spurters if they underwent a discrete phase transition in vocabulary development (marked by an inflection point), and compared with a group of nonspurters whose word-learning rates followed a trajectory of continuous change. Relative to surrounding sessions, there were significant reductions in overall coordination of communicative behaviors and in words produced in coordination at the vocabulary spurt session for infants who experienced more dramatic vocabulary growth. In contrast, nonspurters demonstrated little change across sessions. Findings underscore the importance of transitions as opportunities for observing processes of developmental change. PMID:21219063

Motor contingency learning and infants with Spina Bifida.

PubMed

Taylor, Heather B; Barnes, Marcia A; Landry, Susan H; Swank, Paul; Fletcher, Jack M; Huang, Furong

2013-02-01

Infants with Spina Bifida (SB) were compared to typically developing infants (TD) using a conjugate reinforcement paradigm at 6 months-of-age (n = 98) to evaluate learning, and retention of a sensory-motor contingency. Analyses evaluated infant arm-waving rates at baseline (wrist not tethered to mobile), during acquisition of the sensory-motor contingency (wrist tethered), and immediately after the acquisition phase and then after a delay (wrist not tethered), controlling for arm reaching ability, gestational age, and socioeconomic status. Although both groups responded to the contingency with increased arm-waving from baseline to acquisition, 15% to 29% fewer infants with SB than TD were found to learn the contingency depending on the criterion used to determine contingency learning. In addition, infants with SB who had learned the contingency had more difficulty retaining the contingency over time when sensory feedback was absent. The findings suggest that infants with SB do not learn motor contingencies as easily or at the same rate as TD infants, and are more likely to decrease motor responses when sensory feedback is absent. Results are discussed with reference to research on contingency learning in infants with and without neurodevelopmental disorders, and with reference to motor learning in school-age children with SB.

Origins and early development of human body knowledge.

PubMed

Slaughter, Virginia; Heron, Michelle

2004-01-01

As a knowable object, the human body is highly complex. Evidence from several converging lines of research, including psychological studies, neuroimaging and clinical neuropsychology, indicates that human body knowledge is widely distributed in the adult brain, and is instantiated in at least three partially independent levels of representation. Sensorimotor body knowledge is responsible for on-line control and movement of one's own body and may also contribute to the perception of others' moving bodies; visuo-spatial body knowledge specifies detailed structural descriptions of the spatial attributes of the human body; and lexical-semantic body knowledge contains language-based knowledge about the human body. In the first chapter of this Monograph, we outline the evidence for these three hypothesized levels of human body knowledge, then review relevant literature on infants' and young children's human body knowledge in terms of the three-level framework. In Chapters II and III, we report two complimentary series of studies that specifically investigate the emergence of visuo-spatial body knowledge in infancy. Our technique is to compare infants'responses to typical and scrambled human bodies, in order to evaluate when and how infants acquire knowledge about the canonical spatial layout of the human body. Data from a series of visual habituation studies indicate that infants first discriminate scrambled from typical human body picture sat 15 to 18 months of age. Data from object examination studies similarly indicate that infants are sensitive to violations of three-dimensional human body stimuli starting at 15-18 months of age. The overall pattern of data supports several conclusions about the early development of human body knowledge: (a) detailed visuo-spatial knowledge about the human body is first evident in the second year of life, (b) visuo-spatial knowledge of human faces and human bodies are at least partially independent in infancy and (c) infants' initial visuo-spatial human body representations appear to be highly schematic, becoming more detailed and specific with development. In the final chapter, we explore these conclusions and discuss how levels of body knowledge may interact in early development.

Late erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Aher, Sanjay M; Ohlsson, Arne

2014-04-23

Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anaemia. To assess the effectiveness and safety of late initiation of erythropoietin (EPO) between eight and 28 days after birth, in reducing the use of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in preterm and/or low birth weight infants. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL in July 2013. Additional searches included the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meetings from 2000 to 2013 (Abstracts2View™) and clinical trials registries (www.clinicaltrials.gov; www.controlled-trials.com; and who.int/ictrp/en). For this update we moved one study from the early EPO review to this late EPO review. Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of late initiation of EPO treatment (started at ≥ eight days of age) versus placebo or no intervention in preterm (< 37 weeks) and/or low birth weight (< 2500 g) neonates. We performed data collection and analyses in accordance with the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. We include 30 studies (31 comparisons) randomising 1591 preterm infants. Literature searches in 2013 did not identify any new study for inclusion. For this update we moved one study enrolling 230 infants from the early EPO review to this late EPO review.Most included trials were of small sample size. The meta-analysis showed a significant effect of the use of one or more RBC transfusions (20 studies (n = 1142); typical risk ratio (RR) 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64 to 0.79; typical risk difference (RD) -0.17, 95% CI -0.22 to -0.12; typical number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 6, 95% CI 5 to 8). There was moderate heterogeneity for this outcome (RR I² = 68%; RD I² = 60%). We obtained similar results in secondary analyses based on different combinations of high/low doses of EPO and iron supplementation. There was no significant reduction in the total volume (mL/kg) of blood transfused per infant [typical mean difference (MD) -1.6 mL/kg, 95% CI -5.8 to 2.6); 5 studies, 197 infants]. There was high heterogeneity for this outcome (I² = 92%). There was a significant reduction in the number of transfusions per infant (11 studies enrolling 817 infants; typical MD -0.22, 95% CI -0.38 to -0.06). There was high heterogeneity for this outcome (I² = 94%).Three studies including 404 infants reported on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (all stages or stage not reported), with a typical RR 1.27 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.64) and a typical RD of 0.09 (95% CI -0.00 to 0.18). There was high heterogeneity for this outcome for both RR (I² = 83%) and RD (I² = 82%). Three trials enrolling 442 infants reported on ROP (stage ≥ 3). The typical RR was 1.73 (95% CI 0.92 to 3.24) and the typical RD was 0.05 (95% CI -0.01 to 0.10). There was minimal heterogeneity for this outcome for RR (I² = 18%) but high heterogeneity for RD (I² = 79%). There were no significant differences in other clinical outcomes. There was no reduction in necrotizing enterocolitis in spite of a reduction in the use of RBC transfusions. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes were not reported. Late administration of EPO reduces the use of one or more RBC transfusions, the number of RBC transfusions per infant (< 1 transfusion per infant) but not the total volume (ml/kg) of RBCs transfused per infant. Any donor exposure is likely not avoided as most studies included infants who had received RBC transfusions prior to trial entry. Late EPO does not significantly reduce or increase any clinically important adverse outcomes except for a trend in increased risk for ROP. Further research of the use of late EPO treatment to prevent donor exposure is not indicated. Research efforts should focus on limiting donor exposure during the first few days of life in sick neonates, when RBC requirements are most likely to be required and cannot be prevented by late EPO treatment. The use of satellite packs (dividing one unit of donor blood into many smaller aliquots) may reduce donor exposure.

Computer-based analysis of general movements reveals stereotypies predicting cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Philippi, Heike; Karch, Dominik; Kang, Keun-Sun; Wochner, Katarzyna; Pietz, Joachim; Dickhaus, Hartmut; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

2014-10-01

To evaluate a kinematic paradigm of automatic general movements analysis in comparison to clinical assessment in 3-month-old infants and its prediction for neurodevelopmental outcome. Preterm infants at high risk (n=49; 26 males, 23 females) and term infants at low risk (n=18; eight males, 10 females) of developmental impairment were recruited from hospitals around Heidelberg, Germany. Kinematic analysis of general movements by magnet tracking and clinical video-based assessment of general movements were performed at 3 months of age. Neurodevelopmental outcome was evaluated at 2 years. By comparing the general movements of small samples of children with and without cerebral palsy (CP), we developed a kinematic paradigm typical for infants at risk of developing CP. We tested the validity of this paradigm as a tool to predict CP and neurodevelopmental impairment. Clinical assessment correctly identified almost all infants with neurodevelopmental impairment including CP, but did not predict if the infant would be affected by CP or not. The kinematic analysis, in particular the stereotypy score of arm movements, was an excellent predictor of CP, whereas stereotyped repetitive movements of the legs predicted any neurodevelopmental impairment. The automatic assessment of the stereotypy score by magnet tracking in 3-month-old spontaneously moving infants at high risk of developmental abnormalities allowed a valid detection of infants affected and unaffected by CP. © 2014 Mac Keith Press.

Mapping White Matter Microstructure in the One Month Human Brain.

PubMed

Dean, D C; Planalp, E M; Wooten, W; Adluru, N; Kecskemeti, S R; Frye, C; Schmidt, C K; Schmidt, N L; Styner, M A; Goldsmith, H H; Davidson, R J; Alexander, A L

2017-08-29

White matter microstructure, essential for efficient and coordinated transmission of neural communications, undergoes pronounced development during the first years of life, while deviations to this neurodevelopmental trajectory likely result in alterations of brain connectivity relevant to behavior. Hence, systematic evaluation of white matter microstructure in the normative brain is critical for a neuroscientific approach to both typical and atypical early behavioral development. However, few studies have examined the infant brain in detail, particularly in infants under 3 months of age. Here, we utilize quantitative techniques of diffusion tensor imaging and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging to investigate neonatal white matter microstructure in 104 infants. An optimized multiple b-value diffusion protocol was developed to allow for successful acquisition during non-sedated sleep. Associations between white matter microstructure measures and gestation corrected age, regional asymmetries, infant sex, as well as newborn growth measures were assessed. Results highlight changes of white matter microstructure during the earliest periods of development and demonstrate differential timing of developing regions and regional asymmetries. Our results contribute to a growing body of research investigating the neurobiological changes associated with neurodevelopment and suggest that characteristics of white matter microstructure are already underway in the weeks immediately following birth.

Pediatric Perimeter—A Novel Device to Measure Visual Fields in Infants and Patients with Special Needs

PubMed Central

Satgunam, PremNandhini; Datta, Sourav; Chillakala, Koteswararao; Bobbili, Karthik R.; Joshi, Dhruv

2017-01-01

Purpose There are no commercially available devices to measure visual fields in infants. We developed a device, “Pediatric Perimeter,” that quantifies visual field extent (VFE) for infants. We describe the construction, validation, and use of this device. Methods A hemispherical dome with light emitting diodes (LEDs) was constructed. The LEDs were controlled using a computer program to measure reaction time (RT) to gross visual fields (GVF) and the VFE. Participants were tested in supine position in a dark room. Eye or head movement towards the stimuli was monitored with an infrared (IR) camera. Validation was done on 10 adults (mean age: 24.4 ± 5 years) with tunnel vision simulator. Results Perimetry was performed on 19 infants (age: 2.3–12 months), five infants with normal milestones. GVF and VFE were estimated in 17 and 7 infants, respectively. Median RT of infants with developmental delay was 663 ms and 380 ms for healthy infants. Also, 14 children (age: 14 months–6 years) with developmental delay and five patients with cognitive impairment were tested. Conclusion Visual field isopter and RT can be examined with the Pediatric Perimeter device on infants and patients with special needs. Further testing on infants will need to assess the repeatability. A large-scale study will be needed to compare typically developing infants and infants with delayed milestones with this device. Translational Relevance Quantifiable parameters obtained with this device can be used as outcome measures in clinical examination of infants and patients with special needs. This device can be used in pediatric, neurology, and ophthalmology clinics. PMID:28685105

Digital disruption? Maternal mobile device use is related to infant social-emotional functioning.

PubMed

Myruski, Sarah; Gulyayeva, Olga; Birk, Samantha; Pérez-Edgar, Koraly; Buss, Kristin A; Dennis-Tiwary, Tracy A

2017-09-24

Mobile device use has become increasingly prevalent, yet its impact on infant development remains largely unknown. When parents use mobile devices in front of infants, the parent is physically present but most likely distracted and unresponsive. Research using the classic Still Face Paradigm (SFP) suggests that parental withdrawal and unresponsiveness may have negative consequences for children's social-emotional development. In the present study, 50 infants aged 7.20 to 23.60 months (M = 15.40, SD = 4.74) and their mothers completed a modified SFP. The SFP consisted of three phases: free play (FP; parent and infant play and interact), still face (SF; parent withdraws attention and becomes unresponsive), and reunion (RU; parent resumes normal interaction). The modified SFP incorporated mobile device use in the SF phase. Parents reported on their typical mobile device use and infant temperament. Consistent with the standard SFP, infants showed more negative affect and less positive affect during SF versus FP. Infants also showed more toy engagement and more engagement with mother during FP versus SF and RU. Infants showed the most social bids during SF and more room exploration in SF than RU. More frequent reported mobile device use was associated with less room exploration and positive affect during SF, and less recovery (i.e., engagement with mother, room exploration positive affect) during RU, even when controlling for individual differences in temperament. Findings suggest that the SFP represents a promising theoretical framework for understanding the impact of parent's mobile device use on infant social-emotional functioning and parent-infant interactions. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dynamic Object Representations in Infants with and without Fragile X Syndrome

PubMed Central

Farzin, Faraz; Rivera, Susan M.

2009-01-01

Our visual world is dynamic in nature. The ability to encode, mentally represent, and track an object's identity as it moves across time and space is critical for integrating and maintaining a complete and coherent view of the world. Here we investigated dynamic object processing in typically developing (TD) infants and infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS), a single-gene disorder associated with deficits in dorsal stream functioning. We used the violation of expectation method to assess infants’ visual response to expected versus unexpected outcomes following a brief dynamic (dorsal stream) or static (ventral stream) occlusion event. Consistent with previous reports of deficits in dorsal stream-mediated functioning in individuals with this disorder, these results reveal that, compared to mental age-matched TD infants, infants with FXS could maintain the identity of static, but not dynamic, object information during occlusion. These findings are the first to experimentally evaluate visual object processing skills in infants with FXS, and further support the hypothesis of dorsal stream difficulties in infants with this developmental disorder. PMID:20224809

Auditory brain development in premature infants: the importance of early experience.

PubMed

McMahon, Erin; Wintermark, Pia; Lahav, Amir

2012-04-01

Preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) often close their eyes in response to bright lights, but they cannot close their ears in response to loud sounds. The sudden transition from the womb to the overly noisy world of the NICU increases the vulnerability of these high-risk newborns. There is a growing concern that the excess noise typically experienced by NICU infants disrupts their growth and development, putting them at risk for hearing, language, and cognitive disabilities. Preterm neonates are especially sensitive to noise because their auditory system is at a critical period of neurodevelopment, and they are no longer shielded by maternal tissue. This paper discusses the developmental milestones of the auditory system and suggests ways to enhance the quality control and type of sounds delivered to NICU infants. We argue that positive auditory experience is essential for early brain maturation and may be a contributing factor for healthy neurodevelopment. Further research is needed to optimize the hospital environment for preterm newborns and to increase their potential to develop into healthy children. © 2012 New York Academy of Sciences.

Inhibition of misleading heuristics as a core mechanism for typical cognitive development: evidence from behavioural and brain-imaging studies.

PubMed

Borst, Grégoire; Aïte, Ania; Houdé, Olivier

2015-04-01

Cognitive development is generally conceived as incremental with knowledge of increasing complexity acquired throughout childhood and adolescence. However, several studies have now demonstrated not only that infants possess complex cognitive abilities but also that older children, adolescents, and adults tend to make systematic errors even in simple logical reasoning tasks. Therefore, one of the main issues for any theory of typical cognitive development is to provide an explanation of why at some age and in some contexts children, adolescents, and adults do not express a knowledge or cognitive principle that they already acquired when they were younger. In this review, we present convergent behavioural and neurocognitive evidence that cognitive development is more similar to a non-linear dynamic system than to a linear, stage-like system. In this theoretical framework, errors can emerge in problems similar to the ones infants or young children were succeeding when older children, adolescents, and adults rely on a misleading heuristic rather than on the correct logical algorithm to solve such problems. And the core mechanism for overcoming these errors is inhibitory control (i.e. the ability to inhibit the misleading heuristics). Therefore, typical cognitive development relies not only on the ability to acquire knowledge of incremental complexity but also to inhibit previously acquired knowledge. © 2015 The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology © 2015 Mac Keith Press.

Low iodine content in the diets of hospitalized preterm infants.

PubMed

Belfort, Mandy B; Pearce, Elizabeth N; Braverman, Lewis E; He, Xuemei; Brown, Rosalind S

2012-04-01

Iodine is critical for normal thyroid hormone synthesis and brain development during infancy, and preterm infants are particularly vulnerable to the effects of both iodine deficiency and excess. Use of iodine-containing skin antiseptics in intensive care nurseries has declined substantially in recent years, but whether the current dietary iodine intake meets the requirement for hospitalized preterm infants is unknown. The aim of the study was to measure the iodine content of enteral and parenteral nutrition products commonly used for hospitalized preterm infants and estimate the daily iodine intake for a hypothetical 1-kg infant. We used mass spectrometry to measure the iodine concentration of seven preterm infant formulas, 10 samples of pooled donor human milk, two human milk fortifiers (HMF) and other enteral supplements, and a parenteral amino acid solution and soy-based lipid emulsion. We calculated the iodine provided by typical diets based on 150 ml/kg · d of formula, donor human milk with or without HMF, and parenteral nutrition. Preterm formula provided 16.4-28.5 μg/d of iodine, whereas unfortified donor human milk provided only 5.0-17.6 μg/d. Adding two servings (six packets) of Similac HMF to human milk increased iodine intake by 11.7 μg/d, whereas adding two servings of Enfamil HMF increased iodine intake by only 0.9 μg/d. The other enteral supplements contained almost no iodine, nor did a parenteral nutrition-based diet. Typical enteral diets for hospitalized preterm infants, particularly those based on donor human milk, provide less than the recommended 30 μg/d of iodine, and parenteral nutrition provides almost no iodine. Additional iodine fortification should be considered.

Late erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Aher, Sanjay M; Ohlsson, Arne

2012-09-12

Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anaemia. To assess the effectiveness and safety of late initiation of EPO (initiated at eight days after birth or later) in reducing the use of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in preterm and/or low birth weight infants. For this update MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and The Cochrane Library were searched in March 2012. Additional searches included the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meetings from 2000 to 2012 (Abstracts2 View(TM)) and clinical trials registries (clinicaltrials.gov; controlled-trials.com; and who.int/ictrp). Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of late initiation of EPO treatment (started at ≥ eight days of age) versus placebo or no intervention in preterm (< 37 weeks) and/or low birth weight (< 2500 g) neonates. Data collection and analyses were performed in accordance with the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. In this 2012 update one new study for inclusion was identified. Twenty-eight studies enrolling 1361 preterm infants in 21 countries were included. Most trials were of small sample size. The meta-analysis showed a significant effect on the use of one or more RBC transfusions [typical risk ratio (RR); 0.66 (95% confidence interval (CI); 0.59 to 0.74); typical risk difference (RD) -0.21 (95% CI; -0.26 to -0.16); typical number needed to benefit (NNTB) of 5 (95% CI 4 to 6) 19 studies, 912 infants]. There was moderate heterogeneity for this outcome [for RR (P < 0.00001; I(2) = 74.0%); for RD (P = 0.0006; I(2) = 58.9%)]. Similar results were obtained in secondary analyses based on different combinations of high/low doses of EPO and iron supplementation. In this update there was no significant reduction in the total volume (mL/kg) of blood transfused per infant [typical MD -1.61mL/kg (95% CI -5.78 to 2.57); 5 studies, 197 infants] There was high heterogeneity for this outcome (P = 0.00001, I(2) = 92%). There was a significant reduction in the number of transfusions per infant (nine studies enrolling 567 infants); [typical MD -0.78 (-0.97 to -0.59)]. Three studies including 331 patients reported on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (all stages), with a typical RR 0.79 (95% CI 0.57 to 1.10) and a typical RD of -0.05 (95% CI -0.13 to 0.02). This outcome was not statistically significantly different between the groups. There was no heterogeneity for this outcome for either RR (P = 0.41; I(2) = 0%) or RD (P = 0.43; I(2) = 0%). Two trials enrolling 212 patients reported on severe ROP (stage 3 or greater). The typical RR was 0.83 (95% CI 0.23 to 2.98) and the typical RD was -0.01 (95% CI -0.06 to 0.05); neither were statistically significant. There was no heterogeneity for this outcome for either RR (P = 0.29; I(2) = 9.3%) or RD (P = 0.36; I(2) = 0%).There were no significant differences in other clinical outcomes. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes were not reported. Late administration of EPO reduces the use of one or more RBC transfusions, the number of RBC transfusions per infant but not the total volume of RBCs transfused per infant. Any donor exposure is likely not avoided as most studies included infants who had received RBC transfusions prior to trial entry. Late EPO does not significantly reduce or increase any clinically important adverse outcomes. Further research of the use of late EPO treatment to prevent donor exposure is not indicated. Research efforts should focus on limiting donor exposure during the first few days of life in sick neonates, when RBC requirements are most likely to be required and cannot be prevented by late EPO treatment.

Infants with Down syndrome: percentage and age for acquisition of gross motor skills.

PubMed

Pereira, Karina; Basso, Renata Pedrolongo; Lindquist, Ana Raquel Rodrigues; da Silva, Louise Gracelli Pereira; Tudella, Eloisa

2013-03-01

The literature is bereft of information about the age at which infants with Down syndrome (DS) acquire motor skills and the percentage of infants that do so by the age of 12 months. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the difference in age, in relation to typical infants, at which motor skills were acquired and the percentage of infants with DS that acquire them in the first year of life. Infants with DS (N=20) and typical infants (N=25), both aged between 3 and 12 months, were evaluated monthly using the AIMS. In the prone position, a difference of up to 3 months was found for the acquisition of the 3rd to 16th skill. There was a difference in the percentage of infants with DS who acquired the 10th to 21st skill (from 71% to 7%). In the supine position, a difference of up to one month was found from the 3rd to 7th skill; however, 100% were able to perform these skills. In the sitting position, a difference of 1-4 months was found from the 1st to 12th skill, ranging from 69% to 29% from the 9th to 12th. In the upright position, the difference was 2-3 months from the 3rd to 8th skill. Only 13% acquired the 8th skill and no other skill was acquired up to the age of 12 months. The more complex the skills the greater the difference in age between typical infants and those with DS and the lower the percentage of DS individuals who performed the skills in the prone, sitting and upright positions. None of the DS infants were able to stand without support. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Normalization of similarity-based individual brain networks from gray matter MRI and its association with neurodevelopment in infants with intrauterine growth restriction.

PubMed

Batalle, Dafnis; Muñoz-Moreno, Emma; Figueras, Francesc; Bargallo, Nuria; Eixarch, Elisenda; Gratacos, Eduard

2013-12-01

Obtaining individual biomarkers for the prediction of altered neurological outcome is a challenge of modern medicine and neuroscience. Connectomics based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) stands as a good candidate to exhaustively extract information from MRI by integrating the information obtained in a few network features that can be used as individual biomarkers of neurological outcome. However, this approach typically requires the use of diffusion and/or functional MRI to extract individual brain networks, which require high acquisition times and present an extreme sensitivity to motion artifacts, critical problems when scanning fetuses and infants. Extraction of individual networks based on morphological similarity from gray matter is a new approach that benefits from the power of graph theory analysis to describe gray matter morphology as a large-scale morphological network from a typical clinical anatomic acquisition such as T1-weighted MRI. In the present paper we propose a methodology to normalize these large-scale morphological networks to a brain network with standardized size based on a parcellation scheme. The proposed methodology was applied to reconstruct individual brain networks of 63 one-year-old infants, 41 infants with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and 22 controls, showing altered network features in the IUGR group, and their association with neurodevelopmental outcome at two years of age by means of ordinal regression analysis of the network features obtained with Bayley Scale for Infant and Toddler Development, third edition. Although it must be more widely assessed, this methodology stands as a good candidate for the development of biomarkers for altered neurodevelopment in the pediatric population. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Embodied intersubjective engagement in mother-infant tactile communication: a cross-cultural study of Japanese and Scottish mother-infant behaviors during infant pick-up.

PubMed

Negayama, Koichi; Delafield-Butt, Jonathan T; Momose, Keiko; Ishijima, Konomi; Kawahara, Noriko; Lux, Erin J; Murphy, Andrew; Kaliarntas, Konstantinos

2015-01-01

This study examines the early development of cultural differences in a simple, embodied, and intersubjective engagement between mothers putting down, picking up, and carrying their infants between Japan and Scotland. Eleven Japanese and ten Scottish mothers with their 6- and then 9-month-old infants participated. Video and motion analyses were employed to measure motor patterns of the mothers' approach to their infants, as well as their infants' collaborative responses during put-down, pick-up, and carry phases. Japanese and Scottish mothers approached their infants with different styles and their infants responded differently to the short duration of separation during the trial. A greeting-like behavior of the arms and hands was prevalent in the Scottish mothers' approach, but not in the Japanese mothers' approach. Japanese mothers typically kneeled before making the final reach to pick-up their children, giving a closer, apparently gentler final approach of the torso than Scottish mothers, who bent at the waist with larger movements of the torso. Measures of the gap closure between the mothers' hands to their infants' heads revealed variably longer duration and distance gap closures with greater velocity by the Scottish mothers than by the Japanese mothers. Further, the sequence of Japanese mothers' body actions on approach, contact, pick-up, and hold was more coordinated at 6 months than at 9 months. Scottish mothers were generally more variable on approach. Measures of infant participation and expressivity indicate more active participation in the negotiation during the separation and pick-up phases by Scottish infants. Thus, this paper demonstrates a culturally different onset of development of joint attention in pick-up. These differences reflect cultures of everyday interaction.

Mothers speak differently to infants at-risk for dyslexia.

PubMed

Kalashnikova, Marina; Goswami, Usha; Burnham, Denis

2018-01-01

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder manifested in deficits in reading and spelling skills that is consistently associated with difficulties in phonological processing. Dyslexia is genetically transmitted, but its manifestation in a particular individual is thought to depend on the interaction of epigenetic and environmental factors. We adopt a novel interactional perspective on early linguistic environment and dyslexia by simultaneously studying two pre-existing factors, one maternal and one infant, that may contribute to these interactions; and two behaviours, one maternal and one infant, to index the effect of these factors. The maternal factor is whether mothers are themselves dyslexic or not (with/without dyslexia) and the infant factor is whether infants are at-/not-at family risk for dyslexia (due to their mother or father being dyslexic). The maternal behaviour is mothers' infant-directed speech (IDS), which typically involves vowel hyperarticulation, thought to benefit speech perception and language acquisition. The infant behaviour is auditory perception measured by infant sensitivity to amplitude envelope rise time, which has been found to be reduced in dyslexic children. Here, at-risk infants showed significantly poorer acoustic sensitivity than not-at-risk infants and mothers only hyperarticulated vowels to infants who were not at-risk for dyslexia. Mothers' own dyslexia status had no effect on IDS quality. Parental speech input is thus affected by infant risk status, with likely consequences for later linguistic development. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Infants with Down Syndrome: Percentage and Age for Acquisition of Gross Motor Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pereira, Karina; Basso, Renata Pedrolongo; Lindquist, Ana Raquel Rodrigues; da Silva, Louise Gracelli Pereira; Tudella, Eloisa

2013-01-01

The literature is bereft of information about the age at which infants with Down syndrome (DS) acquire motor skills and the percentage of infants that do so by the age of 12 months. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the difference in age, in relation to typical infants, at which motor skills were acquired and the percentage of infants with DS…

Children's Development of Intonation during the First Year of Cochlear Implant Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snow, David P.; Ertmer, David J.

2012-01-01

This article describes the longitudinal development of intonation in 18 deaf children who received cochlear implants (CIs) before the age of 3 years and 12 infants with typical development (TD) who served as controls. At the time their implants were activated, the children with CIs ranged in age from 9 to 36 months. Cross-group comparisons were…

The Test of Infant Motor Performance at 3 months predicts language, cognitive, and motor outcomes in infants born preterm at 2 years of age.

PubMed

Peyton, Colleen; Schreiber, Michael D; Msall, Michael E

2018-03-13

To determine the relationship between the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) at 3 months and cognitive, language, and motor outcomes on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) at 2 years of age in high-risk infants born preterm. One hundred and six infants (47 females, 59 males) born at earlier than 31 weeks gestational age were prospectively tested with the TIMP at 10 to 15 weeks after term age and were assessed again with the Bayley-III at 2 years corrected age. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for various cut points of the TIMP z-score and Bayley-III composite scores of no more than 85. The TIMP z-scores at 10 to 15 weeks of age were significantly associated with all three subscales on the Bayley-III at 2 years of age (p<0.001). Using a TIMP z-score cutoff of -0.5, specificity was relatively high for cognitive (87%), language (88%), and motor (89%) outcomes, but sensitivity was low (cognitive 41%, language 49%, motor 57%). This study demonstrates that the TIMP is related to cognitive, language, and motor outcomes on the Bayley-III at 2 years of age in high-risk infants born preterm. The Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) predicts Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition outcomes at 2 years of age. The TIMP is relatively good at discriminating between children who will and will not have typical development. © 2018 Mac Keith Press.

Self-Regulation and Infant-Directed Singing in Infants with Down Syndrome.

PubMed

de l'Etoile, Shannon K

2015-01-01

Infants learn how to regulate internal states and subsequent behavior through dyadic interactions with caregivers. During infant-directed (ID) singing, mothers help infants practice attentional control and arousal modulation, thus providing critical experience in self-regulation. Infants with Down syndrome are known to have attention deficits and delayed information processing as well as difficulty managing arousability, factors that may disrupt their efforts at self-regulation. The researcher explored responses to ID singing in infants with Down syndrome (DS) and compared them with those of typically developing (TD) infants. Behaviors measured included infant gaze and affect as indicators of self-regulation. Participants included 3- to 9-month-old infants with and without DS who were videotaped throughout a 2-minute face-to-face interaction during which their mothers sang to them any song(s) of their choosing. Infant behavior was then coded for percentage of time spent demonstrating a specific gaze or affect type. All infants displayed sustained gaze more than any other gaze type. TD infants demonstrated intermittent gaze significantly more often than infants with DS. Infant status had no effect on affect type, and all infants showed predominantly neutral affect. Findings suggest that ID singing effectively maintains infant attention for both TD infants and infants with DS. However, infants with DS may have difficulty shifting attention during ID singing as needed to adjust arousal levels and self-regulate. High levels of neutral affect for all infants imply that ID singing is likely to promote a calm, curious state, regardless of infant status. © the American Music Therapy Association 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

What are infant siblings teaching us about autism in infancy?

PubMed Central

Rogers, Sally J.

2009-01-01

International research to understand infant patterns of development in autism spectrum disorders has recently focused on a research paradigm involving prospective longitudinal studies of infant siblings of children with autism. Such designs use a comparison group of infant siblings without any familial risks (the low- risk group) to gather longitudinal information about developmental skills across the first three years of life, followed by clinical diagnosis of ASD at 36 months. This review focuses on five topics: presence of ASD in the infant sibling groups, patterns and characteristics of motor development, patterns and characteristics of social and emotional development, patterns and characteristics of intentional communication, both verbal and nonverbal, and patterns that mark the onset of behaviors pathognomonic for ASD. Symptoms in all these areas typically begin to be detected during the age period of 12 –24 months in infants who will develop autism. Onset of the symptoms occurs at varying ages and in varying patterns, but the pattern of frank loss of skills and marked regression reported from previous retrospective studies in 20–30% of children is seldom reported in these infant sibling prospective studies. Two surprises involve the very early onset of repetitive and unusual sensory behaviors, and the lack of predictive symptoms at age 6 months. Contrary to current views that autism is a disorder that profoundly affects social development from the earliest months of life, the data from these studies presents a picture of autism as a disorder involving symptoms across multiple domains with a gradual onset that changes both ongoing developmental rate and established behavioral patterns across the first two to three years of life. PMID:19582867

What are infant siblings teaching us about autism in infancy?

PubMed

Rogers, Sally J

2009-06-01

International research to understand infant patterns of development in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has recently focused on a research paradigm involving prospective longitudinal studies of infant siblings of children with autism. Such designs use a comparison group of infant siblings without any familial risks (the low-risk group) to gather longitudinal information about developmental skills across the first 3 years of life, followed by clinical diagnosis of ASD at 36 months. This review focuses on five topics: presence of ASD in the infant sibling groups, patterns and characteristics of motor development, patterns and characteristics of social and emotional development, patterns and characteristics of intentional communication, both verbal and nonverbal, and patterns that mark the onset of behaviors pathognomonic for ASD. Symptoms in all these areas typically begin to be detected during the age period of 12-24 months in infants who will develop autism. Onset of the symptoms occurs at varying ages and in varying patterns, but the pattern of frank loss of skills and marked regression reported from previous retrospective studies in 20-30% of children is seldom reported in these infant sibling prospective studies. Two surprises involve the very early onset of repetitive and unusual sensory behaviors, and the lack of predictive symptoms at the age of 6 months. Contrary to current views that autism is a disorder that profoundly affects social development from the earliest months of life, the data from these studies presents a picture of autism as a disorder involving symptoms across multiple domains with a gradual onset that changes both ongoing developmental rate and established behavioral patterns across the first 2-3 years of life.

Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Do Not Preferentially Attend to Biological Motion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annaz, Dagmara; Campbell, Ruth; Coleman, Mike; Milne, Elizabeth; Swettenham, John

2012-01-01

Preferential attention to biological motion can be seen in typically developing infants in the first few days of life and is thought to be an important precursor in the development of social communication. We examined whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 3-7 years preferentially attend to point-light displays depicting…

Changes in Behavior and Salivary Cortisol after Targeted Cognitive Training in Typical 12-Month-Old Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wass, Sam V.; Cook, Clare; Clackson, Kaili

2017-01-01

Previous research has suggested that early development may be an optimal period to implement cognitive training interventions, particularly those relating to attention control, a basic ability that is essential for the development of other cognitive skills. In the present study, we administered gaze-contingent training (95 min across 2 weeks)…

Saccadic Reaction Times in Infants and Adults: Spatiotemporal Factors, Gender, and Interlaboratory Variation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenward, Ben; Koch, Felix-Sebastian; Forssman, Ida; Brehm, Julia; Tidemann, Linda; Sundqvist, Annette; Marciszkom, Carin; Hermansen, Tone Kristine; Heimann, Mikael; Gredebäck, Gustaf

2017-01-01

Saccade latency is widely used across infant psychology to investigate infants' understanding of events. Interpreting particular latency values requires knowledge of standard saccadic RTs, but there is no consensus as to typical values. This study provides standard estimates of infants' (n = 194, ages 9 to 15 months) saccadic RTs under a range of…

Motor Contingency Learning and Infants with Spina Bifida

PubMed Central

Taylor, Heather B.; Barnes, Marcia A.; Landry, Susan H.; Swank, Paul; Fletcher, Jack M.; Huang, Furong

2014-01-01

Infants with Spina Bifida (SB) were compared to typically developing infants (TD) using a conjugate reinforcement paradigm at 6 months-of-age (n = 98) to evaluate learning, and retention of a sensory-motor contingency. Analyses evaluated infant arm-waving rates at baseline (wrist not tethered to mobile), during acquisition of the sensory-motor contingency (wrist tethered), and immediately after the acquisition phase and then after a delay (wrist not tethered), controlling for arm reaching ability, gestational age, and socioeconomic status. Although both groups responded to the contingency with increased arm-waving from baseline to acquisition, 15% to 29% fewer infants with SB than TD were found to learn the contingency depending on the criterion used to determine contingency learning. In addition, infants with SB who had learned the contingency had more difficulty retaining the contingency over time when sensory feedback was absent. The findings suggest that infants with SB do not learn motor contingencies as easily or at the same rate as TD infants, and are more likely to decrease motor responses when sensory feedback is absent. Results are discussed with reference to research on contingency learning in infants with and without neurodevelopmental disorders, and with reference to motor learning in school-age children with SB. PMID:23298791

Is early nutrition related to short-term health and long-term outcome?

PubMed

Szajewska, Hania; Makrides, Maria

2011-01-01

This paper summarizes the literature concerning the effects of administering (1) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA), (2) probiotics and/or (3) prebiotics to preterm infants. Clinically relevant, short- and long-term efficacy outcomes, such as those related to a reduced risk of disease, as well as outcomes related to safety, were sought. MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library literature searches performed in September 2010 were limited to randomized controlled trials, their systematic reviews or meta-analyses. LCPUFA supplementation, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), of infant formula for preterm infants has consistently demonstrated better visual development of preterm infants compared with unsupplemented formulas. There is increasing evidence to suggest that LCPUFA supplementation for preterm infants is also related to improvements in more global measures of development, without any adverse effects. It is, however, important to note that the DHA doses tested in the infant formula interventions for preterm infants have been rather conservative. Newer studies comparing dietary DHA concentrations that match in utero accumulation rates with dietary DHA concentrations typical in the milk of women consuming little fish or in supplemented infant formulas demonstrate that these higher DHA doses are related to improvements in domains of cognitive development. Although further work is needed to better understand the optimal DHA requirements of preterm infants, it is clear that a dietary source of DHA is important to support neurodevelopment. To date, the most promising application of probiotics in preterm infants is the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis by the administration of certain probiotics. Many other benefits of administering probiotics and/or prebiotics to preterm infants are, however, largely unproven. Efficacy and safety should be established for each probiotic and/or prebiotic product. Further research should specify strain-specific outcomes and determine optimal dosing schedules. Safety and long-term follow-up studies are of particular interest. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Brazilian validation of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

PubMed

Valentini, Nadia Cristina; Saccani, Raquel

2012-03-01

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is a well-known motor assessment tool used to identify potential delays in infants' motor development. Although Brazilian researchers and practitioners have used the AIMS in laboratories and clinical settings, its translation to Portuguese and validation for the Brazilian population is yet to be investigated. This study aimed to translate and validate all AIMS items with respect to internal consistency and content, criterion, and construct validity. A cross-sectional and longitudinal design was used. A cross-cultural translation was used to generate a Brazilian-Portuguese version of the AIMS. In addition, a validation process was conducted involving 22 professionals and 766 Brazilian infants (aged 0-18 months). The results demonstrated language clarity and internal consistency for the motor criteria (motor development score, α=.90; prone, α=.85; supine, α=.92; sitting, α=.84; and standing, α=.86). The analysis also revealed high discriminative power to identify typical and atypical development (motor development score, P<.001; percentile, P=.04; classification criterion, χ(2)=6.03; P=.05). Temporal stability (P=.07) (rho=.85, P<.001) was observed, and predictive power (P<.001) was limited to the group of infants aged from 3 months to 9 months. Limited predictive validity was observed, which may have been due to the restricted time that the groups were followed longitudinally. In sum, the translated version of AIMS presented adequate validity and reliability.

Infant Positioning, Baby Gear Use, and Cranial Asymmetry.

PubMed

Zachry, Anne H; Nolan, Vikki G; Hand, Sarah B; Klemm, Susan A

2017-12-01

Objectives This study aimed to identify predictors of cranial asymmetry. We hypothesize that among infants diagnosed with cranial asymmetry in the sampled region, there is an association between exposure to more time in baby gear and less awake time in prone and side-lying than in infants who do not present with this condition. Methods The study employed a cross sectional survey of caregivers of typically developing infants and infants diagnosed with cranial asymmetry. Results A mutivariable model reveals that caregivers of children who are diagnosed with cranial asymmetry report their children spending significantly less time in prone play than those children without a diagnosis of cranial asymmetry. Side-lying and time spent in baby gear did not attain statistical significance. Conclusions for Practice Occupational therapists, physical therapists, pediatricians, nurses and other health care professionals must provide parents with early education about the importance of varying positions and prone play in infancy and address fears and concerns that may serve as barriers to providing prone playtime.

Performance on a Stage IV Object-Permanence Task with Standard and Nonstandard Covers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

And Others; Rader, Nancy

1979-01-01

Examined the role of perceptual-motor development in a typical Stage IV task. The performance of ten infants was compared on a Stage IV object permanence task when a cloth cover was used and when a small card cover was used. (JMB)

Early intensive postural and movement training advances head control in very young infants.

PubMed

Lee, Hui-Min; Galloway, James Cole

2012-07-01

Daily experiences are thought to play an important role in motor development during infancy. There are limited studies on the effect of postural and movement experiences on head control. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of postural and movement experiences on head control through a comprehensive set of measurements beginning when infants were 1 month old. This was a prospective, longitudinal, 2-cohort study. Twenty-two full-term infants who were healthy were randomly assigned to either a training group or a control group. Infants were observed every other week from 1 to 4 months of age. Head control was assessed using a standardized developmental assessment tool, the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP), as well as behavioral coding and kinematics of infants' head postures and movements in a supported sitting position. Caregivers performed at least 20 minutes of daily postural and movement activities (training group), or social interaction (control group) for 4 weeks. The training group had higher TIMP scores on head control-related items during the training period and after training stopped compared with the control group. Starting from the during training phase, the training group infants had their heads in a vertical and midline position longer compared with the control group infants. After training stopped, the training group infants actively moved their heads forward more often and for larger distances. The experiences outside daily training were not monitored, and the results may be specific to the experimental setup for infants with typical development. Young infants are able to take advantage of postural and movement experiences to rapidly advance their head control as early as 4 to 6 weeks of postnatal life. Infant positioning, caregiver handling, and caregiver-infant interactions were likely contributing factors. This database of comprehensive measures may be useful in future trials focused on head control in infants with special needs.

Regional Infant Brain Development: An MRI-Based Morphometric Analysis in 3 to 13 Month Olds

PubMed Central

Choe, Myong-sun; Ortiz-Mantilla, Silvia; Makris, Nikos; Gregas, Matt; Bacic, Janine; Haehn, Daniel; Kennedy, David; Pienaar, Rudolph; Caviness, Verne S.; Benasich, April A.; Grant, P. Ellen

2013-01-01

Elucidation of infant brain development is a critically important goal given the enduring impact of these early processes on various domains including later cognition and language. Although infants’ whole-brain growth rates have long been available, regional growth rates have not been reported systematically. Accordingly, relatively less is known about the dynamics and organization of typically developing infant brains. Here we report global and regional volumetric growth of cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem with gender dimorphism, in 33 cross-sectional scans, over 3 to 13 months, using T1-weighted 3-dimensional spoiled gradient echo images and detailed semi-automated brain segmentation. Except for the midbrain and lateral ventricles, all absolute volumes of brain regions showed significant growth, with 6 different patterns of volumetric change. When normalized to the whole brain, the regional increase was characterized by 5 differential patterns. The putamen, cerebellar hemispheres, and total cerebellum were the only regions that showed positive growth in the normalized brain. Our results show region-specific patterns of volumetric change and contribute to the systematic understanding of infant brain development. This study greatly expands our knowledge of normal development and in future may provide a basis for identifying early deviation above and beyond normative variation that might signal higher risk for neurological disorders. PMID:22772652

The Brainstem and Serotonin in the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

PubMed Central

Kinney, Hannah C.; Richerson, George B.; Dymecki, Susan M.; Darnall, Robert A.; Nattie, Eugene E.

2012-01-01

The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age that is typically associated with sleep and that remains unexplained after a complete autopsy and death scene investigation. A leading hypothesis about its pathogenesis is that many cases result from defects in brainstem-mediated protective responses to homeostatic stressors occurring during sleep in a critical developmental period. Here we review the evidence for the brainstem hypothesis in SIDS with a focus upon abnormalities related to the neurotransmitter serotonin in the medulla oblongata, as these are the most robust pathologic findings to date. In this context, we synthesize the human autopsy data with genetic, whole-animal, and cellular data concerning the function and development of the medullary serotonergic system. These emerging data suggest an important underlying mechanism in SIDS that may help lead to identification of infants at risk and specific interventions to prevent death. PMID:19400695

Hypotonic-hyporesponsive episodes after administration of hexavalent DTP-based combination vaccine: A description of 12 cases.

PubMed

Vigo, Alessandro; Costagliola, Giulia; Ferrero, Elisa; Noce, Silvia

2017-06-03

Hypotonic-hyporesponsive (HHE) episodes are known and recognized phenomena, which typically occur within 48 hours of immunisation..Our aim is to describe 12 cases of HHE brought to the Center of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, with attention to the clinical features of the episode and their follow-up. Medical charts of infants visited between 2005-2015 were reviewed. Twelve infants showed a HHE using HHE using Brighton Collaboration Criteria. All infants received a Hexavalent diphtheria -tetanus -pertussis acellular component -hepatitis B-,inactivated poliovirus- Haemophilus influenzae type-b conjugate vaccine. Five out of 12 were brought to Emergency Department, where 2 were symptomatic (one was hyporeactive, the other had fever). No infant died during the episode, or the follow-up, nor developed neurological disease after subsequent vaccinations. HHE are confirmed as benign events, even after administration of hexavalent vaccination, devoid of negative neuropsychomotor outcome.

Places and postures: A cross-cultural comparison of sitting in 5-month-olds

PubMed Central

Karasik, Lana B.; Tamis-LeMonda, Catherine S.; Adolph, Karen E.; Bornstein, Marc H.

2016-01-01

Motor development—traditionally described in terms of age-related stages—is typically studied in the laboratory with participants of Western European descent. Cross-cultural studies typically focus on group differences in age-related stages relative to Western norms. We adopted a less traditional approach: We observed 5-month-olds and their mothers from six cultural groups around the world during one hour at home while they engaged in natural daily activities. We examined group differences in infants’ sitting proficiency, everyday opportunities to practice sitting, the surfaces on which sitting took place, and mothers’ proximity to sitting infants. Infants had opportunities to practice sitting in varied contexts—including ground, infant chairs, and raised surfaces. Proficiency varied considerably within and between cultural groups: 64% of the sample sat only with support from mother or furniture and 36% sat independently. Some infants sat unsupported for 20+ minutes, in some cases so securely that mothers moved beyond arms’ reach of their infants even while infants sat on raised surfaces. Our observations of infant sitting across cultures provide new insights into the striking range of ability, varied opportunities for practice, and contextual factors that influence the proficiency of infant motor skills. PMID:26924852

The early development of infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder: Characteristics of sibling interactions

PubMed Central

Warreyn, Petra; Van der Paelt, Sara; Demurie, Ellen; Roeyers, Herbert

2018-01-01

Although sibling interactions play an important role in children’s early development, they are rarely studied in very young children with an older brother or sister with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study used a naturalistic, observational method to compare interactions between 18-month-old infants and their older sibling with ASD (n = 22) with a control group of 18-month-old infants and their typically developing (TD) older sibling (n = 29). In addition, role (a)symmetry and the influence of gender were evaluated. Sibling interactions in ASD-dyads were characterized by higher levels of negativity. Although somewhat less pronounced in ASD-dyads, role asymmetry was present in both groups, with the older child taking the dominant position. Finally, siblings pairs with an older sister were characterized by more positive behaviours. Since differences in sibling interactions may alter the developmental trajectories of both siblings, these early relationships should be taken into account in future ASD research and interventions. PMID:29543814

The early development of infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder: Characteristics of sibling interactions.

PubMed

Bontinck, Chloè; Warreyn, Petra; Van der Paelt, Sara; Demurie, Ellen; Roeyers, Herbert

2018-01-01

Although sibling interactions play an important role in children's early development, they are rarely studied in very young children with an older brother or sister with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study used a naturalistic, observational method to compare interactions between 18-month-old infants and their older sibling with ASD (n = 22) with a control group of 18-month-old infants and their typically developing (TD) older sibling (n = 29). In addition, role (a)symmetry and the influence of gender were evaluated. Sibling interactions in ASD-dyads were characterized by higher levels of negativity. Although somewhat less pronounced in ASD-dyads, role asymmetry was present in both groups, with the older child taking the dominant position. Finally, siblings pairs with an older sister were characterized by more positive behaviours. Since differences in sibling interactions may alter the developmental trajectories of both siblings, these early relationships should be taken into account in future ASD research and interventions.

Sleep phenotypes in infants and toddlers with neurogenetic syndromes.

PubMed

Abel, Emily A; Tonnsen, Bridgette L

2017-10-01

Although sleep problems are well characterized in preschool- and school-age children with neurogenetic syndromes, little is known regarding the early emergence of these problems in infancy and toddlerhood. To inform syndrome-specific profiles and targets for intervention, we compared parent-reported sleep problems in infants and toddlers with Angelman syndrome (AS), Williams syndrome (WS), and Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) with patterns observed among same-aged typically developing (TD) controls. Mothers of 80 children (18 AS, 19 WS, 19 PWS, and 24 TD) completed the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire. Primary dependent variables included (1) sleep onset latency, (2) total sleep duration, (3) daytime and nighttime sleep duration, and (4) sleep problem severity, as measured by both maternal impression and National Sleep Foundation guidelines. Sleep problems are relatively common in children with neurogenetic syndromes, with 41% of mothers reporting problematic sleep and 29% of children exhibiting abnormal sleep durations as per national guidelines. Across genetic subgroups, problems are most severe in children with AS and WS, particularly in relation to nighttime sleep duration. Although atypical sleep is characteristically reported in each syndrome later in development, infants and toddlers with PWS exhibited largely typical patterns, potentially indicating delayed onset of sleep problems in concordance with other medical features of PWS. Our findings suggest that sleep problems in neurogenetic syndromes emerge as early as infancy and toddlerhood, with variable profiles across genetic subgroups. This work underscores the importance of early sleep screenings as part of routine medical care of neurosyndromic populations and the need for targeted, syndrome-sensitive treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Embodied intersubjective engagement in mother–infant tactile communication: a cross-cultural study of Japanese and Scottish mother–infant behaviors during infant pick-up

PubMed Central

Negayama, Koichi; Delafield-Butt, Jonathan T.; Momose, Keiko; Ishijima, Konomi; Kawahara, Noriko; Lux, Erin J.; Murphy, Andrew; Kaliarntas, Konstantinos

2015-01-01

This study examines the early development of cultural differences in a simple, embodied, and intersubjective engagement between mothers putting down, picking up, and carrying their infants between Japan and Scotland. Eleven Japanese and ten Scottish mothers with their 6- and then 9-month-old infants participated. Video and motion analyses were employed to measure motor patterns of the mothers’ approach to their infants, as well as their infants’ collaborative responses during put-down, pick-up, and carry phases. Japanese and Scottish mothers approached their infants with different styles and their infants responded differently to the short duration of separation during the trial. A greeting-like behavior of the arms and hands was prevalent in the Scottish mothers’ approach, but not in the Japanese mothers’ approach. Japanese mothers typically kneeled before making the final reach to pick-up their children, giving a closer, apparently gentler final approach of the torso than Scottish mothers, who bent at the waist with larger movements of the torso. Measures of the gap closure between the mothers’ hands to their infants’ heads revealed variably longer duration and distance gap closures with greater velocity by the Scottish mothers than by the Japanese mothers. Further, the sequence of Japanese mothers’ body actions on approach, contact, pick-up, and hold was more coordinated at 6 months than at 9 months. Scottish mothers were generally more variable on approach. Measures of infant participation and expressivity indicate more active participation in the negotiation during the separation and pick-up phases by Scottish infants. Thus, this paper demonstrates a culturally different onset of development of joint attention in pick-up. These differences reflect cultures of everyday interaction. PMID:25774139

New Meanings of Thin-Skinned: The Contrasting Attentional Profiles of Typical 12-Month-Olds Who Show High, and Low, Stress Reactivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wass, Sam V.; de Barbaro, Kaya; Clackson, Kaili; Leong, Victoria

2018-01-01

Previous research is inconsistent as to whether a more labile (faster-changing) autonomic system confers performance advantages, or disadvantages, in infants and children. To examine this, we presented a stimulus battery consisting of mixed static and dynamic viewing materials to a cohort of 63 typical 12-month-old infants. While viewing the…

Investigation of brain structure in the 1-month infant.

PubMed

Dean, Douglas C; Planalp, E M; Wooten, W; Schmidt, C K; Kecskemeti, S R; Frye, C; Schmidt, N L; Goldsmith, H H; Alexander, A L; Davidson, R J

2018-05-01

The developing brain undergoes systematic changes that occur at successive stages of maturation. Deviations from the typical neurodevelopmental trajectory are hypothesized to underlie many early childhood disorders; thus, characterizing the earliest patterns of normative brain development is essential. Recent neuroimaging research provides insight into brain structure during late childhood and adolescence; however, few studies have examined the infant brain, particularly in infants under 3 months of age. Using high-resolution structural MRI, we measured subcortical gray and white matter brain volumes in a cohort (N = 143) of 1-month infants and examined characteristics of these volumetric measures throughout this early period of neurodevelopment. We show that brain volumes undergo age-related changes during the first month of life, with the corresponding patterns of regional asymmetry and sexual dimorphism. Specifically, males have larger total brain volume and volumes differ by sex in regionally specific brain regions, after correcting for total brain volume. Consistent with findings from studies of later childhood and adolescence, subcortical regions appear more rightward asymmetric. Neither sex differences nor regional asymmetries changed with gestation-corrected age. Our results complement a growing body of work investigating the earliest neurobiological changes associated with development and suggest that asymmetry and sexual dimorphism are present at birth.

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants.

PubMed

Cruz-Garza, Jesus G; Hernandez, Zachery R; Tse, Teresa; Caducoy, Eunice; Abibullaev, Berdakh; Contreras-Vidal, Jose L

2015-10-04

Understanding typical and atypical development remains one of the fundamental questions in developmental human neuroscience. Traditionally, experimental paradigms and analysis tools have been limited to constrained laboratory tasks and contexts due to technical limitations imposed by the available set of measuring and analysis techniques and the age of the subjects. These limitations severely limit the study of developmental neural dynamics and associated neural networks engaged in cognition, perception and action in infants performing "in action and in context". This protocol presents a novel approach to study infants and young children as they freely organize their own behavior, and its consequences in a complex, partly unpredictable and highly dynamic environment. The proposed methodology integrates synchronized high-density active scalp electroencephalography (EEG), inertial measurement units (IMUs), video recording and behavioral analysis to capture brain activity and movement non-invasively in freely-behaving infants. This setup allows for the study of neural network dynamics in the developing brain, in action and context, as these networks are recruited during goal-oriented, exploration and social interaction tasks.

Analysis of Social Referencing Skills among Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brim, Devorah; Townsend, Dawn Buffington; DeQuinzio, Jaime Ann; Poulson, Claire L.

2009-01-01

Social referencing, a form of nonverbal communication, involves seeking out discriminative stimuli provided by others about contingencies in an ambiguous context in order to respond in a manner that produces reinforcement. Although demonstrated by typically developing infants, social referencing is notably absent or impaired in individuals with…

Interventions and Outcomes for Children with Dysphagia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gisel, Erika

2008-01-01

Feeding problems are common even in typically developing infants and children. However, they are more frequent and persistent in children with developmental disabilities. This article will provide an overview of current literature and a rationale underlying the interventions used for children with cerebral palsy (CP) who have eating impairments…

Can non-invasive measurement of gut oxygenation predict necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Factors that contribute to the development of NEC include hypoperfusion or decreased oxygenation of splanchnic tissue. Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) will be used to assess gut oxygenation non-invasively. Typically NIRS is primarily used for cerebral hemodynamic monitoring; we intend to apply it ...

Reference curves for the Brazilian Alberta Infant Motor Scale: percentiles for clinical description and follow-up over time.

PubMed

Saccani, Raquel; Valentini, Nadia C

2012-01-01

To compare Alberta Infant Motor Scale scores for Brazilian infants with the Canadian norm and to construct sex-specific reference curves and percentiles for motor development for a Brazilian population. This study recruited 795 children aged 0 to 18 months from a number of different towns in Brazil. Infants were assessed by an experienced researcher in a silent room using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Sex-specific percentiles (P5, P10, P25, P50, P75 and P90) were calculated and analyzed for each age in months from 0 to 18 months. No significant differences (p > 0.05) between boys and girls were observed for the majority of ages. The exception was 14 months, where the girls scored higher for overall motor performance (p = 0.015) and had a higher development percentile (0.021). It was observed that the development curves demonstrated a tendency to nonlinear development in both sexes and for both typical and atypical children. Variation in motor acquisition was minimal at the extremes of the age range: during the first two months of life and from 15 months onwards. Although the Alberta Infant Motor Scale is widely used in both research and clinical practice, it has certain limitations in terms of behavioral differentiation before 2 months and after 15 months. This reduced sensitivity at the extremes of the age range may be related to the number of motor items assessed at these ages and their difficulty. It is suggested that other screening instruments be employed for children over the age of 15 months.

Early erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Ohlsson, Arne; Aher, Sanjay M

2014-04-26

Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anaemia. To assess the effectiveness and safety of early initiation of EPO or darepoetin (initiated before eight days after birth) in reducing red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in preterm and/orlow birth weight infants. The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, reference lists of identified trials and reviews, Pediatric Academic Societies Annual meetings 2000 to 2013 (Abstracts2View(TM)) and clinical trials registries (clinicaltrials.gov; controlled-trials.com; and who.int/ictrp) were searched in July 2013. Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of early (< eight days of age) initiation of EPO treatment versus placebo or no intervention in preterm and/or low birth weightinfants. The methods of the Neonatal Cochrane Review Group were used. The updated review includes 27 studies enrolling 2209 infants. One study enrolling infants at a mean age of > eight days and one duplicate publication were excluded. One new study using darepoetin was identified.Early EPO reduced the risk of the 'use of one or more RBC transfusions' (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73 to 0.85; typical risk difference (RD) -0.14, 95% CI -0.18 to -0.10; I(2) = 54% for both; number needed to treat to benefit (NNTB) 7, 95% CI 6 to 10; 16 studies, 1661 infants).The total volume of RBCs transfused per infant was reduced (typical mean difference (MD) 7 mL/kg, 95% CI -12 to - 2; I(2) = 63%; 7 studies, 581 infants). The number of RBC transfusions per infant was minimally reduced (typical MD -0.27, 95% CI -0.42 to -0.12; I(2) = 64%; 13 studies, 951 infants). The number of donors to whom the infants were exposed was significantly reduced (MD-0.54, 95% CI -0.89 to -0.20; I(2) = 0%; 3 studies, 254 infants).There was a non-significant increase in the risk of stage ≥ 3 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with early EPO (typical RR 1.37, 95% CI 0.87 to 2.17; I(2) = 0%; typical RD 0.03, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.06; I(2) = 29%; 7 studies, 801 infants). A post hoc analysis including all studies that reported on ROP stage ≥ 3, regardless of the age of the infant when EPO treatment was started, showed a significantly increased typical RR of 1.48 (95% CI 1.02 to 2.13; P = 0.04; I(2) = 0%) and typical RD of 0.03 (95% CI 0.00 to 0.06; P = 0.03; I(2) = 50%; 10 studies, 1303 infants) with a number needed to treat to harm (NNTH) of 33 (95% CI 17 to infinity). In an Italian study in which the authors compared the use of early intravenous EPO with subcutaneous EPO the overall incidence of stage ≥ 3 was 15%, similar to the incidence of 17% in the study by Romagnoli and co-workers.The rates for mortality and morbidities including intraventricular haemorrhage and necrotizing enterocolitis were not significantly changed by early EPO treatment. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 to 22 months varied. Early administration of EPO reduces the use of RBC transfusions, the volume of RBCs transfused, and donor exposure after study entry. The small reductions are likely to be of limited clinical importance. Donor exposure is probably not avoided since all but one study included infants who had received RBC transfusions prior to trial entry. In this update there was no significant increase in the rate of ROP (stage ≥ 3) for studies that initiated EPO treatment at less than eight days of age. In a post hoc analysis including all studies that reported on ROP stage ≥ 3 regardless of age at initiation of treatment there was an increased risk of ROP. The rates for mortality and morbidities including intraventricular haemorrhage and necrotizing enterocolitis were not significantly changed by early EPO treatment. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 to 22 months vary in the studies published to date. Ongoing research should deal with the issue of ROP and evaluate current clinical practice that will limit donor exposure. Due to the limited benefits and the possibly increased risk of ROP, administration of EPO is not recommended. Darbepoetin requires further study. The possible neuroprotective role of EPO in neonates will be reviewed in separate Cochrane reviews.

Frontal brain electrical activity (EEG) and heart rate in response to affective infant-directed (ID) speech in 9-month-old infants.

PubMed

Santesso, Diane L; Schmidt, Louis A; Trainor, Laurel J

2007-10-01

Many studies have shown that infants prefer infant-directed (ID) speech to adult-directed (AD) speech. ID speech functions to aid language learning, obtain and/or maintain an infant's attention, and create emotional communication between the infant and caregiver. We examined psychophysiological responses to ID speech that varied in affective content (i.e., love/comfort, surprise, fear) in a group of typically developing 9-month-old infants. Regional EEG and heart rate were collected continuously during stimulus presentation. We found the pattern of overall frontal EEG power was linearly related to affective intensity of the ID speech, such that EEG power was greatest in response to fear, than surprise than love/comfort; this linear pattern was specific to the frontal region. We also noted that heart rate decelerated to ID speech independent of affective content. As well, infants who were reported by their mothers as temperamentally distressed tended to exhibit greater relative right frontal EEG activity during baseline and in response to affective ID speech, consistent with previous work with visual stimuli and extending it to the auditory modality. Findings are discussed in terms of how increases in frontal EEG power in response to different affective intensity may reflect the cognitive aspects of emotional processing across sensory domains in infancy.

Detection of milk oligosaccharides in plasma of infants

PubMed Central

Ruhaak, L. Renee; Stroble, Carol; Underwood, Mark A.; Lebrilla, Carlito B.

2014-01-01

Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) are one of the major components of human milk. HMO are non-digestible by the human gut, where they are known to play important functions as prebiotics and decoys for binding pathogens. Moreover, it has been proposed that HMO may provide sialic acids to the infant that are important in brain development, however this would require absorption of HMO into the bloodstream. HMO have consistently been found in the urine of humans and other mammals, suggesting systemic absorption. Here we present a procedure for the profiling of milk oligosaccharides (MO) in plasma samples obtained from 13 term infants hospitalized for surgery for congenital heart disease. The method comprises protein denaturation, oligosaccharide reduction and porous graphitized carbon solid phase extraction for purification followed by analysis using nHPLC-PGC-chip-TOF-MS. Approximately 15 free MO were typically observed in the plasma of human infants, including LNT, LDFP, LNFT, 3’SL, 6’SL, 3’SLN and 6’SLN, of which the presence was confirmed using fragmentation studies. A novel third isomer of SLN, not found in human or bovine milk was also consistently detected. Differences in the free MO profiles were observed between infants that were totally formula-fed and infants that received at least some part breast milk. Our results indicate that free MO similar in structure to those found in human milk and urine are present in the blood of infants. The method and results presented here will facilitate further research toward the possible roles of free MO in the development of the infant. PMID:25059723

Audio-visual speech perception in infants and toddlers with Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and Williams syndrome.

PubMed

D'Souza, Dean; D'Souza, Hana; Johnson, Mark H; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette

2016-08-01

Typically-developing (TD) infants can construct unified cross-modal percepts, such as a speaking face, by integrating auditory-visual (AV) information. This skill is a key building block upon which higher-level skills, such as word learning, are built. Because word learning is seriously delayed in most children with neurodevelopmental disorders, we assessed the hypothesis that this delay partly results from a deficit in integrating AV speech cues. AV speech integration has rarely been investigated in neurodevelopmental disorders, and never previously in infants. We probed for the McGurk effect, which occurs when the auditory component of one sound (/ba/) is paired with the visual component of another sound (/ga/), leading to the perception of an illusory third sound (/da/ or /tha/). We measured AV integration in 95 infants/toddlers with Down, fragile X, or Williams syndrome, whom we matched on Chronological and Mental Age to 25 TD infants. We also assessed a more basic AV perceptual ability: sensitivity to matching vs. mismatching AV speech stimuli. Infants with Williams syndrome failed to demonstrate a McGurk effect, indicating poor AV speech integration. Moreover, while the TD children discriminated between matching and mismatching AV stimuli, none of the other groups did, hinting at a basic deficit or delay in AV speech processing, which is likely to constrain subsequent language development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Persistence of Retinopathy of Prematurity in an Infant with Tetralogy of Fallot

PubMed Central

Celik, Gokhan; Uludag, Gunay

2016-01-01

We report an infant with tetralogy of fallot (TOF) who was born at 35 weeks of gestation and of 1700 g birth weight and presented with persistent retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) at 6 months of age. Follow-up ophthalmic examinations were done at 2, 3, and 4 weeks of age. A demarcation line in Zone II was noticed on the first ocular examination done at 4 weeks of postnatal age. At 6 months of postnatal age, the infant still had an avascular peripheral retina with the demarcation line in Zone II. Even though this index subject did not have any typical risk factors for ROP, TOF seems to be the probable reason for developing as well as persistence of avascular retina. PMID:27525147

The University of Western Ontario Pediatric Audiological Monitoring Protocol (UWO PedAMP)

PubMed Central

Moodie, Sheila T.; Malandrino, April C.; Richert, Frances M.; Clench, Debbie A.; Scollie, Susan D.

2011-01-01

This study proposed and evaluated a guideline for outcome evaluation for infants and children with hearing loss who wear hearing aids. The University of Western Ontario Pediatric Audiological Monitoring Protocol (UWO PedAMP) was developed following a critical review of pediatric outcome evaluation tools and was systematically examined by the Network of Pediatric Audiologists of Canada. It consists of tools to gather clinical process outcomes as well as functional caregiver reports. The UWO PedAMP was administered to a clinical population of infants and children with hearing aids. Sixty-eight children were administered the functional outcome evaluation tools (i.e., caregiver reports) a total of 133 times. Clinical process outcomes of hearing aid verification (e.g., real-ear-to-coupler difference) revealed typical aided audibility (e.g., Speech Intelligibility Index). Results for the LittlEARS® questionnaire revealed that typically developing children with hearing loss who wear hearing aids are meeting auditory development milestones. Children with mild to moderate comorbidities displayed typical auditory development during the 1st year of life after which development began to decline. Children with complex factors related to hearing aid use had lower scores on the LittlEARS, but auditory development was in parallel to norms. Parents’ Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance (PEACH) results indicated no age effect on scoring for children above 2 years of age; however, the effect of degree of hearing loss was significant. This work provides clinicians with a systematic, evidence-based outcome evaluation protocol to implement as part of a complete pediatric hearing aid fitting. PMID:22194316

Neonatal Amygdala Lesions Alter Mother–Infant Interactions in Rhesus Monkeys Living in a Species-Typical Social Environment

PubMed Central

Stephens, Shannon B.Z.; Sanchez, Mar; Bachevalier, Jocelyne; Wallen, Kim

2015-01-01

The current study examined the effects of neonatal amygdala lesions on mother–infant interactions in rhesus monkeys reared in large species-typical social groups. Focal observations of mother–infant interactions were collected in their social group for the first 12 months postpartum on infants that had received amygdala lesions (Neo-A) at 24–25 days of age and control infants. Early amygdala lesions resulted in subtle behavioral alterations. Neo-A females exhibited earlier emergence of independence from the mother than did control females, spending more time away from their mother, whereas Neo-A males did not. Also, a set of behaviors, including coo vocalizations, time in contact, and time away from the mother, accurately discriminated Neo-A females from control females, but not Neo-A and control males. Data suggest that neonatal amygdalectomy either reduced fear, therefore increasing exploration in females, or reduced the positive reward value of maternal contact. Unlike females, neonatal amygdala lesions had little measurable effects on male mother–infant interactions. The source of this sex difference is unknown. PMID:24986273

Ibuprofen for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Ohlsson, A; Walia, R; Shah, S

2008-01-23

A patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) complicates the clinical course of preterm infants, increasing their risks of developing chronic lung disease (CLD), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Indomethacin is used as standard therapy to close a PDA, but is associated with reduced blood flow to the brain, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. Ibuprofen, another cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, may be as effective as indomethacin, with fewer side effects. To determine the effectiveness and safety of ibuprofen compared to placebo or no intervention for closing a PDA in preterm and/or low birth weight infants. To determine the effectiveness and safety of ibuprofen compared to other cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors (including indomethacin, mefenamic acid) for closing a PDA in preterm and/or low birth weight infants. Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ibuprofen to placebo or indomethacin or mefenamic acid for therapy of PDA were identified by searching the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2007), MEDLINE (1996 - August 2007), CINAHL (1982 - August 2007), EMBASE (1980 - August 2007), reference lists of published RCTs and abstracts from the Pediatric Academic Societies and the European Society for Pediatric Research meetings published in Pediatric Research (1991 - April 2005) or on their website (to August 2007). No language restrictions were applied. 1) DESIGN: Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials2) POPULATION: Preterm (< 37 weeks gestational age) or low birth weight infants (< 2500 g) with a clinically or echocardiographically diagnosed PDA3) INTERVENTION: Administration of ibuprofen (orally or intravenously) for the closure of PDA4) OUTCOMES: At least one of the following outcomes were reported: failure to close a PDA, mortality, surgical ductal ligation, intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), NEC, decreased urine output, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), chronic lung disease (CLD), sepsis, pulmonary hemorrhage, pulmonary hypertension, duration of supplementary oxygen, duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of hospital stay, and serum creatinine levels following treatment. At least two review authors worked independently at each step of the original review, then compared results and resolved differences. The current update was conducted by one review author (AO). Methodological quality of eligible studies was assessed according to blinding of randomization, of intervention and of outcome assessment, and completeness of follow up. Weighted treatment effects, calculated using RevMan 4.2.10, included typical relative risk (RR), typical risk difference (RD), number needed to treat to benefit (NNT) or harm (NNH), and weighted mean difference (WMD), all with 95% confidence intervals (CI). A fixed effect model was used for meta-analyses. Heterogeneity tests including the I-squared test (I(2)) were performed to assess the appropriateness of pooling the data. No studies using mefenamic acid were identified. Sixteen studies enrolling 876 infants were identified. Four additional trials were identified for this update and two studies published as abstracts were now available as full articles. One study compared ibuprofen to placebo, but the results were not reported unblinded to intervention group. Fifteen studies including 740 infants compared the effectiveness of ibuprofen to indomethacin for the closure of a PDA. For the primary outcome (failure of ductal closure), there was no statistically significant difference between ibuprofen and indomethacin groups [typical RR 0.99 (95% CI 0.78, 1.27); typical RD 0.00 (95% CI -0.06, 0.06)]. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality, reopening of the ductus, need for surgical duct ligation, duration of ventilator support, duration of supplementary oxygen, pulmonary hemorrhage, pulmonary hypertension, CLD, IVH, PVL, NEC, intestinal perforation, gastrointestinal bleed, time to full enteral feeds, time to regain birth weight, ROP, sepsis, duration of hospitalization. Ibuprofen treatment was associated with statistically significantly lower serum creatinine levels after treatment (6 trials, 336 infants; WMD - 8.2 (95% CI -13.3, -3.2) mmol/L and lower incidence of 'decreased urine output' [3 trials, 336 infants; typical RR; 0.22 (95% CI 0.09, 0.51); typical RD -0.12 (95% CI -0.18, -0.06); NNT 8 (95% CI 6,17)]. There was moderate heterogeneity of treatment effect for the outcomes 'time to regain birth weight' and 'decreased urine output". Heterogeneity was not noted for other outcomes. For several of these outcomes, the sample size was small and the estimates imprecise. There are not enough data available regarding the effectiveness of oral ibuprofen compared with indomethacin to close a PDA [3 trials, 69 infants; typical RR 1.41 (95% CI 0.68, 2.93); typical RD 0.10 (95% CI -0.10, 0.30)]. Pulmonary hypertension was noted in one infant receiving ibuprofen to close a PDA enrolled in a trial in this review and an additional report of such a case was identified from the literature. No statistically significant difference in the effectiveness of ibuprofen compared to indomethacin in closing a PDA was found. Ibuprofen compared with indomethacin reduces the risk of oliguria and is associated with lower serum creatinine levels following treatment. Pulmonary hypertension has been observed in three infants after prophylactic use of ibuprofen and one infant receiving ibuprofen for treatment in this review developed pulmonary hypertension. One additional case of pulmonary hypertension following treatment with ibuprofen to close a PDA was identified from the literature. The available data support the use of either drug for the treatment of a PDA. As both drugs are equally effective in closing a PDA, the clinician needs to weigh the potential side effects of one drug vs. the other when making a decision which drug to use. The most urgent research question to be answered is whether ibuprofen compared to indomethacin confers an improved rate of intact survival (survival without impairment) at 18 months corrected age and at the age of school entry.

Sex-dependent role of the amygdala in the development of emotional and neuroendocrine reactivity to threatening stimuli in infant and juvenile rhesus monkeys

PubMed Central

Raper, Jessica; Wallen, Kim; Sanchez, Mar M.; Stephens, Shannon B. Z.; Henry, Amy; Villareal, Trina; Bachevalier, Jocelyne

2013-01-01

Amygdala dysfunction and abnormal fear and stress reactivity are common features of several developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. Yet, little is known about the exact role the amygdala plays in the development of threat detection and emotional modulation. The current study examined the effects of neonatal amygdala lesions on defensive, emotional, and neuroendocrine reactivity of infant rhesus monkeys reared with their mothers in large species-typical social groups. Monkeys received either bilateral MRI-guided ibotenic acid amygdala (Neo-A; n = 16) or sham (Neo-C; n = 12) lesions at 24.8 ± 1.2 days of age, or served as behavioral control (Neo-BC; n = 3). Defensive and emotional responses were assessed using the Human Intruder Paradigm as infants and as juveniles (2.5 and 12 months of age, respectively), whereas neuroendocrine reactivity was only examined during the juvenile period. As infants, Neo-A animals expressed similar levels of freezing and hostile behaviors as compared to controls, whereas during the juvenile period Neo-A animals expressed significantly less freezing compared to controls. Interestingly, the sex of the infant modulated the behavioral effects of neonatal amygdalectomy, leading to different patterns of behavior depending on the sex and lesion status of the infant. Unlike controls, Neo-A infants did not modulate their behavioral responses based on the salience of the threat. The impact of neonatal amygdalectomy increased with age, such that Neo-A juveniles exhibited fewer emotional behaviors and increased cortisol response to the stressor as compared to controls. These data indicate that the amygdala plays a critical role in the development of both emotional and neuroendocrine reactivity as well as the expression of sexually dimorphic emotional expression. PMID:23380162

Influence of an infant walker on onset and quality of walking pattern of locomotion:an electromyographic investigation.

PubMed

Kauffman, I B; Ridenour, M

1977-12-01

Acquisition of bipedal locomotor skill in human infants was studied electromyographically with regard to the deprivation or enrichment behavior resulting from the frequent and regular use of an infant walker. Subjects were six sets of male, fraternal twins. One randomly selected sibling from each set underwent a training program, commencing at the age of 300 days, spending a total of 2 hr. per day in a walker. Siblings not included in this group were subjected to no special training. EMG recordings were taken of all subjects at specified intervals in order to establish a model of the typical motor pattern at various stages of skill development. These data were then contrasted with EMG data similarly obtained from the walker-trained subjects. Use of an infant walker modified the mechanics of the infant's locomotion in a number of important ways. It was shown that use of the walker enables an infant to commit substantial mechanical errors yet succeed in bipedal locomotion. Inasmuch as the mechanics of walker-assisted and non-assisted bipedal locomotion are dissimilar in so many important ways, positive transfer from walker-training appears questionable.

Infants’ Behavioral Styles in Joint Attention Situations and Parents’ Socio-economic Status

PubMed Central

Second, Monika Abels; Hutman, Ted

2016-01-01

In this study the eco-cultural model of parenting (Keller, 2007) was applied to the study of joint attention behavior of children from families with different socioeconomic status (SES). It was hypothesized that infants’ early communication styles would differ with SES reflecting more independent or interdependent interactions with their caregivers. It was also hypothesized that infants would use the same types of behaviors whether they have declarative or imperative communication goals. The Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS, Mundy et al., 2003) was administered to 103 typically developing infants of 12 months (half of them siblings of children with autism). A factor analysis, yielding four behavioral factors, namely pointing, eye contact, actions and following points, confirmed the hypothesis that infants use behaviors consistently across situations independent of their communicative intent. MANOVAs (comprising parental education and income) Revealed that higher SES infants showed actions more frequently in the ESCS whereas lower SES infants followed experimenter’s points more frequently. The results are discussed in the context of presumably differing socialization goals for infants and the divergent contribution of parental education and income that seem to have additive contribution to some factors (actions, following points) but divergent contributions to others (pointing, eye contact). PMID:26164418

Frontal Electroencephalogram Asymmetry during Affective Processing in Children with Down Syndrome: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conrad, N. J.; Schmidt, L. A.; Niccols, A.; Polak, C. P.; Riniolo, T. C.; Burack, J. A.

2007-01-01

Background: Although the pattern of frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry during the processing of emotion has been examined in many studies of healthy adults and typically developing infants and children, no published work has used these theoretical and methodological approaches to study emotion processing in children with Down syndrome.…

Early Indicators of Autism Spectrum Disorders at 12 and 24 Months of Age: A Prospective, Longitudinal Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veness, Carly; Prior, Margot; Bavin, Edith; Eadie, Patricia; Cini, Eileen; Reilly, Sheena

2012-01-01

Prospective questionnaire data from a longitudinal population sample on children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), developmental delay, specific language impairment, or typical development (TD), were collected at ages eight, 12 and 24 months, via the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scale Developmental Profile (CSBS)--Infant Toddler…

Expanding the Frontiers of Orientation and Mobility for Infants and Toddlers in New Mexico and Utah

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewald, Hong Phangia; Faris, Cindy; Borg, Karen S.; Maner, Julie; Martinez-Cargo, Loreta; Carter, Mark

2015-01-01

Early intervention services provide very young children, typically aged birth to 3 years, and their families "early and appropriate learning experiences to facilitate the child's learning and development" in their natural environment. Teachers of students with visual impairments and certified orientation and mobility (O&M)…

Face Gender Influences the Looking Preference for Smiling Expressions in 3.5-Month-Old Human Infants

PubMed Central

Bayet, Laurie; Quinn, Paul C.; Tanaka, James W.; Lee, Kang; Gentaz, Édouard; Pascalis, Olivier

2015-01-01

Young infants are typically thought to prefer looking at smiling expressions. Although some accounts suggest that the preference is automatic and universal, we hypothesized that it is not rigid and may be influenced by other face dimensions, most notably the face’s gender. Infants are sensitive to the gender of faces; for example, 3-month-olds raised by female caregivers typically prefer female over male faces. We presented neutral versus smiling pairs of faces from the same female or male individuals to 3.5-month-old infants (n = 25), controlling for low-level cues. Infants looked longer to the smiling face when faces were female but longer to the neutral face when faces were male, i.e., there was an effect of face gender on the looking preference for smiling. The results indicate that a preference for smiling in 3.5-month-olds is limited to female faces, possibly reflective of differential experience with male and female faces. PMID:26068460

Face Gender Influences the Looking Preference for Smiling Expressions in 3.5-Month-Old Human Infants.

PubMed

Bayet, Laurie; Quinn, Paul C; Tanaka, James W; Lee, Kang; Gentaz, Édouard; Pascalis, Olivier

2015-01-01

Young infants are typically thought to prefer looking at smiling expressions. Although some accounts suggest that the preference is automatic and universal, we hypothesized that it is not rigid and may be influenced by other face dimensions, most notably the face's gender. Infants are sensitive to the gender of faces; for example, 3-month-olds raised by female caregivers typically prefer female over male faces. We presented neutral versus smiling pairs of faces from the same female or male individuals to 3.5-month-old infants (n = 25), controlling for low-level cues. Infants looked longer to the smiling face when faces were female but longer to the neutral face when faces were male, i.e., there was an effect of face gender on the looking preference for smiling. The results indicate that a preference for smiling in 3.5-month-olds is limited to female faces, possibly reflective of differential experience with male and female faces.

The use of near-infrared spectroscopy in the study of typical and atypical development

PubMed Central

Vanderwert, Ross E.; Nelson, Charles A.

2014-01-01

The use of functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) has grown exponentially over the past decade, particularly among investigators interested in early brain development. The use of this neuroimaging technique has begun to shed light on the development of a variety of sensory, perceptual, linguistic, and social-cognitive functions. Rather than cast a wide net, in this paper we first discuss typical development, focusing on joint attention, face processing, language, and sensorimotor development. We then turn our attention to infants and children whose development has been compromised or who are at risk for atypical development. We conclude our review by critiquing some of the methodological issues that have plagued the extant literature as well as offer suggestions for future research. PMID:24128733

Validation of the PowerRefractor for Measuring Human Infant Refraction

PubMed Central

BLADE, PAMELA J.; CANDY, T. ROWAN

2009-01-01

Purpose Eccentric photorefraction provides an opportunity to gather rapid and remote estimates of refraction and gaze position from infants. The technique has the potential for extensive use in vision screenings and studies of visual development. The goal of this study was to assess the refraction calibration of the PowerRefractor (Multichannel Systems) for use with uncyclopleged infants. Methods The defocus measurements from the instrument were compared with the results of simultaneous retinoscopy in one analysis and with known amounts of defocus induced with trial lenses in another. Data were collected from infants 1 to 6 months of age and adults. Results The PowerRefractor typically read <1 D of myopia when the retinoscopy reflex was judged to be neutral at the same working distance in both infants and adults. The slopes of both infant and adult validation functions (trial lens power vs. measurement of induced defocus) were close to 1 over a 4D range. The infant slopes were significantly greater than those of the adults, however. Conclusions The results suggest that the instrument is capable of detecting large amounts of defocus but needs individual calibration for detailed studies of accommodative accuracy and absolute levels of defocus, as has been recommended previously for adult subjects. PMID:16772892

The stability of mastery motivation and its relationship with home environment in infants and toddlers.

PubMed

Wang, Pei-Jung; Hwang, Ai-Wen; Liao, Hua-Fang; Chen, Pau-Chung; Hsieh, Wu-Shiun

2011-06-01

Mastery motivation (intrinsic drives to explore and master one's environment) is a key developmental element. The aims of this study were to investigate (1) the stability of mastery motivation between 2 and 3 years of age for two genders; and (2) the associations between early home environment and toddlers' mastery motivation in children with typical development. Data of 102 children developing typically from a birth cohort study at Northern Taiwan were analyzed in two parts: (1) stability part: mastery motivation of children were measured at 2 and 3 years of age; (2) environment part: child-parent dyads were assessed from birth, 4 months, 6 months, and 2-3 years of age. Outcomes variables were measured at ages 2 and 3 years by the Dimension of Mastery Questionnaire-17th version. Main predictive variables were measured by Home Observation for Measuring Environment Inventory (HOME) to collect data of the qualities of home environment at 6 months and 2 years; by the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire to obtain 4-month activity levels; and by the Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Toddlers to obtain 2-year developmental quotient (DQ). There was moderate stability of mastery motivation from 2 to 3 years, and girls' stability was higher than boys'. 6-Month HOME rather than 2-year HOME measures were positively and significantly correlated with instrumental mastery motivation even when controlling for gender, activity level, and DQ. Mastery motivation had moderate stability during the toddler period. The quality of home environment in infancy appeared to have a significant impact on toddler's mastery motivation. To promote mastery motivation, caregivers should provide better quality of home environment for infants/toddlers during the very early years. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maternal speech to preterm infants during the first 2 years of life: stability and change.

PubMed

Suttora, Chiara; Salerni, Nicoletta

2011-01-01

Studies on typical language development documented that mothers fine-tune their verbal input to children's advancing skills and development. Although premature birth has often been associated with delays in communicative and language development, studies investigating maternal language addressed to these children are still rare. The principal aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the maternal speech directed at very preterm children by examining its changes across time and the stability of maternal individual styles. A sample of 16 mother-preterm infant dyads participated in semi-structured play sessions when children were 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of corrected age. Maternal speech directed at the children was analysed in terms of lexical and syntactical complexity as well as verbal productivity. Also children's motor, cognitive and communicative skills were assessed. Results highlight an overall increase in the lexical and syntactical complexity and in the amount of maternal speech across the first years of life. At the same time, individual maternal communicative styles seem stable as infants grow older, even if between 12 and 18 months all the indices' predictive values decrease, indicating a noteworthy modification in individual maternal styles. Furthermore, between 12 and 18 months predictive relationships between children's motor and vocal skills and maternal changes in input were found. Verbal input addressed to children born preterm during the first 2 years of life does not seem to differ considerably from the language usually used with full-term infants. Nevertheless, maternal verbal adjustments seem to be predicted by earlier infant achievements in vocal and motor development. This suggests that infants' motor skill maturation may function as a major signal for mothers of preterm babies to adjust aspects of their linguistic interactive style. © 2011 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

Development of auditory event-related potentials in infants prenatally exposed to methadone.

PubMed

Paul, Jonathan A; Logan, Beth A; Krishnan, Ramesh; Heller, Nicole A; Morrison, Deborah G; Pritham, Ursula A; Tisher, Paul W; Troese, Marcia; Brown, Mark S; Hayes, Marie J

2014-07-01

Developmental features of the P2 auditory ERP in a change detection paradigm were examined in infants prenatally exposed to methadone. Opiate dependent pregnant women maintained on methadone replacement therapy were recruited during pregnancy (N = 60). Current and historical alcohol and substance use, SES, and psychiatric status were assessed with a maternal interview during the third trimester. Medical records were used to collect information regarding maternal medications, monthly urinalysis, and breathalyzer to confirm comorbid drug and alcohol exposures. Between birth and 4 months infant ERP change detection performance was evaluated on one occasion with the oddball paradigm (.2 probability oddball) using pure-tone stimuli (standard = 1 kHz and oddball = 2 kHz frequency) at midline electrode sites, Fz, Cz, Pz. Infant groups were examined in the following developmental windows: 4-15, 16-32, or 33-120 days PNA. Older groups showed increased P2 amplitude at Fz and effective change detection performance at P2 not seen in the newborn group. Developmental maturation of amplitude and stimulus discrimination for P2 has been reported in developing infants at all of the ages tested and data reported here in the older infants are consistent with typical development. However, it has been previously reported that the P2 amplitude difference is detectable in neonates; therefore, absence of a difference in P2 amplitude between stimuli in the 4-15 days group may represent impaired ERP performance by neonatal abstinence syndrome or prenatal methadone exposure. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Movement Contributes to Infants' Recognition of the Human Form

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Tamara; Slaughter, Virginia

2010-01-01

Three experiments demonstrate that biological movement facilitates young infants' recognition of the whole human form. A body discrimination task was used in which 6-, 9-, and 12-month-old infants were habituated to typical human bodies and then shown scrambled human bodies at the test. Recovery of interest to the scrambled bodies was observed in…

Infant Mental Health for Medically Fragile Babies in Intensive Care and Their Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browne, Joy V.; Talmi, Ayelet

2017-01-01

Infants who begin their lives in intensive care are impacted physically and socioemotionally for many months and years to come. Likewise, stressful experiences of caring for a baby hospitalized in intensive care have an impact on primary caregivers, typically the baby's parents. Infant mental health (IMH) is an expanding, evidence-based field that…

Cromolyn sodium for the prevention of chronic lung disease in preterm infants.

PubMed

Ng, Geraldine; Ohlsson, Arne

2017-01-23

This is an update of a review last published by Cochrane in June 2012 entitled "Cromolyn sodium for the prevention of chronic lung disease in preterm infants", which included two studies. This 2016 update identified no further studies.Chronic lung disease (CLD) frequently occurs in preterm infants and has a multifactorial aetiology including inflammation. Cromolyn sodium is a mast cell stabiliser that inhibits neutrophil activation and neutrophil chemotaxis and therefore may have a role in the prevention of CLD. To determine the effect of prophylactic administration of cromolyn sodium on the incidence of CLD at 28 days or 36 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA), mortality, or the combined outcome of mortality and CLD at 28 days or 36 weeks' PMA in preterm infants. We used the standard search strategy of Cochrane Neonatal to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2016, Issue 4), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 12 May 2016), Embase (1980 to 12 May 2016), and CINAHL (1982 to 12 May 2016). We searched clinical trials databases, conference proceedings, and the reference lists of retrieved articles for randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised trials. We included randomised or quasi-randomised controlled clinical trials involving preterm infants. Initiation of cromolyn sodium administration was during the first two weeks of life. The intervention had to include administration of cromolyn sodium by nebuliser or metered dose inhaler with or without spacer device versus placebo or no intervention. Eligible studies had to include at least one of the following outcomes: overall mortality, CLD at 28 days, CLD at 36 weeks' PMA, or the combined outcome mortality and CLD at 28 days. We used the standard method for Cochrane as described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. We reported risk ratio (RR) and risk difference (RD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for dichotomous outcomes and mean difference (MD) with 95% CI for continuous data. The meta-analysis used a fixed-effect model. We examined heterogeneity using the I2 statistic. We assessed the quality of evidence for the main comparison at the outcome level using the GRADE approach. We identified two eligible studies with small numbers of infants enrolled (64 infants). Prophylaxis with cromolyn sodium did not result in a statistically significant effect on the combined outcome of mortality and CLD at 28 days (typical RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.52; typical RD 0.03, 95% CI -0.20 to 0.27; 2 trials, 64 infants; I2 = 0% for both RR and RD); mortality at 28 days (typical RR 1.31, 95% CI 0.52 to 3.29; I2 = 73% typical RD 0.06, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.26; I2 = 87%; 2 trials, 64 infants) (very low quality evidence); CLD at 28 days (typical RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.64; I2 = 40%; typical RD -0.03, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.20; I2 = 38%; 2 trials, 64 infants) or at 36 weeks' PMA (RR 1.25, 95% CI 0.43 to 3.63; RD 0.08, 95% CI -0.29 to 0.44; 1 trial, 26 infants). There was no significant difference in CLD in survivors at 28 days (typical RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.63; typical RD -0.02, 95% CI -0.29 to 0.26; I2 = 0% for both RR and RD; 2 trials, 50 infants) or at 36 weeks' PMA (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.38 to 2.87; RD 0.02, 95% CI -0.40 to 0.43; 1 trial, 22 infants). Prophylaxis with cromolyn sodium did not show a statistically significant difference in overall neonatal mortality, incidence of air leaks, necrotising enterocolitis, intraventricular haemorrhage, sepsis, and days of mechanical ventilation. There were no adverse effects noted. The quality of evidence according to GRADE was very low for one outcome (mortality to 28 days) and low for all other outcomes. The reasons for downgrading the evidence was due to design (risk of bias in one study), inconsistency between the two studies (high I2 values for mortality at 28 days for both RR and RD), and lack of precision of estimates (small sample sizes). Further research does not seem to be justified. There is currently no evidence from randomised trials that cromolyn sodium has a role in the prevention of CLD. Cromolyn sodium cannot be recommended for the prevention of CLD in preterm infants.

Developmental trends in auditory processing can provide early predictions of language acquisition in young infants.

PubMed

Chonchaiya, Weerasak; Tardif, Twila; Mai, Xiaoqin; Xu, Lin; Li, Mingyan; Kaciroti, Niko; Kileny, Paul R; Shao, Jie; Lozoff, Betsy

2013-03-01

Auditory processing capabilities at the subcortical level have been hypothesized to impact an individual's development of both language and reading abilities. The present study examined whether auditory processing capabilities relate to language development in healthy 9-month-old infants. Participants were 71 infants (31 boys and 40 girls) with both Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and language assessments. At 6 weeks and/or 9 months of age, the infants underwent ABR testing using both a standard hearing screening protocol with 30 dB clicks and a second protocol using click pairs separated by 8, 16, and 64-ms intervals presented at 80 dB. We evaluated the effects of interval duration on ABR latency and amplitude elicited by the second click. At 9 months, language development was assessed via parent report on the Chinese Communicative Development Inventory - Putonghua version (CCDI-P). Wave V latency z-scores of the 64-ms condition at 6 weeks showed strong direct relationships with Wave V latency in the same condition at 9 months. More importantly, shorter Wave V latencies at 9 months showed strong relationships with the CCDI-P composite consisting of phrases understood, gestures, and words produced. Likewise, infants who had greater decreases in Wave V latencies from 6 weeks to 9 months had higher CCDI-P composite scores. Females had higher language development scores and shorter Wave V latencies at both ages than males. Interestingly, when the ABR Wave V latencies at both ages were taken into account, the direct effects of gender on language disappeared. In conclusion, these results support the importance of low-level auditory processing capabilities for early language acquisition in a population of typically developing young infants. Moreover, the auditory brainstem response in this paradigm shows promise as an electrophysiological marker to predict individual differences in language development in young children. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Neuroimaging biomarkers of preterm brain injury: toward developing the preterm connectome

PubMed Central

Panigrahy, Ashok; Wisnowski, Jessica L.; Furtado, Andre; Lepore, Natasha; Paquette, Lisa; Bluml, Stefan

2013-01-01

For typically developing infants, the last trimester of fetal development extending into the first post-natal months is a period of rapid brain development. Infants who are born premature face significant risk of brain injury (e.g., intraventricular or germinal matrix hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia) from complications in the perinatal period and also potential long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities because these early injuries can interrupt normal brain maturation. Neuroimaging has played an important role in the diagnosis and management of the preterm infant. Both cranial US and conventional MRI techniques are useful in diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of preterm brain development and injury. Cranial US is highly sensitive for intraventricular hemorrhage IVH and provides prognostic information regarding cerebral palsy. Data are limited regarding the utility of MRI as a routine screening instrument for brain injury for all preterm infants. However, MRI might provide diagnostic or prognostic information regarding PVL and other types of preterm brain injury in the setting of specific clinical indications and risk factors. Further development of advanced MR techniques like volumetric MR imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, metabolic imaging (MR spectroscopy) and functional connectivity are necessary to provide additional insight into the molecular, cellular and systems processes that underlie brain development and outcome in the preterm infant. The adult concept of the “connectome” is also relevant in understanding brain networks that underlie the preterm brain. Knowledge of the preterm connectome will provide a framework for understanding preterm brain function and dysfunction, and potentially even a roadmap for brain plasticity. By combining conventional imaging techniques with more advanced techniques, neuroimaging findings will likely be used not only as diagnostic and prognostic tools, but also as biomarkers for long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes, instruments to assess the efficacy of neuroprotective agents and maneuvers in the NICU, and as screening instruments to appropriately select infants for longitudinal developmental interventions. PMID:22395719

Glutamine supplementation to prevent morbidity and mortality in preterm infants.

PubMed

Moe-Byrne, Thirimon; Brown, Jennifer V E; McGuire, William

2016-01-12

Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid. Endogenous biosynthesis may be insufficient for tissue needs in states of metabolic stress. Evidence exists that glutamine supplementation improves clinical outcomes in critically ill adults. It has been suggested that glutamine supplementation may also benefit preterm infants. To determine the effects of glutamine supplementation on mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. This included searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2015, Issue 12), MEDLINE, EMBASE and Maternity and Infant Care (to December 2015), conference proceedings and previous reviews. Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared glutamine supplementation versus no glutamine supplementation in preterm infants at any time from birth to discharge from hospital. We extracted data using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group, with separate evaluation of trial quality and data extraction by two review authors. We synthesised data using a fixed-effect model and reported typical relative risk, typical risk difference and weighted mean difference. We identified 12 randomised controlled trials in which a total of 2877 preterm infants participated. Six trials assessed enteral glutamine supplementation and six trials assessed parenteral glutamine supplementation. The trials were generally of good methodological quality. Meta-analysis did not find an effect of glutamine supplementation on mortality (typical relative risk 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.80 to 1.17; risk difference 0.00, 95% confidence interval -0.03 to 0.02) or major neonatal morbidities including the incidence of invasive infection or necrotising enterocolitis. Three trials that assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes in children aged 18 to 24 months and beyond did not find any effects. The available trial data do not provide evidence that glutamine supplementation confers important benefits for preterm infants.

Glutamine supplementation to prevent morbidity and mortality in preterm infants.

PubMed

Moe-Byrne, Thirimon; Brown, Jennifer V E; McGuire, William

2016-04-18

Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid. Endogenous biosynthesis may be insufficient for tissue needs in states of metabolic stress. Evidence exists that glutamine supplementation improves clinical outcomes in critically ill adults. It has been suggested that glutamine supplementation may also benefit preterm infants. To determine the effects of glutamine supplementation on mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. This included searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2015, Issue 12), MEDLINE, EMBASE and Maternity and Infant Care (to December 2015), conference proceedings and previous reviews. Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared glutamine supplementation versus no glutamine supplementation in preterm infants at any time from birth to discharge from hospital. We extracted data using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group, with separate evaluation of trial quality and data extraction by two review authors. We synthesised data using a fixed-effect model and reported typical relative risk, typical risk difference and weighted mean difference. We identified 12 randomised controlled trials in which a total of 2877 preterm infants participated. Six trials assessed enteral glutamine supplementation and six trials assessed parenteral glutamine supplementation. The trials were generally of good methodological quality. Meta-analysis did not find an effect of glutamine supplementation on mortality (typical relative risk 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.80 to 1.17; risk difference 0.00, 95% confidence interval -0.03 to 0.02) or major neonatal morbidities including the incidence of invasive infection or necrotising enterocolitis. Three trials that assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes in children aged 18 to 24 months and beyond did not find any effects. The available trial data do not provide evidence that glutamine supplementation confers important benefits for preterm infants.

Early erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Ohlsson, Arne; Aher, Sanjay M

2012-09-12

Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anaemia. To assess the effectiveness and safety of early initiation of EPO in reducing red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in preterm and/or low birth weight infants. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, abstracts from scientific meetings published in Pediatric Research and reference lists of identified trials and reviews were searched through July 2009. Searches were repeated in March 2012 including searches of Pediatric Academic Societies Annual meetings 2000 to 2012 (Abstracts2View(TM)) and clinical trials registries (clinicaltrials.gov; controlled-trials.com; and who.int/ictrp). Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of early (< eight days of age) initiation of EPO treatment versus placebo or no intervention in preterm and/or low birth weight neonates. Data collection and analysis were accomplished using the methods of the Neonatal Cochrane Review Group. The May 2012 update did not identify any new studies for inclusion. A number of randomised controlled trials were excluded as they compared one EPO dosing regimen with another, did not provide the numbers of infants randomised to the EPO and the placebo group, or the dose of EPO was not stated. The update includes 27 studies that enrolled 2293 preterm infants. Early EPO reduced the risk of the "use of one or more RBC transfusions" [typical risk ratio (RR); 0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75 to 0.86); typical risk difference (RD) -0.13, (95% CI -0.17 to -0.09); number needed to benefit (NNTB) = eight, (95% CI 6 to 11); 16 studies, 1,825 infants].There was moderate heterogeneity for this outcome [RR (P = 0.004; I(2) = 56.7%); RD (P = 0.003; I(2) = 56.0%)].A total of six studies enrolling 515 infants reported on the total volume of red blood cells transfused per infant. The significant typical mean difference (MD) was a reduction of 6 mL/kg of blood transfused (mL/kg) per infant (95% CI -11 to - 1). There was moderate heterogeneity for this outcome (P = 0.02; I(2) = 63.0%). The results from 14 studies enrolling 1131 infants reported on the number of red blood cell transfusions per infant. The significant typical MD for number of red blood cell transfusions per infant was -0.33, (95% CI -0.48 to -0.18). There was high heterogeneity for this outcome (P = 0.00001, I(2) = 78%). Two studies enrolling 188 infants reported on the number of donors to whom the infant was exposed; the MD was significantly reduced -0.63, (-1.07 to -0.19). There was no heterogeneity for this outcome (P = 0.59; I(2) = 0%).There was a significant increase in the risk of stage ≥ 3 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in the early EPO group [typical RR; 1.65, (95% CI 1.12 to 2.43); typical RD; 0.05 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.08); number needed to harm (NNTH); 20, (95% CI 13 to 100); eight studies, 984 infants]. There was no heterogeneity for this outcome for RR (P = 0.87; I(2) = 0%), but there was moderate heterogeneity for RD (P = 0.006; I(2) = 65%). The rates for mortality and other neonatal morbidities were not significantly changed by early EPO treatment nor were neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 to 22 months in the small number of infants tested to-date. Early administration of EPO reduces the use of RBC transfusions and the volume of RBCs transfused. These small reductions are of limited clinical importance. Donor exposure is probably not avoided since most studies included infants who had received RBC transfusions prior to trial entry. There was a significant increase in the rate of ROP (stage ≥ 3). Early EPO does not significantly decrease or increase any of the other important adverse outcomes. Ongoing research should deal with the issue of ROP and evaluate the current clinical practice that will limit donor exposure. Due to the limited benefits and the increased risk of ROP, early administration of EPO is not recommended. Evidence is lacking for the possible neuro protective role of EPO in preterm infants. This topic will be reviewed in separate Cochrane reviews for preterm and term and late preterm infants.

Adoption age effects on english language acquisition: infants and toddlers from China.

PubMed

Krakow, Rena A; Tao, Shannon; Roberts, Jenny

2005-02-01

Children adopted from China represent the single largest group of internationally adopted children in this country. Because the adoptive families typically do not speak any Chinese language or dialect, most of these children experience an abrupt shift in their language environment. How age of adoption affects the course of English language development of children adopted from China is the focus of this study. All of the children in this study were either infants or toddlers at the time of adoption and all came from the same orphanage. The results showed that the older children (toddlers) were at both an advantage and a disadvantage when it came to English language development. The advantage of being older was that they learned faster. The disadvantage of being older was that there was more for them to learn to become age-appropriate in their English language development. There was, however, no evidence to suggest that the language switch from a Chinese- to an English-language environment was a formidable obstacle for either the infants or the toddlers.

Search asymmetry and eye movements in infants and adults.

PubMed

Adler, Scott A; Gallego, Pamela

2014-08-01

Search asymmetry is characterized by the detection of a feature-present target amidst feature-absent distractors being efficient and unaffected by the number of distractors, whereas detection of a feature-absent target amidst feature-present distractors is typically inefficient and affected by the number of distractors. Although studies have attempted to investigate this phenomenon with infants (e.g., Adler, Inslicht, Rovee-Collier, & Gerhardstein in Infant Behavioral Development, 21, 253-272, 1998; Colombo, Mitchell, Coldren, & Atwater in Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 19, 98-109, 1990), due to methodological limitations, their findings have been unable to definitively establish the development of visual search mechanisms in infants. The present study assessed eye movements as a means to examine an asymmetry in responding to feature-present versus feature-absent targets in 3-month-olds, relative to adults. Saccade latencies to localize a target (or a distractor, as in the homogeneous conditions) were measured as infants and adults randomly viewed feature-present (R among Ps), feature-absent (P among Rs), and homogeneous (either all Rs or all Ps) arrays at set sizes of 1, 3, 5, and 8. Results indicated that neither infants' nor adults' saccade latencies to localize the target in the feature-present arrays were affected by increasing set sizes, suggesting that localization of the target was efficient. In contrast, saccade latencies to localize the target in the feature-absent arrays increased with increasing set sizes for both infants and adults, suggesting an inefficient localization. These findings indicate that infants exhibit an asymmetry consistent with that found with adults, providing support for functional bottom-up selective attention mechanisms in early infancy.

Play and Developmental Outcomes in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism

PubMed Central

Hutman, Ted; Rozga, Agata; Young, Gregory S.; Ozonoff, Sally; Rogers, Sally J.; Baker, Bruce; Sigman, Marian

2010-01-01

We observed infant siblings of children with autism later diagnosed with ASD (ASD siblings; n = 17), infant siblings of children with autism with and without other delays (Other Delays and No Delays siblings; n = 12 and n = 19, respectively) and typically developing controls (TD controls; n = 19) during a free-play task at 18 months of age. Functional, symbolic, and repeated play actions were coded. ASD siblings showed fewer functional and more non-functional repeated play behaviors than TD controls. Other Delays and No Delays siblings showed more non-functional repeated play than TD controls. Group differences disappeared with the inclusion of verbal mental age. Play as an early indicator of autism and its relationship to the broader autism phenotype is discussed. PMID:20112084

Automatic classification of 6-month-old infants at familial risk for language-based learning disorder using a support vector machine.

PubMed

Zare, Marzieh; Rezvani, Zahra; Benasich, April A

2016-07-01

This study assesses the ability of a novel, "automatic classification" approach to facilitate identification of infants at highest familial risk for language-learning disorders (LLD) and to provide converging assessments to enable earlier detection of developmental disorders that disrupt language acquisition. Network connectivity measures derived from 62-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) recording were used to identify selected features within two infant groups who differed on LLD risk: infants with a family history of LLD (FH+) and typically-developing infants without such a history (FH-). A support vector machine was deployed; global efficiency and global and local clustering coefficients were computed. A novel minimum spanning tree (MST) approach was also applied. Cross-validation was employed to assess the resultant classification. Infants were classified with about 80% accuracy into FH+ and FH- groups with 89% specificity and precision of 92%. Clustering patterns differed by risk group and MST network analysis suggests that FH+ infants' EEG complexity patterns were significantly different from FH- infants. The automatic classification techniques used here were shown to be both robust and reliable and should provide valuable information when applied to early identification of risk or clinical groups. The ability to identify infants at highest risk for LLD using "automatic classification" strategies is a novel convergent approach that may facilitate earlier diagnosis and remediation. Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional neuroimaging of high-risk 6-month-old infants predicts a diagnosis of autism at 24 months of age

PubMed Central

Emerson, Robert W.; Adams, Chloe; Nishino, Tomoyuki; Hazlett, Heather Cody; Wolff, Jason J.; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie; Constantino, John N.; Shen, Mark D.; Swanson, Meghan R.; Elison, Jed T.; Kandala, Sridhar; Estes, Annette M.; Botteron, Kelly N.; Collins, Louis; Dager, Stephen R.; Evans, Alan C.; Gerig, Guido; Gu, Hongbin; McKinstry, Robert C.; Paterson, Sarah; Schultz, Robert T.; Styner, Martin; Network, IBIS; Schlaggar, Bradley L.; Pruett, John R.; Piven, Joseph

2018-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social deficits and repetitive behaviors that typically emerge by 24 months of age. To develop effective early interventions that can potentially ameliorate the defining deficits of ASD and improve long-term outcomes, early detection is essential. Using prospective neuroimaging of 59 6-month-old infants with a high familial risk for ASD, we show that functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging correctly identified which individual children would receive a research clinical best-estimate diagnosis of ASD at 24 months of age. Functional brain connections were defined in 6-month-old infants that correlated with 24-month scores on measures of social behavior, language, motor development, and repetitive behavior, which are all features common to the diagnosis of ASD. A fully cross-validated machine learning algorithm applied at age 6 months had a positive predictive value of 100% [95% confidence interval (CI), 62.9 to 100], correctly predicting 9 of 11 infants who received a diagnosis of ASD at 24 months (sensitivity, 81.8%; 95% CI, 47.8 to 96.8). All 48 6-month-old infants who were not diagnosed with ASD were correctly classified [specificity, 100% (95% CI, 90.8 to 100); negative predictive value, 96.0% (95% CI, 85.1 to 99.3)]. These findings have clinical implications for early risk assessment and the feasibility of developing early preventative interventions for ASD. PMID:28592562

[A new method of investigation of "child's" behavior (infant-mother attachment) of newborn rats].

PubMed

Stovolosov, I S; Dubynin, V A; Kamenskiĭ, A A

2010-01-01

A new method of studying "child's" (maternal bonding) behavior of newborn rats was developed. The efficiency of the method was proved in estimation of dopaminergic control of the infant-mother attachment. Selective D2-antagonist clebopride applied in subthreshold for motor activity doses caused a decrease in aspiration of pups to be in contact with a dam. On the basis of features analyzed (latent periods and expression of various behavioral components), the integrated criterion for the estimation of "child's" reactions was suggested. Application of this criterion made it possible to neutralize high individual variability of the behavior typical of newborns.

Eyeblink Conditioning: A Non-Invasive Biomarker for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeb-Sutherland, Bethany C.; Fox, Nathan A.

2015-01-01

Eyeblink conditioning (EBC) is a classical conditioning paradigm typically used to study the underlying neural processes of learning and memory. EBC has a well-defined neural circuitry, is non-invasive, and can be employed in human infants shortly after birth making it an ideal tool to use in both developing and special populations. In addition,…

The Developmental Benefits of Parent-Child Interaction: Perspectives of Filipino Mothers of Children with and without Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Rosa Milagros; Jeans, Laurie M.; Corr, Catherine

2016-01-01

In this article, the authors explored mothers' descriptions of the benefits of interacting with their infants and toddlers with and without diagnosed disabilities. Interview data from 40 Filipino mothers, 20 mothers of children with a diagnosed disability, and 20 mothers of typically developing children were analyzed. Using qualitative methods,…

Sex Differences during Visual Scanning of Occlusion Events in Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Teresa; Alexander, Gerianne M.; Wheeler, Lesley; Norvell, Jennifer M.

2012-01-01

A growing number of sex differences in infancy have been reported. One task on which they have been observed reliably is the event-mapping task. In event mapping, infants view an occlusion event involving 1 or 2 objects, the occluder is removed, and then infants see 1 object. Typically, boys are more likely than girls to detect an inconsistency…

INFANT HEALTH PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS: WHAT A DIFFERENCE THE DATA MAKE

PubMed Central

Reichman, Nancy E.; Corman, Hope; Noonan, Kelly; Dave, Dhaval

2008-01-01

SUMMARY We examine the extent to which infant health production functions are sensitive to model specification and measurement error. We focus on the importance of typically unobserved but theoretically important variables (typically unobserved variables, TUVs), other non-standard covariates (NSCs), input reporting, and characterization of infant health. The TUVs represent wantedness, taste for risky behavior, and maternal health endowment. The NSCs include father characteristics. We estimate the effects of prenatal drug use, prenatal cigarette smoking, and First trimester prenatal care on birth weight, low birth weight, and a measure of abnormal infant health conditions. We compare estimates using self-reported inputs versus input measures that combine information from medical records and self-reports. We find that TUVs and NSCs are significantly associated with both inputs and outcomes, but that excluding them from infant health production functions does not appreciably affect the input estimates. However, using self-reported inputs leads to overestimated effects of inputs, particularly prenatal care, on outcomes, and using a direct measure of infant health does not always yield input estimates similar to those when using birth weight outcomes. The findings have implications for research, data collection, and public health policy. PMID:18792077

Decreased spontaneous attention to social scenes in 6-month-old infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Chawarska, Katarzyna; Macari, Suzanne; Shic, Frederick

2013-08-01

The ability to spontaneously attend to the social overtures and activities of others is essential for the development of social cognition and communication. This ability is critically impaired in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD); however, it is not clear if prodromal symptoms in this area are already present in the first year of life of those affected by the disorder. To examine whether 6-month-old infants later diagnosed with ASD exhibit atypical spontaneous social monitoring skills, visual responses of 67 infants at high-risk and 50 at low-risk for ASD were studied using an eye-tracking task. Based on their clinical presentation in the third year, infants were divided into those with ASD, those exhibiting atypical development, and those developing typically. Compared with the control groups, 6-month-old infants later diagnosed with ASD attended less to the social scene, and when they did look at the scene, they spent less time monitoring the actress in general and her face in particular. Limited attention to the actress and her activities was not accompanied by enhanced attention to objects. Prodromal symptoms of ASD at 6 months include a diminished ability to attend spontaneously to people and their activities. A limited attentional bias toward people early in development is likely to have a detrimental impact on the specialization of social brain networks and the emergence of social interaction patterns. Further investigation into its underlying mechanisms and role in psychopathology of ASD in the first year is warranted. Copyright © 2013 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal mediators of social problem solving in spina bifida and typical development.

PubMed

Landry, Susan H; Taylor, Heather B; Swank, Paul R; Barnes, Marcia; Juranek, Jenifer

2013-05-01

The current study examined the role of early executive functions (EF) and social language (SL) as well as responsive parenting as mediators of the effect of group on social problem-solving skills at 7 years of age for children with spina bifida and typically developing children. A mediation analysis was used to determine if the effect of having spina bifida on school age social problem-solving skills was mediated through the effect of group on EF/SL at 3 years of age and responsive parenting at 12 and 18 months. As part of a larger longitudinal study, 103 infants (n = 49 with spina bifida; n = 54 typically developing) received measures of EF/SL at 3 years of age and mother-infant play interactions at 12 and 18 months of age were coded for a range of responsive parenting behaviors. Social problem-solving skills were measured with a game-like observational task at 7 years of age. Group had a direct relation with later social problem-solving as well as an indirect relation through early EF/SL skills that, in turn, had a direct relation with later social problem solving. An indirect effect of responsive parenting on later social skills also was found through a direct effect on EF/SL skills. Early precursors of school age difficulties with social problem solving observed for children with spina bifida can be explained, in part, by difficulties in the first 3 years of life with EF/SL. Early responsive parenting appears to positively affect the development of these EF/SL skills. Implications for early intervention are an outcome of this study.

Early erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Ohlsson, A; Aher, S M

2006-07-19

Hematocrit falls after birth in preterm infants due to physiological factors and blood letting. Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anemia. To assess the effectiveness and safety of early initiation of EPO (initiated before eight days after birth) in reducing red blood cell transfusions in preterm and/or low birth weight infants. Subgroup analyses of low (< 500 IU/kg/week) and high (> 500 IU/kg/week) doses of EPO and, within these subgroups, analyses of the use of low (< 5 mg/kg/day) and high (> 5 mg/kg/day) doses of supplemental iron, in reducing red blood cell transfusions in these infants. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, abstracts from scientific meetings published in Pediatric Research and reference lists of identified trials and reviews were searched in November 2005. No language restrictions were applied. Randomised or quasi-randomized controlled trials of early initiation of EPO treatment (started before 8 days of age) vs. placebo or no intervention in preterm (< 37 weeks) and/or low birth weight (< 2500 g) neonates. For inclusion, the studies needed to provide information on at least one outcome of interest. Data were abstracted by the two authors on pre-tested data collection forms. Data were entered by one review author (AO) and checked for accuracy by the other (SA). Data were analysed using RevMan 4.2.8. The statistical methods included 'typical' relative risk (RR), risk difference (RD), number needed to treat to benefit (NNTB) and needed to treat to harm (NNTH) for dichotomous outcomes and weighted mean difference (WMD) for continuous outcomes reported with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). A fixed effects model was used for meta-analyses. Heterogeneity tests, including the I(-)squared (I(2)) statistic, were performed to assess the appropriateness of pooling the data. Twenty-three studies enrolling 2074 preterm infants in 18 countries were included in the review. All studies except one applied transfusion guidelines. The quality of the trials varied. Most trials were of small sample size. Only one study clearly stated that infants were excluded if they had received red blood cell transfusion prior to study entry (Arif 2005). A total of 16 studies, including 1825 infants reported on the primary outcome of "use of one or more red cell transfusions". The summary estimates were significant [typical RR; 0.80 (95% CI 0.75, 0.86); typical RD; -0.13 (95% CI -0.17, -0.09); typical NNTB; 8 (95% CI 6, 11)]. There was statistically significant heterogeneity [for RR (p< 0.004), I(2) = 56.7%; for RD (p = 0.003), I(2 ) = 56.0%]. Similar results were obtained in secondary analyses based on different combinations of high doses of EPO and high and low iron supplementation. There were insufficient data to draw conclusions for low doses EPO in combination with high or low dose of iron. Two studies (n = 188) reported a significant reduction in the number of donors to whom the infant was exposed [typical WMD; -0.63 (95% CI -1.07, -0.19)]. A significant reduction in the total volume (ml/kg) of blood transfused per infant [typical WMD; -6 ml (95% CI -1, -11)] and in the number of transfusions per infant [typical WMD -0.27 (95% CI -0.12, -0.42 )] was noted. There was a significant increase in the risk of stage > 3 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in the EPO group [typical RR; 1.71 (95% CI 1.15, 2.54); typical RD; 0.05 (95% CI 0.01, 0.09); NNTH; 20 (95% CI 11, 100)]. The non-significant results for ROP (any stage reported) showed a similar trend. The increased risk for ROP may be associated with use of higher doses of supplemental of iron in the EPO group than in the control group. The rates for mortality, sepsis, intraventricular haemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, neutropenia, hypertension, length of hospital stay or long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes were not significantly change by the administration of EPO. Early administration of EPO reduces the use one or more red blood cell transfusions, the volume of red blood cells transfused, and the number of donors and transfusions the infant is exposed to following study entry. The small reductions are of limited clinical importance. Any donor exposure is likely not avoided as most studies included infants, who had received red cell transfusions prior to trial entry. There was a significant increase in the rate of ROP (stage >3). Animal data and observational studies in humans support a possible association between treatment with EPO and the development of ROP. EPO does not significantly decrease or increase any of the other important neonatal adverse outcomes including mortality. The incidence of ROP should be ascertained in the studies that have already been conducted but did not report on this outcome. Any ongoing research should deal with the issue of ROP and evaluate the current clinical practice that will limit donor exposure through satellite units. Research efforts should focus on limiting donor exposure (to as few donors as possible) during the first few days of life in sick neonates, when red blood cell transfusions are most likely to be required and cannot be prevented by early (or late) EPO treatment. Due to the limited benefits and the increased risk of ROP, early administration of EPO is not recommended.

Napping facilitates word learning in early lexical development.

PubMed

Horváth, Klára; Myers, Kyle; Foster, Russell; Plunkett, Kim

2015-10-01

Little is known about the role that night-time sleep and daytime naps play in early cognitive development. Our aim was to investigate how napping affects word learning in 16-month-olds. Thirty-four typically developing infants were assigned randomly to nap and wake groups. After teaching two novel object-word pairs to infants, we tested their initial performance with an intermodal preferential looking task in which infants are expected to increase their target looking time compared to a distracter after hearing its auditory label. A second test session followed after approximately a 2-h delay. The delay contained sleep for the nap group or no sleep for the wake group. Looking behaviour was measured with an automatic eye-tracker. Vocabulary size was assessed using the Oxford Communicative Development Inventory. A significant interaction between group and session was found in preferential looking towards the target picture. The performance of the nap group increased after the nap, whereas that of the wake group did not change. The gain in performance correlated positively with the expressive vocabulary size in the nap group. These results indicate that daytime napping helps consolidate word learning in infancy. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.

Early brain enlargement and elevated extra-axial fluid in infants who develop autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Shen, Mark D; Nordahl, Christine W; Young, Gregory S; Wootton-Gorges, Sandra L; Lee, Aaron; Liston, Sarah E; Harrington, Kayla R; Ozonoff, Sally; Amaral, David G

2013-09-01

Prospective studies of infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder have provided important clues about the early behavioural symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, however, is not currently made until at least 18 months of age. There is substantially less research on potential brain-based differences in the period between 6 and 12 months of age. Our objective in the current study was to use magnetic resonance imaging to identify any consistently observable brain anomalies in 6-9 month old infants who would later develop autism spectrum disorder. We conducted a prospective infant sibling study with longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging scans at three time points (6-9, 12-15, and 18-24 months of age), in conjunction with intensive behavioural assessments. Fifty-five infants (33 'high-risk' infants having an older sibling with autism spectrum disorder and 22 'low-risk' infants having no relatives with autism spectrum disorder) were imaged at 6-9 months; 43 of these (27 high-risk and 16 low-risk) were imaged at 12-15 months; and 42 (26 high-risk and 16 low-risk) were imaged again at 18-24 months. Infants were classified as meeting criteria for autism spectrum disorder, other developmental delays, or typical development at 24 months or later (mean age at outcome: 32.5 months). Compared with the other two groups, infants who developed autism spectrum disorder (n = 10) had significantly greater extra-axial fluid at 6-9 months, which persisted and remained elevated at 12-15 and 18-24 months. Extra-axial fluid is characterized by excessive cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space, particularly over the frontal lobes. The amount of extra-axial fluid detected as early as 6 months was predictive of more severe autism spectrum disorder symptoms at the time of outcome. Infants who developed autism spectrum disorder also had significantly larger total cerebral volumes at both 12-15 and 18-24 months of age. This is the first magnetic resonance imaging study to prospectively evaluate brain growth trajectories from infancy in children who develop autism spectrum disorder. The presence of excessive extra-axial fluid detected as early as 6 months and the lack of resolution by 24 months is a hitherto unreported brain anomaly in infants who later develop autism spectrum disorder. This is also the first magnetic resonance imaging evidence of brain enlargement in autism before age 2. These findings raise the potential for the use of structural magnetic resonance imaging to aid in the early detection of children at risk for autism spectrum disorder or other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Genomic Imprinting Is Implicated in the Psychology of Music.

PubMed

Mehr, Samuel A; Kotler, Jennifer; Howard, Rhea M; Haig, David; Krasnow, Max M

2017-10-01

Why do people sing to babies? Human infants are relatively altricial and need their parents' attention to survive. Infant-directed song may constitute a signal of that attention. In Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare disorder of genomic imprinting, genes from chromosome 15q11-q13 that are typically paternally expressed are unexpressed, which results in exaggeration of traits that reduce offspring's investment demands on the mother. PWS may thus be associated with a distinctive musical phenotype. We report unusual responses to music in people with PWS. Subjects with PWS ( N = 39) moved more during music listening, exhibited greater reductions in heart rate in response to music listening, and displayed a specific deficit in pitch-discrimination ability relative to typically developing adults and children ( N = 589). Paternally expressed genes from 15q11-q13, which are unexpressed in PWS, may thus increase demands for music and enhance perceptual sensitivity to music. These results implicate genomic imprinting in the psychology of music, informing theories of music's evolutionary history.

Emotional availability and attachment across generations: variations in patterns associated with infant health risk status.

PubMed

Cassibba, R; van IJzendoorn, M H; Coppola, G

2012-07-01

The presence of limits or distortions in the children's communicative behaviours (due to a chronic illness) may interfere with the possibility to build secure attachment relationships. Moreover, the distress that the atypical chronic illness condition brings to family life may interfere the intergenerational transmission of attachment. This study evaluated the associations between maternal attachment representations, emotional availability and mother-child attachment in a clinical and in a comparison group. Forty infants (23 female) in their 14th month of life and their mothers participated in this study, 20 dyads with clinical infants (10 premature infants and 10 infants affected by atopic dermatitis) and 20 full-term and healthy comparison infants. The Adult Attachment Interview, the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS) and the Strange Situation Procedure were used to assess, respectively, the security of mothers' attachment representations, the emotional availability and the quality of mother-child attachment. We found that the two groups (clinical vs. comparison) did not differ with respect to the Adult Attachment Interview and the Emotional Availability Scales measures. A significant difference was found in the distribution of the infant-mother attachment patterns, with a higher incidence of insecure infants in the clinical group. In the typically developing group, more secure maternal attachment representations predicted more emotional availability in mother-infant interactions, which predicted more secure infant-mother attachments. However, we did not find similar support for intergenerational transmission of attachment in the clinical group. We speculate that constant concerns about the child's health condition and communicative difficulties of clinical infants may hamper or even mitigate the intergenerational transmission of attachment. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Communicating prognosis with parents of critically ill infants: direct observation of clinician behaviors.

PubMed

Boss, R D; Lemmon, M E; Arnold, R M; Donohue, P K

2017-11-01

Delivering prognostic information to families requires clinicians to forecast an infant's illness course and future. We lack robust empirical data about how prognosis is shared and how that affects clinician-family concordance regarding infant outcomes. Prospective audiorecording of neonatal intensive care unit family conferences, immediately followed by parent/clinician surveys. Existing qualitative analysis frameworks were applied. We analyzed 19 conferences. Most prognostic discussion targeted predicted infant functional needs, for example, medications or feeding. There was little discussion of how infant prognosis would affect infant/family quality of life. Prognostic framing was typically optimistic. Most parents left the conference believing their infant's prognosis to be more optimistic than did clinicians. Clinician approach to prognostic disclosure in these audiotaped family conferences tended to be broad and optimistic, without detail regarding implications of infant health for infant/family quality of life. Families and clinicians left these conversations with little consensus about infant prognosis.

Bottle feeding and ideology in colonial Malaya: the production of change.

PubMed

Manderson, L

1982-01-01

Considerable attention has been paid to the correlation between high infant morbidity and mortality rates and the increased incidence of bottle feeding. The shift from prolonged breast feeding to a mixed regime or the exclusive use of sweetened condensed milk or infant formula has been related to the promotional activities of milk companies, and typically has been presented as a relatively recent development in Third World countries. However, the marketing of tinned and powdered milk only partially explains the increased use of these products. In colonial Malaya, condensed milk was marketed from the late 19th century. Infant formula was available from the turn of the century and was widely advertised, first in the English-language press and later also in the vernacular presses. At the same time, other social and cultural factors served to discourage breast feeding. There were changes in ideas regarding ideal body weight for both women and infants, and regarding infant care and diet; these ideas were presented in the mass media. In addition, maternal and child health clinics, established in the 1920s to reduce the high infant mortality rate, both propagated popular beliefs about infant weight and supplied milk and educated women to artificially feed their infants. Industry, the media, and health services all promoted, if not always intentionally, bottle feeding rather than breast feeding. Bottle feeding as an ideal, if not a reality, was thus well established before the intensive promotion of milk products by multinational corporations that followed the political independence of the colony.

A plea for developmental motor screening in Canadian infants.

PubMed

Harris, Susan R

2016-04-01

Motor delays during infancy may be the first observable sign of a specific neurodevelopmental disability or of more global developmental delays. The earlier such disorders are identified, the sooner these infants can be referred for early intervention services. Although developmental motor screening is strongly recommended in other Western countries, Canada has yet to provide a developmental surveillance and screening program. Ideally, screening for motor disabilities should occur as part of the 12-month well-baby visit. In advance of that visit, parents can be provided with a parent-screening questionnaire that they can complete and bring with them to their 12-month office visit. Interpretation of the parent-completed questionnaire takes only 2 min to 3 min of the health care professional's time and, based on the results, can either reassure parents that their infant is developing typically, or lead to a referral for standardized motor screening or assessment by a paediatric physical or occupational therapist.

Strong systematicity through sensorimotor conceptual grounding: an unsupervised, developmental approach to connectionist sentence processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jansen, Peter A.; Watter, Scott

2012-03-01

Connectionist language modelling typically has difficulty with syntactic systematicity, or the ability to generalise language learning to untrained sentences. This work develops an unsupervised connectionist model of infant grammar learning. Following the semantic boostrapping hypothesis, the network distils word category using a developmentally plausible infant-scale database of grounded sensorimotor conceptual representations, as well as a biologically plausible semantic co-occurrence activation function. The network then uses this knowledge to acquire an early benchmark clausal grammar using correlational learning, and further acquires separate conceptual and grammatical category representations. The network displays strongly systematic behaviour indicative of the general acquisition of the combinatorial systematicity present in the grounded infant-scale language stream, outperforms previous contemporary models that contain primarily noun and verb word categories, and successfully generalises broadly to novel untrained sensorimotor grounded sentences composed of unfamiliar nouns and verbs. Limitations as well as implications to later grammar learning are discussed.

New meanings of thin-skinned: The contrasting attentional profiles of typical 12-month-olds who show high, and low, stress reactivity.

PubMed

Wass, Sam V; de Barbaro, Kaya; Clackson, Kaili; Leong, Victoria

2018-05-01

Previous research is inconsistent as to whether a more labile (faster-changing) autonomic system confers performance advantages, or disadvantages, in infants and children. To examine this, we presented a stimulus battery consisting of mixed static and dynamic viewing materials to a cohort of 63 typical 12-month-old infants. While viewing the battery, infants' spontaneous visual attention (looks to and away from the screen) was measured. Concurrently, arousal was recorded via heart rate (HR), electrodermal activity, head velocity, and peripheral movement levels. In addition, stress reactivity was assessed using a mild behavioral stressor (watching a video of another infant crying). We found that infants who were generally more attentive showed smaller HR increases to the stressor. However, they also showed greater phasic autonomic changes to attractive, attention-getting stimulus events, a faster rate of change of both look duration and of arousal, and more general oscillatory activity in arousal. Finally, 4 sessions of attention training were applied to a subset of the infants (24 trained, 24 active controls), which had the effect of increasing visual sustained attention. No changes in HR responses to stressor were observed as a result of training, but concomitant increases in arousal lability were observed. Our results point to 2 contrasting autonomic profiles: infants with high autonomic reactivity to stressors show short attention durations, whereas infants with lower autonomic reactivity show longer attention durations and greater arousal lability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Early prediction of typical outcome and mild developmental delay for prioritisation of service delivery for very preterm and very low birthweight infants: a study protocol

PubMed Central

Caesar, Rebecca; Boyd, Roslyn N; Colditz, Paul; Cioni, Giovani; Ware, Robert S; Salthouse, Kaye; Doherty, Julie; Jackson, Maxine; Matthews, Leanne; Hurley, Tom; Morosini, Anthony; Thomas, Clare; Camadoo, Laxmi; Baer, Erica

2016-01-01

Introduction Over 80% of very preterm (<32 weeks) and very low birthweight (<1500 g) infants will have either typical development (TD) or mild developmental delay (MDD) in multiple domains. As differentiation between TD and MDD can be difficult, infants with MDD often miss opportunities for intervention. For many clinicians, the ongoing challenge is early detection of MDD without over servicing the population. This study aims to: (1) identify early clinical biomarkers for use in this population to predict and differentiate between TD and MDD at 24 months corrected age. (2) Determine the extent to which family and caregiver factors will contribute to neurodevelopmental and behavioural outcomes. Methods and analysis Participants will be a prospective cohort of 90 infants (<32 weeks and/or <1500 g). Between 34 weeks gestational age and 16 weeks post-term, infants will have a series of 5 neurological, neuromotor, neurobehavioural and perceptual assessments including General Movement Assessment at preterm, writhing and fidgety age. Primary caregivers will complete questionnaires to identify social risk, maternal depression and family strain. Extensive perinatal data will be collected from the medical record. At 24 months, corrected age (c.a) infants will be assessed using standardised tools including the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development—Third Edition (Bayley III). Longitudinal trajectories of early assessment findings will be examined to determine any predictive relationship with motor and cognitive outcomes at 24 months c.a. Published data of a cohort of Australian children assessed with the Bayley III at 24 months c.a will provide a reference group of term-born controls. Ethics Ethical approval has been obtained from the Queensland Children's Health Services Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/13/QRCH/66), the University of Queensland (2013001019) and the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, SC-Research Governance (SSA/13/QNB/66). Publication of all study outcomes will be in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number ACTRN12614000480684; Pre-results. PMID:27377633

The Effects of a Developmental, Social-Pragmatic Language Intervention on Rate of Expressive Language Production in Young Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingersoll, Brooke; Dvortcsak, Anna; Whalen, Christina; Sikora, Darryn

2005-01-01

Developmental, social-pragmatic (DSP) interventions are based on the study of interactions between typically developing infants and their mothers. Despite the fact that DSP approaches are firmly grounded in developmental theory, there is limited research on the efficacy of these interventions for promoting social-communicative behavior in young…

I spy with my little eye: typical, daily exposure to faces documented from a first-person infant perspective.

PubMed

Sugden, Nicole A; Mohamed-Ali, Marwan I; Moulson, Margaret C

2014-02-01

Exposure to faces is known to shape and change the face processing system; however, no study has yet documented infants' natural daily first-hand exposure to faces. One- and three-month-old infants' visual experience was recorded through head-mounted cameras. The video recordings were coded for faces to determine: (1) How often are infants exposed to faces? (2) To what type of faces are they exposed? and (3) Do frequently encountered face types reflect infants' typical pattern of perceptual narrowing? As hypothesized, infants spent a large proportion of their time (25%) exposed to faces; these faces were primarily female (70%), own-race (96%), and adult-age (81%). Infants were exposed to more individual exemplars of female, own-race, and adult-age faces than to male, other-race, and child- or older-adult-age faces. Each exposure to own-race faces was longer than to other-race faces. There were no differences in exposure duration related to the gender or age of the face. Previous research has found that the face types frequently experienced by our participants are preferred over and more successfully recognized than other face types. The patterns of face exposure revealed in the current study coincide with the known trajectory of perceptual narrowing seen later in infancy. © 2013 The Authors. Developmental Psychobiology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Communicating hunger and satiation in the first 2 years of life: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Hugh‐Jones, Siobhan; Caton, Samantha; Vereijken, Carel; Weenen, Hugo; Hetherington, Marion

2015-01-01

Abstract Responsive feeding has been identified as important in preventing overconsumption by infants. However, this is predicated on an assumption that parents recognise and respond to infant feeding cues. Despite this, relatively little is understood about how infants engage parental feeding responses. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to identify what is known about infant communication of hunger and satiation and what issues impact on the expression and perception of these states. A search of Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Science Direct and Maternal and Infant care produced 27 papers. Eligibility criteria included peer reviewed qualitative and/or quantitative publications on feeding behaviours, hunger, and satiation/satiety cues of typically developing children in the first 2 years of life. Papers published between 1966 and 2013 were included in the review. The review revealed that feeding cues and behaviours are shaped by numerous issues, such as infants' physical attributes, individual psychological factors and environmental factors. Meanwhile, infant characteristics, external cues and mothers' own characteristics affect how feeding cues are perceived. The existing literature provides insights into many aspects of hunger and satiation in infancy; however, there are significant gaps in our knowledge. There is a lack of validated tools for measuring hunger and satiation, a need to understand how different infant characteristics impact on feeding behaviour and a need to extricate the respective contributions of infant and maternal characteristics to perceptions of hunger and satiation. Further research is also recommended to differentiate between feeding driven by liking and that driven by hunger. PMID:26620159

The broader autism phenotype in infancy: when does it emerge?

PubMed

Ozonoff, Sally; Young, Gregory S; Belding, Ashleigh; Hill, Monique; Hill, Alesha; Hutman, Ted; Johnson, Scott; Miller, Meghan; Rogers, Sally J; Schwichtenberg, A J; Steinfeld, Marybeth; Iosif, Ana-Maria

2014-04-01

This study had 3 goals, which were to examine the following: the frequency of atypical development, consistent with the broader autism phenotype, in high-risk infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); the age at which atypical development is first evident; and which developmental domains are affected. A prospective longitudinal design was used to compare 294 high-risk infants and 116 low-risk infants. Participants were tested at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months of age. At the final visit, outcome was classified as ASD, Typical Development (TD), or Non-TD (defined as elevated Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule [ADOS] score, low Mullen Scale scores, or both). Of the high-risk group, 28% were classified as Non-TD at 36 months of age. Growth curve models demonstrated that the Non-TD group could not be distinguished from the other groups at 6 months of age, but differed significantly from the Low-Risk TD group by 12 months on multiple measures. The Non-TD group demonstrated atypical development in cognitive, motor, language, and social domains, with differences particularly prominent in the social-communication domain. These results demonstrate that features of atypical development, consistent with the broader autism phenotype, are detectable by the first birthday and affect development in multiple domains. This highlights the necessity for close developmental surveillance of infant siblings of children with ASD, along with implementation of appropriate interventions as needed. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

External cephalic version of the term breech baboon (Papio sp.) fetus.

PubMed

Barrier, Breton F; Joiner, Laura Lee Rihl; Jimenez, Joe B; Leland, M Michelle

2007-06-01

Breech presentation in baboons may be associated with head entrapment and stillbirth during vaginal delivery. For this reason, pregnant dams at our institution typically undergo cesarean delivery for known breech presentation, leading to problems with maternal-infant bonding and increased nursery utilization. This paper describes a simple, non-invasive technique called external cephalic version (ECV) that effectively converts the baboon breech fetus into a cephalic presentation. ECV was successful in each of seven attempted cases, with the consistent development of contractions and vaginal bleeding leading to the delivery of a healthy liveborn infant within 72 hours. ECV may offer a safe and effective alternative to cesarean section for delivery of the breech baboon fetus.

Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis in an Infant: Diagnostic Role of Viral Genome Analysis

PubMed Central

Baram, Tallie Z.; Gonzalez-Gomez, Ignacio; Xie, Zong-De; Yao, Dapeng; Gilles, Floyd H.; Nelson, Marvin D.; Nguyen, Hahn T.; Peters, Julius

2013-01-01

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is related to “defective” measles virus or vaccination, though an association with parainfluenza viruses has been reported. SSPE is characterized by a slow, erratic course and elevated cerebrospinal fluid measles titers. An immunocompetent, vaccinated infant, with onset of symptoms in parainfiuenza virus season and a catastrophic course is described. Cerebrospinal fluid titers were negative, but postmortem brain had typical SSPE lesions. Patient brain-derived RNA, subjected to reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction yielded polymerase chain reaction products with measles virus but not parainfluenza virus genes. The sequenced fragment revealed multiple mutations, typical for SSPE. SSPE can thus present in infants, with short latency and no cerebrospinal fluid antibodies. Viral genomic analysis may be diagnostic, permitting early therapy. PMID:8024248

Cooling for newborns with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy.

PubMed

Jacobs, Susan E; Berg, Marie; Hunt, Rod; Tarnow-Mordi, William O; Inder, Terrie E; Davis, Peter G

2013-01-31

Newborn animal studies and pilot studies in humans suggest that mild hypothermia following peripartum hypoxia-ischaemia in newborn infants may reduce neurological sequelae without adverse effects. To determine the effect of therapeutic hypothermia in encephalopathic asphyxiated newborn infants on mortality, long-term neurodevelopmental disability and clinically important side effects. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group as outlined in The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2007). Randomised controlled trials evaluating therapeutic hypothermia in term and late preterm newborns with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy were identified by searching the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, 2007, Issue 2), MEDLINE (1966 to June 2007), previous reviews including cross-references, abstracts, conferences, symposia proceedings, expert informants and journal handsearching. We updated this search in May 2012. We included randomised controlled trials comparing the use of therapeutic hypothermia with standard care in encephalopathic term or late preterm infants with evidence of peripartum asphyxia and without recognisable major congenital anomalies. The primary outcome measure was death or long-term major neurodevelopmental disability. Other outcomes included adverse effects of cooling and 'early' indicators of neurodevelopmental outcome. Four review authors independently selected, assessed the quality of and extracted data from the included studies. Study authors were contacted for further information. Meta-analyses were performed using risk ratios (RR) and risk differences (RD) for dichotomous data, and weighted mean difference for continuous data with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We included 11 randomised controlled trials in this updated review, comprising 1505 term and late preterm infants with moderate/severe encephalopathy and evidence of intrapartum asphyxia. Therapeutic hypothermia resulted in a statistically significant and clinically important reduction in the combined outcome of mortality or major neurodevelopmental disability to 18 months of age (typical RR 0.75 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.83); typical RD -0.15, 95% CI -0.20 to -0.10); number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 7 (95% CI 5 to 10) (8 studies, 1344 infants). Cooling also resulted in statistically significant reductions in mortality (typical RR 0.75 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.88), typical RD -0.09 (95% CI -0.13 to -0.04); NNTB 11 (95% CI 8 to 25) (11 studies, 1468 infants) and in neurodevelopmental disability in survivors (typical RR 0.77 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.94), typical RD -0.13 (95% CI -0.19 to -0.07); NNTB 8 (95% CI 5 to 14) (8 studies, 917 infants). Some adverse effects of hypothermia included an increase sinus bradycardia and a significant increase in thrombocytopenia. There is evidence from the 11 randomised controlled trials included in this systematic review (N = 1505 infants) that therapeutic hypothermia is beneficial in term and late preterm newborns with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy. Cooling reduces mortality without increasing major disability in survivors. The benefits of cooling on survival and neurodevelopment outweigh the short-term adverse effects. Hypothermia should be instituted in term and late preterm infants with moderate-to-severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy if identified before six hours of age. Further trials to determine the appropriate techniques of cooling, including refinement of patient selection, duration of cooling and method of providing therapeutic hypothermia, will refine our understanding of this intervention.

Congenital rubella syndrome in a child born to Liberian refugees: clinical and public health perspectives.

PubMed

Plotinsky, Rachel N; Talbot, Elizabeth A; Kellenberg, Joan E; Reef, Susan E; Buseman, Sandra K; Wright, Karen D; Modlin, John F

2007-05-01

We describe a case of congenital rubella syndrome with typical stigmata in an infant born in New Hampshire to Liberian refugees. The infant's clinical specimens were tested for rubella. Rubella immunity status was sought for contacts. The infant's specimen cultures grew wild-type rubella virus; serum immunoglobulin M and G were positive. Eighteen of 20 contacts were rubella-immune. Family's transit history, mother's vaccination history, and infant's estimated gestational age supported congenital infection acquired overseas. Clinicians should maintain vigilance for congenital rubella syndrome in infants with relevant stigmata, particularly those whose mothers are from countries with nonexistent or recently implemented rubella vaccination programs.

Late onset canonical babbling: a possible early marker of abnormal development.

PubMed

Oller, D K; Eilers, R E; Neal, A R; Cobo-Lewis, A B

1998-11-01

By their 10th month of life, typically developing infants produce canonical babbling, which includes the well-formed syllables required for meaningful speech. Research suggests that emerging speech or language-related disorders might be associated with late onset of canonical babbling. Onset of canonical babbling was investigated for 1,536 high-risk infants, at about 10-months corrected age. Parental report by open-ended questionnaire was found to be an efficient method for ascertaining babbling status. Although delays were infrequent, they were often associated with genetic, neurological, anatomical, and/or physiological abnormalities. Over half the cases of late canonical babbling were not, at the time they were discovered associated with prior significant medical diagnoses. Late canonical-babbling onset may be a predictor of later developmental disabilities, including problems in speech, language, and reading.

Glutamine supplementation for young infants with severe gastrointestinal disease.

PubMed

Brown, Jennifer V E; Moe-Byrne, Thirimon; McGuire, William

2014-12-15

Endogenous glutamine biosynthesis may be insufficient to meet the needs of people with severe gastrointestinal disease. Results from studies using experimental animal models of gastrointestinal disease have suggested that glutamine supplementation improves clinical outcomes. This review examines evidence on the effect of glutamine supplementation in young infants with severe gastrointestinal disease. To assess the effect of supplemental glutamine on mortality and morbidity in young infants with severe gastrointestinal disease. We searcheed the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, 2014, Issue 8), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL (from inception to September 2014), conference proceedings, and reference lists from previous reviews. Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared glutamine supplementation versus no glutamine supplementation in infants up to three months old (corrected for preterm birth if necessary) with severe gastrointestinal disease defined as a congenital or acquired gastrointestinal condition that is likely to necessitate providing parenteral nutrition for at least 24 hours. Two review authors assessed trial eligibility and risk of bias and undertook data extraction independently. We analysed the treatment effects in the individual trials and reported the risk ratio (RR) and risk difference (RD) for dichotomous data and mean difference for continuous data, with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We used a fixed-effect model in meta-analyses and explored the potential causes of heterogeneity in sensitivity analyses. We found three trials in which a total of 274 infants participated. The trials were of good methodological quality but were too small to detect clinically important effects of glutamine supplementation. Meta-analyses did not reveal a statistically significant difference in the risk of death before hospital discharge (typical RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.19 to 3.20; typical RD -0.01, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.03) or in the rate of invasive infection (typical RR 1.37, 95% CI 0.89 to 2.11; typical RD 0.08, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.18]). The available data from randomised controlled trials do not suggest that glutamine supplementation has any important benefits for young infants with severe gastrointestinal disease.

Sustained versus standard inflations during neonatal resuscitation to prevent mortality and improve respiratory outcomes.

PubMed

Bruschettini, Matteo; O'Donnell, Colm Pf; Davis, Peter G; Morley, Colin J; Moja, Lorenzo; Zappettini, Simona; Calevo, Maria Grazia

2017-07-14

At birth, infants' lungs are fluid-filled. For newborns to have a successful transition, this fluid must be replaced by air to enable effective breathing. Some infants are judged to have inadequate breathing at birth and are resuscitated with positive pressure ventilation (PPV). Giving prolonged (sustained) inflations at the start of PPV may help clear lung fluid and establish gas volume within the lungs. To assess the efficacy of an initial sustained (> 1 second duration) lung inflation versus standard inflations (≤ 1 second) in newly born infants receiving resuscitation with intermittent PPV. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2017, Issue 1), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 17 February 2017), Embase (1980 to 17 February 2017), and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (1982 to 17 February 2017). We also searched clinical trials databases, conference proceedings, and the reference lists of retrieved articles to identify randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised trials. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs comparing initial sustained lung inflation (SLI) versus standard inflations given to infants receiving resuscitation with PPV at birth. We assessed the methodological quality of included trials using Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group (EPOC) criteria (assessing randomisation, blinding, loss to follow-up, and handling of outcome data). We evaluated treatment effects using a fixed-effect model with risk ratio (RR) for categorical data and mean, standard deviation (SD), and weighted mean difference (WMD) for continuous data. We assessed the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Eight trials enrolling 941 infants met our inclusion criteria. Investigators in seven trials (932 infants) administered sustained inflation with no chest compressions. Use of sustained inflation had no impact on the primary outcomes of this review - mortality in the delivery room (typical RR 2.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.11 to 63.40; participants = 479; studies = 5; I² not applicable) and mortality during hospitalisation (typical RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.51; participants = 932; studies = 7; I² = 19%); the quality of the evidence was low for death in the delivery room (limitations in study design and imprecision of estimates) and was moderate for death before discharge (limitations in study design of most included trials). Amongst secondary outcomes, duration of mechanical ventilation was shorter in the SLI group (mean difference (MD) -5.37 days, 95% CI -6.31 to -4.43; participants = 524; studies = 5; I² = 95%; low-quality evidence). Heterogeneity, statistical significance, and magnitude of effects of this outcome are largely influenced by a single study: When this study was removed from the analysis, the effect was largely reduced (MD -1.71 days, 95% CI -3.04 to -0.39, I² = 0%). Results revealed no differences in any of the other secondary outcomes (e.g. rate of endotracheal intubation outside the delivery room by 72 hours of age (typical RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.09; participants = 811; studies = 5; I² = 0%); need for surfactant administration during hospital admission (typical RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.10; participants = 932; studies = 7; I² = 0%); rate of chronic lung disease (typical RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.22; participants = 683; studies = 5; I² = 47%); pneumothorax (typical RR 1.44, 95% CI 0.76 to 2.72; studies = 6, 851 infants; I² = 26%); or rate of patent ductus arteriosus requiring pharmacological treatment (typical RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.30; studies = 6, 745 infants; I² = 36%). The quality of evidence for these secondary outcomes was moderate (limitations in study design of most included trials - GRADE) except for pneumothorax (low quality: limitations in study design and imprecision of estimates - GRADE). Sustained inflation was not better than intermittent ventilation for reducing mortality in the delivery room and during hospitalisation. The number of events across trials was limited, so differences cannot be excluded. When considering secondary outcomes, such as need for intubation, need for or duration of respiratory support, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia, we found no evidence of relevant benefit for sustained inflation over intermittent ventilation. The duration of mechanical ventilation was shortened in the SLI group. This result should be interpreted cautiously, as it can be influenced by study characteristics other than the intervention. Future RCTs should aim to enrol infants who are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality, should stratify participants by gestational age, and should provide more detailed monitoring of the procedure, including measurements of lung volume and presence of apnoea before or during the SLI.

Concern for Another's Distress in Toddlers at High and Low Genetic Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Susan B.; Leezenbaum, Nina B.; Schmidt, Emily N.; Day, Taylor N.; Brownell, Celia A.

2015-01-01

We examined concern for others in 22-month-old toddlers with an older sibling with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and low risk typically-developing toddlers with older siblings. Responses to a crying infant and an adult social partner who pretended to hurt her finger were coded. Children with a later diagnosis of ASD showed limited empathic…

Association between histological alterations in the thymus and sudden infant death syndrome.

PubMed

Varga, Ivan; Bódi, Ildikó; Mešťanová, Veronika; Kováč, Martin; Klein, Martin

2018-04-01

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) involves the death of an infant during the first year of life and it is among the leading causes of infant mortality worldwide. One hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of SIDS is that it results from a combination of three independent factors: endogenous vulnerability, a critical time window during postnatal development, and exogenous stressors. This hypothesis is known as the "triple-risk model". In this study, we used an immunohistological approach to compare the cellular microenvironments of thymuses from 19 infants whose sudden death was classified as SIDS and a control group, which consisted of thymuses from age-matched children undergoing surgery for various congenital heart defects. We hypothesized that morphological signs of stress-related thymic involution would be present. Based on our observations, we found evidence that the proliferation and maturation of T-lymphocytes in the thymuses of infants with SIDS were suppressed. We observed enhanced macrophage activity, suggesting an increase in the apoptosis of lymphocytes and decrease in number of thymic dendritic cells and myoid cells. Significant apoptosis of thymic lymphocytes without cell regeneration typically leads to atrophy of the thymus. All cellular events we observed resemble the initial stage of stress-related thymic involution. These results support the "triple-risk model," suggesting that certain exogenous stressors might be involved in the pathogenesis of SIDS. This was probably not recognized during the autopsies of infants who died suddenly. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Cot-nursing versus incubator care for preterm infants.

PubMed

Gray, Peter H; Flenady, Vicki

2011-08-10

Preterm infants are usually nursed in incubators, but cot-nursing may provide an alternative. While there may be benefits of nursing preterm infants in open cots, there may be potential risks such as nosocomial infection caused by more handling due to easier access. To assess effects of cot-nursing versus incubator care on temperature control and weight gain in preterm infants. The standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group was used. This included searches of electronic databases including the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library), Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE, as well as previous reviews including cross references through November 2009. All trials using random or quasi-random patient allocation in which infants receiving care in standard newborn cots were compared to infants managed in a conventional air heated incubator. The authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data for the primary outcomes of temperature control and weight gain. Meta-analysis was conducted using a fixed-effect model. Eleven potential studies were identified of which five, involving 247 infants, were included in this review. When compared to incubator care, cot-nursing resulted in no significant difference in mean body temperature (MD 0.02 degrees C; 95% CI -0.02 to 0.07, four trials), though the one trial that reported on episodes of hyperthermia found this to be statistically more common in the cot-nursing group (RR 1.48; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.09). There were no statistically significant differences in weight gain. In the cot-nursing group, fewer infants were breast fed on discharge (typical RR 0.74; 95% CI 0.48 to 1.14, three trials, 150 infants) and fewer infants died prior to hospital discharge (typical RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.25, four trials, 235 infants) but these results failed to reach statistical significance. The comparison of cot-nursing using a heated water-filled mattress versus incubator care, which included five trials and a total of 231 infants, produced similar results. Cot-nursing with warming of the nursery resulted in statistically significantly smaller weight gain during week one compared to the incubator group in one trial that involved 38 infants (MD -5.90 g/kg/day; 95% CI -11.13 to -0.67) but no significant difference was found for weeks two and three. Cot-nursing using a heated water-filled mattress has similar effects to incubator care with regard to temperature control and weight gain. Important clinical outcomes need to be investigated further using randomised controlled trials. This is especially the case in the situation of developing countries, where differences in these outcomes are likely to be encountered. As limited data is available on cot-nursing using a space-heated room, this method is not recommended as practice.

Influenza Transmission in the Mother-Infant Dyad Leads to Severe Disease, Mammary Gland Infection, and Pathogenesis by Regulating Host Responses

PubMed Central

Huang, Stephen S. H.; Almansa, Raquel; Leon, Alberto; Xu, Luoling; Bartoszko, Jessica; Kelvin, David J.; Kelvin, Alyson A.

2015-01-01

Seasonal influenza viruses are typically restricted to the human upper respiratory tract whereas influenza viruses with greater pathogenic potential often also target extra-pulmonary organs. Infants, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers are highly susceptible to severe respiratory disease following influenza virus infection but the mechanisms of disease severity in the mother-infant dyad are poorly understood. Here we investigated 2009 H1N1 influenza virus infection and transmission in breastfeeding mothers and infants utilizing our developed infant-mother ferret influenza model. Infants acquired severe disease and mortality following infection. Transmission of the virus from infants to mother ferrets led to infection in the lungs and mother mortality. Live virus was also found in mammary gland tissue and expressed milk of the mothers which eventually led to milk cessation. Histopathology showed destruction of acini glandular architecture with the absence of milk. The virus was localized in mammary epithelial cells of positive glands. To understand the molecular mechanisms of mammary gland infection, we performed global transcript analysis which showed downregulation of milk production genes such as Prolactin and increased breast involution pathways indicated by a STAT5 to STAT3 signaling shift. Genes associated with cancer development were also significantly increased including JUN, FOS and M2 macrophage markers. Immune responses within the mammary gland were characterized by decreased lymphocyte-associated genes CD3e, IL2Ra, CD4 with IL1β upregulation. Direct inoculation of H1N1 into the mammary gland led to infant respiratory infection and infant mortality suggesting the influenza virus was able to replicate in mammary tissue and transmission is possible through breastfeeding. In vitro infection studies with human breast cells showed susceptibility to H1N1 virus infection. Together, we have shown that the host-pathogen interactions of influenza virus infection in the mother-infant dyad initiate immunological and oncogenic signaling cascades within the mammary gland. These findings suggest the mammary gland may have a greater role in infection and immunity than previously thought. PMID:26448646

Influenza Transmission in the Mother-Infant Dyad Leads to Severe Disease, Mammary Gland Infection, and Pathogenesis by Regulating Host Responses.

PubMed

Paquette, Stéphane G; Banner, David; Huang, Stephen S H; Almansa, Raquel; Leon, Alberto; Xu, Luoling; Bartoszko, Jessica; Kelvin, David J; Kelvin, Alyson A

2015-10-01

Seasonal influenza viruses are typically restricted to the human upper respiratory tract whereas influenza viruses with greater pathogenic potential often also target extra-pulmonary organs. Infants, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers are highly susceptible to severe respiratory disease following influenza virus infection but the mechanisms of disease severity in the mother-infant dyad are poorly understood. Here we investigated 2009 H1N1 influenza virus infection and transmission in breastfeeding mothers and infants utilizing our developed infant-mother ferret influenza model. Infants acquired severe disease and mortality following infection. Transmission of the virus from infants to mother ferrets led to infection in the lungs and mother mortality. Live virus was also found in mammary gland tissue and expressed milk of the mothers which eventually led to milk cessation. Histopathology showed destruction of acini glandular architecture with the absence of milk. The virus was localized in mammary epithelial cells of positive glands. To understand the molecular mechanisms of mammary gland infection, we performed global transcript analysis which showed downregulation of milk production genes such as Prolactin and increased breast involution pathways indicated by a STAT5 to STAT3 signaling shift. Genes associated with cancer development were also significantly increased including JUN, FOS and M2 macrophage markers. Immune responses within the mammary gland were characterized by decreased lymphocyte-associated genes CD3e, IL2Ra, CD4 with IL1β upregulation. Direct inoculation of H1N1 into the mammary gland led to infant respiratory infection and infant mortality suggesting the influenza virus was able to replicate in mammary tissue and transmission is possible through breastfeeding. In vitro infection studies with human breast cells showed susceptibility to H1N1 virus infection. Together, we have shown that the host-pathogen interactions of influenza virus infection in the mother-infant dyad initiate immunological and oncogenic signaling cascades within the mammary gland. These findings suggest the mammary gland may have a greater role in infection and immunity than previously thought.

Sex differences in directional brain responses to infant hunger cries.

PubMed

De Pisapia, Nicola; Bornstein, Marc H; Rigo, Paola; Esposito, Gianluca; De Falco, Simona; Venuti, Paola

2013-02-13

Infant cries are a critical survival mechanism that draw the attention of adult caregivers, who can then satisfy the basic needs of otherwise helpless infants. Here, we used functional neuroimaging to determine the effects of infant hunger cries on the brain activity of adults who were in a cognitively nondemanding mental state of awake rest. We found that the brains of men and women, independent of parental status (parent or nonparent), reacted differently to infant cries. Specifically, the dorsal medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate areas, known to be involved in mind wandering (the stream of thought typical of awake rest), remained active in men during exposure to infant cries, whereas in women, activity in these regions decreased. These results show sex-dependent modulation of brain responses to infant requests to be fed, and specifically, they indicate that women interrupt mind wandering when exposed to the sounds of infant hunger cries, whereas men carry on without interruption.

Accommodation and vergence latencies in human infants

PubMed Central

Tondel, Grazyna M.; Candy, T. Rowan

2008-01-01

Purpose Achieving simultaneous single and clear visual experience during postnatal development depends on the temporal relationship between accommodation and vergence, in addition to their accuracies. This study was designed to examine one component of the dynamic relationship, the latencies of the responses. Methods Infants and adults were tested in three conditions i) Binocular viewing of a target moving in depth at 5cm/s (closed loop) ii) monocular viewing of the same target (vergence open loop) iii) binocular viewing of a low spatial frequency Difference of Gaussian target during a prism induced step change in retinal disparity (accommodation open loop). Results There was a significant correlation between accommodation and vergence latencies in binocular conditions for infants from 7 to 23 weeks of age. Some of the infants, as young as 7 or 8 weeks, generated adult-like latencies of less than 0.5 s. Latencies in the vergence open loop and accommodation open loop conditions tended to be shorter for the stimulated system than the open loop system in both cases, and all latencies were typically less than 2 seconds across the infant age range. Conclusions Many infants between 7 and 23 weeks of age were able to generate accommodation and vergence responses with latencies of less than a second in full binocular closed loop conditions. The correlation between the latencies in the two systems suggests that they are limited by related factors from the earliest ages tested. PMID:18199466

Accommodation and vergence latencies in human infants.

PubMed

Tondel, Grazyna M; Candy, T Rowan

2008-02-01

Achieving simultaneous single and clear visual experience during postnatal development depends on the temporal relationship between accommodation and vergence, in addition to their accuracies. This study was designed to examine one component of the dynamic relationship, the latencies of the responses. Infants and adults were tested in three conditions (i) binocular viewing of a target moving in depth at 5 cm/s (closed loop) (ii) monocular viewing of the same target (vergence open loop) (iii) binocular viewing of a low spatial frequency Difference of Gaussian target during a prism induced step change in retinal disparity (accommodation open loop). There was a significant correlation between accommodation and vergence latencies in binocular conditions for infants from 7 to 23 weeks of age. Some of the infants, as young as 7 or 8 weeks, generated adult-like latencies of less than 0.5 s. Latencies in the vergence open loop and accommodation open loop conditions tended to be shorter for the stimulated system than the open loop system in both cases, and all latencies were typically less than 2 s across the infant age range. Many infants between 7 and 23 weeks of age were able to generate accommodation and vergence responses with latencies of less than a second in full binocular closed loop conditions. The correlation between the latencies in the two systems suggests that they are limited by related factors from the earliest ages tested.

I spy with my little eye: Typical, daily exposure to faces documented from a first‐person infant perspective

PubMed Central

Mohamed‐Ali, Marwan I.; Moulson, Margaret C.

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT Exposure to faces is known to shape and change the face processing system; however, no study has yet documented infants' natural daily first‐hand exposure to faces. One‐ and three‐month‐old infants' visual experience was recorded through head‐mounted cameras. The video recordings were coded for faces to determine: (1) How often are infants exposed to faces? (2) To what type of faces are they exposed? and (3) Do frequently encountered face types reflect infants' typical pattern of perceptual narrowing? As hypothesized, infants spent a large proportion of their time (25%) exposed to faces; these faces were primarily female (70%), own‐race (96%), and adult‐age (81%). Infants were exposed to more individual exemplars of female, own‐race, and adult‐age faces than to male, other‐race, and child‐ or older‐adult‐age faces. Each exposure to own‐race faces was longer than to other‐race faces. There were no differences in exposure duration related to the gender or age of the face. Previous research has found that the face types frequently experienced by our participants are preferred over and more successfully recognized than other face types. The patterns of face exposure revealed in the current study coincide with the known trajectory of perceptual narrowing seen later in infancy.© 2013 The Authors. Developmental Psychobiology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 56: 249–261, 2014. PMID:24285109

Learning in Reverse: Eight-Month-Old Infants Track Backward Transitional Probabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pelucchi, Bruna; Hay, Jessica F.; Saffran, Jenny R.

2009-01-01

Numerous recent studies suggest that human learners, including both infants and adults, readily track sequential statistics computed between adjacent elements. One such statistic, transitional probability, is typically calculated as the likelihood that one element predicts another. However, little is known about whether listeners are sensitive to…

Communicating hunger and satiation in the first 2 years of life: a systematic review.

PubMed

McNally, Janet; Hugh-Jones, Siobhan; Caton, Samantha; Vereijken, Carel; Weenen, Hugo; Hetherington, Marion

2016-04-01

Responsive feeding has been identified as important in preventing overconsumption by infants. However, this is predicated on an assumption that parents recognise and respond to infant feeding cues. Despite this, relatively little is understood about how infants engage parental feeding responses. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to identify what is known about infant communication of hunger and satiation and what issues impact on the expression and perception of these states. A search of Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Science Direct and Maternal and Infant care produced 27 papers. Eligibility criteria included peer reviewed qualitative and/or quantitative publications on feeding behaviours, hunger, and satiation/satiety cues of typically developing children in the first 2 years of life. Papers published between 1966 and 2013 were included in the review. The review revealed that feeding cues and behaviours are shaped by numerous issues, such as infants' physical attributes, individual psychological factors and environmental factors. Meanwhile, infant characteristics, external cues and mothers' own characteristics affect how feeding cues are perceived. The existing literature provides insights into many aspects of hunger and satiation in infancy; however, there are significant gaps in our knowledge. There is a lack of validated tools for measuring hunger and satiation, a need to understand how different infant characteristics impact on feeding behaviour and a need to extricate the respective contributions of infant and maternal characteristics to perceptions of hunger and satiation. Further research is also recommended to differentiate between feeding driven by liking and that driven by hunger. © The Authors. Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hyperinsulinism associated with gestational exposure to bupropion in a newborn infant.

PubMed

Gisslen, Tate; Nathan, Brandon; Thompson, Theodore; Rao, Raghavendra

2011-01-01

This case report describes severe hyperinsulinism in a term newborn infant without typical perinatal risk factors for transient hyperinsulinism. The mother had received bupropion, an antidepressant and aid to smoking cessation, throughout pregnancy. The infant presented with profound hypoglycemia and seizures on the 3rd day of life. Laboratory investigation confirmed hyperinsulinism. Stable euglycemia could be achieved only after starting diazoxide. The infant was weaned from diazoxide by 10 weeks of age without recurrence of hypoglycemia, signifying the transient nature of hyperinsulinism. This is the first reported case of a potential association between maternal bupropion use during pregnancy and neonatal hyperinsulinism, and highlights the importance of close monitoring of similar infants.

The Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Invasive Candidiasis Among Premature Infants

PubMed Central

Kelly, Matthew S.; Benjamin, Daniel K.; Smith, P. Brian

2015-01-01

Invasive candidiasis is a leading infectious cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Improved recognition of modifiable risk factors and antifungal prophylaxis have contributed to the recent decline in the incidence of this infection among infants. Invasive candidiasis typically occurs in the first six weeks of life and presents with non-specific signs of sepsis. Definitive diagnosis relies on growth of Candida in blood culture or cultures from other normally sterile sites, but this may identify fewer than half of cases. Improved diagnostics are needed to guide initiation of antifungal therapy in premature infants. PMID:25677999

Atypical Hemispheric Specialization for Faces in Infants At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Keehn, Brandon; Vogel-Farley, Vanessa; Tager-Flusberg, Helen; Nelson, Charles A.

2014-01-01

Behavioral and neuroimaging findings from typically developing infants and children have demonstrated that the right hemisphere becomes specialized for processing faces. Face processing impairments and atypical hemispheric specialization have previously been reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal of this study was to examine the emergence of the right-lateralized face processing network in infants at high-risk for autism (HRA; defined as having an older sibling with ASD) and low-risk comparison (LRC) infants, defined as having no family history of ASD. To investigate the earliest appearance of these features, we examined lateralization of event-related gamma-band coherence (a measure of intra-hemispheric connectivity) to faces during the first year of life. Forty-nine HRA and 46 LRC infants contributed a total of 127 data sets at 6- and/or 12-months. EEG was recorded while infants viewed pictures of either their mother or a stranger. Event-related gamma-band (30-50Hz) phase coherence between anterior-posterior regions for left and right hemispheres was computed. HRA infants showed an aberrant pattern of leftward lateralization of intra-hemispheric coherence by the end of the first year of life, suggesting that the network specialized for face processing may develop atypically in these infants. Further, infants with the greatest leftward asymmetry at 12-months were those that later met diagnostic criteria for ASD, providing support to the growing body of evidence that atypical hemispheric specialization may be an early neurobiological marker for ASD. Among the many experimental findings that tend to distinguish those with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are face processing deficits, reduced hemispheric specialization, and atypical neurostructural and functional connectivity. To investigate the earliest manifestations of these features, we examined lateralization of event-related gamma-band coherence to faces during the first year of life in infants at high-risk for autism (HRA; defined as having an older sibling with ASD) who were compared low-risk comparison (LRC) infants, defined as having no family history of ASD. Participants included 49 HRA and 46 LRC infants who contributed a total of 127 data sets at 6- and 12-months. EEG was recorded while infants viewed images of familiar/unfamiliar faces. Event-related gamma-band (30-50Hz) phase coherence between anterior-posterior electrode pairs for left and right hemispheres was computed. Developmental trajectories for lateralization of intra-hemispheric coherence were significantly different in HRA and LRC infants: by 12-months HRA infants showed significantly greater leftward lateralization compared to LRC infants who showed rightward lateralization. Preliminary results indicate that infants who later met criteria for ASD were those that showed the greatest leftward lateralization. HRA infants demonstrate an aberrant pattern of leftward lateralization of intra-hemispheric coherence by the end of the first year of life, suggesting that the network specialized for face processing may develop atypically. Further, infants with the greatest leftward asymmetry at 12-months where those that later met criteria for ASD, providing support to the growing body of evidence that atypical hemispheric specialization may be an early neurobiological marker for ASD. PMID:25808162

The development of siblings of children with autism at 4 and 14 months: social engagement, communication, and cognition.

PubMed

Yirmiya, Nurit; Gamliel, Ifat; Pilowsky, Tammy; Feldman, Ruth; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Sigman, Marian

2006-05-01

To compare siblings of children with autism (SIBS-A) and siblings of children with typical development (SIBS-TD) at 4 and 14 months of age. At 4 months, mother-infant interactional synchrony during free play, infant gaze and affect during the still-face paradigm, and infant responsiveness to a name-calling paradigm were examined (n = 21 in each group). At 14 months, verbal and nonverbal communication skills were examined as well as cognition (30 SIBS-A and 31 SIBS-TD). Most SIBS-A were functioning as well as the SIBS-TD at 4 and 14 months of age. However, some differences in early social engagement and later communicative and cognitive skills emerged. Synchrony was weaker in the SIBS-A dyads, but only for infant-led interactions. Infant SIBS-A revealed more neutral affect during the still-face procedure and were less upset by it than was true for the SIBS-TD. A surprising result was that significantly more SIBS-A responded to their name being called by their mothers compared to SIBS-TD. At 14 months, SIBS-A made fewer nonverbal requesting gestures and achieved lower language scores on the Bayley Scale. Six SIBS-A revealed a language delay of 5 months and were responsible for some of the significant differences between SIBS-A and SIBS-TD. Furthermore, infant SIBS-A who showed more neutral affect to the still face and were less able to respond to their name being called by their mothers initiated fewer nonverbal joint attention and requesting behaviors at 14 months, respectively. Focused on the genetic liability for the broad phenotype of autism as well as the possible influence of having a sibling with autism.

Similar and functionally typical kinematic reaching parameters in 7- and 15-month-old in utero cocaine-exposed and unexposed infants.

PubMed

Tronick, E Z; Fetters, Linda; Olson, Karen L; Chen, Yuping

2004-04-01

This study examined the effects of intrauterine cocaine exposure on the reaches of 19 exposed and 15 unexposed infants at 7 and 15 months using kinematic measures. Infants sat at a table and reached for a rattle, a toy doll, and a chair. Videotaped reaches were digitized using the Peak Performance system. Kinematic movement variables were extracted (e.g., reach duration, peak velocity, movement units, path length) and ratios computed (e.g., path length divided by number of movement units). Regardless of exposure status, reaches of older infants were faster, more direct, had fewer movement units, and covered more distance with the first movement unit. Exposed infants covered more distance per movement unit than unexposed infants, but there were no other significant differences. Reaches of exposed and unexposed infants were essentially similar. Importantly, reach parameters for these high-risk infants were similar to reach parameters for infants at lower social and biological risk. Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Why the act?

PubMed

Kumta, N B

1995-07-01

All of the 4000 infants who die daily in India have been bottle fed. Most of these infants die from infections which are typically caused by bottle feeding. Considerable research has shown that human breast milk ideally suits babies' needs. Human breast milk protects infants from several infections and allergies, such that the breastfed infant is 25 times less likely than the bottle fed infant to die due to diarrhea and pneumonia. Comparative studies have even found breastfed babies to have higher IQs than bottle fed ones. Detrimental maternity home practices, adverse social factors, and the unethical and aggressive marketing strategy adopted by the manufacturers of infant milk substitutes and feeding bottles are the major factors responsible for the erosion of the practice of breastfeeding. These factors are discussed. The Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods Act prohibits the advertisement and promotion of feeding bottles and infant milk substitutes by unethical marketing strategies. Violations of the act are punishable by imprisonment and a heavy fine. The act and the need for its passage are discussed.

Vibration-Induced Motor Responses of Infants With and Without Myelomeningocele

PubMed Central

Teulier, Caroline; Smith, Beth A.; Kim, Byungji; Beutler, Benjamin D.; Martin, Bernard J.; Ulrich, Beverly D.

2012-01-01

Background The severity of myelomeningocele (MMC) stems both from a loss of neurons due to neural tube defect and a loss of function in viable neurons due to reduced movement experience during the first year after birth. In young infants with MMC, the challenge is to reinforce excitability and voluntary control of all available neurons. Muscle vibration paired with voluntary movement may increase motoneuron excitability and contribute to improvements in neural organization, responsiveness, and control. Objectives This study examined whether infants with or without MMC respond to vibration by altering their step or stance behavior when supported upright on a treadmill. Design This was a cross-sectional study. Methods Twenty-four 2- to 10-month-old infants, 12 with typical development (TD) and 12 with MMC (lumbar and sacral lesions), were tested. Infants were supported upright with their feet in contact with a stationary or moving treadmill during 30-second trials. Rhythmic alternating vibrations were applied to the right and left rectus femoris muscles, the lateral gastrocnemius muscle, or the sole of the foot. Two cameras and behavior coding were used to determine step count, step type, and motor response to vibration onset. Results Step count decreased and swing duration increased in infants with TD during vibration of the sole of the foot on a moving treadmill (FT-M trials). Across all groups the percentage of single steps increased during vibration of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle on a moving treadmill. Infants with MMC and younger infants with TD responded to onset of vibration with leg straightening during rectus femoris muscle stimulation and by stepping during FT-M trials more often than older infants with TD. Conclusions Vibration seems a viable option for increasing motor responsiveness in infants with MMC. Follow-up studies are needed to identify optimal methods of administering vibration to maximize step and stance behavior in infants. PMID:22228610

Delineation of early brain development from fetuses to infants with diffusion MRI and beyond.

PubMed

Ouyang, Minhui; Dubois, Jessica; Yu, Qinlin; Mukherjee, Pratik; Huang, Hao

2018-04-12

Dynamic macrostructural and microstructural changes take place from the mid-fetal stage to 2 years after birth. Delineating structural changes of the brain during early development provides new insights into the complicated processes of both typical development and the pathological mechanisms underlying various psychiatric and neurological disorders including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia. Decades of histological studies have identified strong spatial and functional maturation gradients in human brain gray and white matter. The recent improvements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, especially diffusion MRI (dMRI), relaxometry imaging, and magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) have provided unprecedented opportunities to non-invasively quantify and map the early developmental changes at whole brain and regional levels. Here, we review the recent advances in understanding early brain structural development during the second half of gestation and the first two postnatal years using modern MR techniques. Specifically, we review studies that delineate the emergence and microstructural maturation of white matter tracts, as well as dynamic mapping of inhomogeneous cortical microstructural organization unique to fetuses and infants. These imaging studies converge into maturational curves of MRI measurements that are distinctive across different white matter tracts and cortical regions. Furthermore, contemporary models offering biophysical interpretations of the dMRI-derived measurements are illustrated to infer the underlying microstructural changes. Collectively, this review summarizes findings that contribute to charting spatiotemporally heterogeneous gray and white matter structural development, offering MRI-based biomarkers of typical brain development and setting the stage for understanding aberrant brain development in neurodevelopmental disorders. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Infants in Drug Withdrawal: A National Description of Nurse Workload, Infant Acuity, and Parental Needs.

PubMed

Smith, Jessica G; Rogowski, Jeannette A; Schoenauer, Kathryn M; Lake, Eileen T

Infants in drug withdrawal have complex physiological and behavioral states, requiring intensive nursing care. The study objectives were to describe acuity, parental needs, and nurse workload of infants in drug withdrawal compared with other infants. The design was cross-sectional and involved secondary nurse survey data from 6045 staff nurses from a national sample of 104 neonatal intensive care units. Nurses reported the care of 15 233 infants, 361 (2.4%) of whom were in drug withdrawal. Three-fourths of hospitals had at least 1 infant in drug withdrawal. In these hospitals, the mean number of infants in drug withdrawal was 4.7. Infant acuity was significantly higher among infants in drug withdrawal. Parents of infants in drug withdrawal required significantly more care to address complex social situations (51% vs 12%). The number of infants assigned to nurses with at least 1 infant in withdrawal (mean = 2.69) was significantly higher than typical (mean = 2.51). Given infant acuity and parental needs, policies legislating patient-to-nurse ratios should permit professional discretion on the number of patients to assign nurses caring for infants in drug withdrawal. Managers and charge nurses should consider the demands of caring for infants in drug withdrawal in assignment decisions and provide support and education.

Gross motor development in babies with treated idiopathic clubfoot.

PubMed

Garcia, Nancy L; McMulkin, Mark L; Tompkins, Bryan J; Caskey, Paul M; Mader, Shelley L; Baird, Glen O

2011-01-01

To investigate the effect of treated clubfoot disorder on gross motor skill level measured by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). Fifty-two babies participated: 26 were treated for idiopathic clubfoot (12 with the Ponseti treatment method, 9 with the French physical therapy technique, and 5 with a combination of both methods); 26 were babies who were typically developing and without medical diagnoses. The AIMS was administered at 3-month intervals. No significant differences in AIMS scores were found between the clubfoot and control groups at 3 and 6 months, but at 9 and 12 months the clubfoot group scored significantly lower. Babies who were typically developing were significantly more likely to be walking at 12 months than babies with clubfoot. Treated clubfoot was associated with a mild delay in attainment of gross motor skills at 9 and 12 months of age.

Understanding the Viscosity of Liquids used in Infant Dysphagia Management

PubMed Central

Frazier, Jackie; Chestnut, Amanda; Jackson, Arwen; Barbon, Carly E. A.; Steele, Catriona M.; Pickler, Laura

2016-01-01

When assessing swallowing in infants, it is critical to have confidence that the liquids presented during the swallow study closely replicate the viscosity of liquids in the infant's typical diet. However, we lack research on rheological properties of frequently used infant formulas or breastmilk, and various forms of barium contrast media used in swallow studies. The aim of the current study was to provide objective viscosity measurements for typical infant liquid diet options and barium contrast media. A TA-Instruments AR2000 Advanced Rheometer was used to measure the viscosity, five standard infant formulas, three barium products and two breastmilk samples. Additionally, this study measured the viscosity of infant formulas and breastmilk when mixed with powdered barium contrast in a 20% weight-to-volume (w/v) concentration. Study findings determined that standard infant formulas and the two breastmilk samples had low viscosities, at the lower end of the National Dysphagia Diet (NDD) thin liquid range. Two specialty formulas tested had much thicker viscosities, close to the NDD nectar-thick liquid range lower boundary. The study showed differences in viscosity between two 60% w/v barium products (Liquid E-Z-Paque® and E-Z-Paque® powder); the powdered product had a much lower viscosity, despite identical barium concentration. When E-Z-Paque® powdered barium was mixed in a 20% w/v concentration using water, standard infant formulas or breastmilk, the resulting viscosities were at the lower end of the NDD thin range, and only slightly thicker than the non-barium comparator liquids. When E-Z-Paque® powdered barium was mixed in a 20% w/v concentration with the two thicker specialty formulas (Enfamil AR 20kcal and 24 kcal), unexpected alterations in their original viscosity occurred. These findings highlight the clinical importance of objective measures of viscosity as well as objective data on how infant formulas or breastmilk may change in consistency when mixed with barium. PMID:27412005

Understanding the Viscosity of Liquids used in Infant Dysphagia Management.

PubMed

Frazier, Jacqueline; Chestnut, Amanda H; Jackson, Arwen; Barbon, Carly E A; Steele, Catriona M; Pickler, Laura

2016-10-01

When assessing swallowing in infants, it is critical to have confidence that the liquids presented during the swallow study closely replicate the viscosity of liquids in the infant's typical diet. However, we lack research on rheological properties of frequently used infant formulas or breastmilk, and various forms of barium contrast media used in swallow studies. The aim of the current study was to provide objective viscosity measurements for typical infant liquid diet options and barium contrast media. A TA-Instruments AR2000 Advanced Rheometer was used to measure the viscosity of five standard infant formulas, three barium products, and two breastmilk samples. Additionally, this study measured the viscosity of infant formulas and breastmilk when mixed with powdered barium contrast in a 20 % weight-to-volume (w/v) concentration. The study findings determined that standard infant formulas and the two breastmilk samples had low viscosities, at the lower end of the National Dysphagia Diet (NDD) thin liquid range. Two specialty formulas tested had much thicker viscosities, close to the lower boundary of the NDD nectar-thick liquid range. The study showed differences in viscosity between 60 % w/v barium products (Liquid E-Z-Paque(®) and E-Z-Paque(®) powder); the powdered product had a much lower viscosity, despite identical barium concentration. When E-Z-Paque(®) powdered barium was mixed in a 20 % w/v concentration using water, standard infant formulas, or breastmilk, the resulting viscosities were at the lower end of the NDD thin range and only slightly thicker than the non-barium comparator liquids. When E-Z-Paque(®) powdered barium was mixed in a 20 % w/v concentration with the two thicker specialty formulas (Enfamil AR 20 and 24 kcal), unexpected alterations in their original viscosity occurred. These findings highlight the clinical importance of objective measures of viscosity as well as objective data on how infant formulas or breastmilk may change in consistency when mixed with barium.

Age-Related Changes in Spreading Activation during Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barr, Rachel; Walker, Joanne; Gross, Julien; Hayne, Harlene

2014-01-01

The concept of spreading activation describes how retrieval of one memory cues retrieval of other memories that are associated with it. This study explored spreading activation in 6-, 12-, and 18-month-old infants. Infants (n = 144) learned two tasks within the same experimental session; one task, deferred imitation (DI), is typically remembered…

West Syndrome in an Infant with Vitamin B[subscript 12] Deficiency in the Absence of Macrocytic Anaemia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erol, Ilknur; Alehan, Fusun; Gumus, Ayten

2007-01-01

Vitamin B[subscript 12] deficiency in infants often produces haematological and neurological deficits, including macrocytic anaemia, neurodevelopmental delay or regression, irritability, weakness, hypotonia, ataxia, apathy, tremor, and seizures. The diagnosis of vitamin B[subscript 12] deficiency can be difficult when the typical macrocytic…

Cue Salience and Infant Perseverative Reaching: Tests of the Dynamic Field Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clearfield, Melissa W.; Dineva, Evelina; Smith, Linda B.; Diedrich, Frederick J.; Thelen, Esther

2009-01-01

Skilled behavior requires a balance between previously successful behaviors and new behaviors appropriate to the present context. We describe a dynamic field model for understanding this balance in infant perseverative reaching. The model predictions are tested with regard to the interaction of two aspects of the typical perseverative reaching…

Behavioral Indicators of Microprematurity through the Lens of Mastery Motivation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keilty, Bonnie; Freund, Maxine

This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis between full term typical infants and those born micropremature in the developmental construct of mastery motivation. The sample consisted of 10 micropremature infants with developmental levels within the normal limits and 10 full term 9- to 12-month-olds (adjusted for prematurity) matched…

Infant-Directed Media: An Analysis of Product Information and Claims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenstermacher, Susan K.; Barr, Rachel; Salerno, Katherine; Garcia, Amaya; Shwery, Clay E.; Calvert, Sandra L.; Linebarger, Deborah L.

2010-01-01

Infant DVDs typically have titles and even company names that imply some educational benefit. It is not known whether these educational claims are reflected in actual content. The present study examined this question. Of 686 claims (across 58 programs) listed on packaging, websites and promotional materials, implicit claims were most frequent…

Infant formula feeding increases hepatic cholesterol 7 alpha hydroxylase (CYP7A1) expression and fecal bile acid loss in neonatal piglets

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

During the postnatal feeding period, formula-fed infants have higher cholesterol synthesis rates, and lower circulating cholesterol concentrations as compared to their breastfed counterparts. Although this disparity has been attributed to the uniformly low dietary cholesterol content of typical inf...

Behavioral Markers of Emergent Stranger Anxiety in Infants and Toddlers with Fragile X Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tonnsen, Bridgette; Scherr, Jessica; Reisinger, Debra; Roberts, Jane

2017-01-01

Studying anxiety in neurogenetic syndromes may inform the intersection of biological and developmental risks, facilitating effective and targeted interventions. We longitudinally examined stranger fear in infants and toddlers with fragile X syndrome (FXS; n = 46) and typical controls (n = 33), as well as associations between observed stranger fear…

Update on Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-04-01

indicate that up to 25% of persons who acquire HBV infection as infants and young children develop either hepatocellular carcinoma or cirrhosis...compared to 15% of adolescents and young adults who acquire chronic HBV infection (6, 67). The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma diminishes with... hepatocellular carcinoma , which typically appears 25 to 30 years after the onset of infection. VOL. 12, 1999 HEPATITIS B VIRUS INFECTION 355 Antigen

Neural Processing of Facial Identity and Emotion in Infants at High-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Fox, Sharon E.; Wagner, Jennifer B.; Shrock, Christine L.; Tager-Flusberg, Helen; Nelson, Charles A.

2013-01-01

Deficits in face processing and social impairment are core characteristics of autism spectrum disorder. The present work examined 7-month-old infants at high-risk for developing autism and typically developing controls at low-risk, using a face perception task designed to differentiate between the effects of face identity and facial emotions on neural response using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. In addition, we employed independent component analysis, as well as a novel method of condition-related component selection and classification to identify group differences in hemodynamic waveforms and response distributions associated with face and emotion processing. The results indicate similarities of waveforms, but differences in the magnitude, spatial distribution, and timing of responses between groups. These early differences in local cortical regions and the hemodynamic response may, in turn, contribute to differences in patterns of functional connectivity. PMID:23576966

Changes in behavior and salivary cortisol after targeted cognitive training in typical 12-month-old infants.

PubMed

Wass, Sam V; Cook, Clare; Clackson, Kaili

2017-05-01

Previous research has suggested that early development may be an optimal period to implement cognitive training interventions, particularly those relating to attention control, a basic ability that is essential for the development of other cognitive skills. In the present study, we administered gaze-contingent training (95 min across 2 weeks) targeted at voluntary attention control to a cohort of typical 12-month-old children (N = 24) and sham training to a control group (N = 24). We assessed training effects on (a) tasks involving nontrained aspects of attention control: visual sustained attention, habituation speed, visual recognition memory, sequence learning, and reversal learning; (b) general attentiveness (on-task behaviors during testing); and (c) salivary cortisol levels. Assessments were administered immediately after the cessation of training and at a 6-week follow-up. On the immediate posttest infants showed significantly more sustained visual attention, faster habituation, and improved sequence learning. Significant effects were also found for increased general attentiveness and decreased salivary cortisol. Some of these effects were still evident at the 6-week follow-up (significantly improved sequence learning and marginally improved sustained attention). These findings extend the emerging literature showing that attention training is possible in infancy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Autism spectrum disorder and early motor abnormalities: Connected or coincidental companions?

PubMed

Setoh, Peipei; Marschik, Peter B; Einspieler, Christa; Esposito, Gianluca

2017-01-01

Research in the past decade has produced a growing body of evidence showing that motor abnormalities in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are the rule rather than the exception. The paper by Chinello and colleagues furthers our understanding of the importance of studying motor functions in ASD by testing a non-clinical population of parents-infant triads. Chinello and colleagues' findings seem to suggest that subclinical motor impairments may exist in the typical population with inherited non-clinical ASD traits. Chinello and colleagues' discovery also urges us to ask why motor abnormalities exist in typically developing infants when their parents present some subclinical ASD traits. We believe that there are at least two possibilities. In the first possible scenario, motor impairments and ASD traits form a single cluster of symptoms unique to a subgroup of individuals with autism. A second possible scenario is that motor atypicalities are the first warning signs of vulnerability often associated with atypical development. In conclusion, Chinello et al.'s findings inform us that subclinical atypical phenotypes such as sociocommunicative anomalies may be related to subclinical motor performances in the next generation. This adds to our knowledge by shedding some light on the relation of vulnerability in one domain with vulnerability in another domain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of supine sleep positioning on early motor milestone acquisition.

PubMed

Majnemer, Annette; Barr, Ronald G

2005-06-01

This study aimed to determine whether supine sleep-positioned infants have delayed motor skills at age 4 and 6 months, and if delays are associated with decreased exposure to prone position. One 4 and one 6-month-old sample of healthy infants born at term were recruited. Motor assessments included the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale (PDMS) and Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). Parents completed an infant behavior diary for 3 consecutive days. Seventy-one 4-month-old infants were assessed (38 males; mean age 4.4 mo, standard deviation [SD] 0.2). Mean motor scores were close to normative standards (AIMS 47.7, SD 19.6; PDMS gross motor quotient [GMQ] 96.3, SD 6.5; PDMS fine motor quotient [FMQ] 99.2, SD 4.8). No infant scored below cut-off values used to identify motor delay. Milestones less likely to be achieved included extended arm support in prone, hands to feet in supine, and sitting with arm support. Exposure to 'tummy time' while awake was correlated with AIMS scores (r = 0.38, p < 0.01). F i fty 6-month-old infants were assessed (21 males; mean age 6.4 mo, SD 0.4). Mean scores were shifted down for all scales, and as much as 1 SD for PDMS (AIMS 44.5, SD 21.6; PDMS GMQ 85.7, SD 7.6; PDMS FMQ 88.9, SD 9.0). Only 22% of 6-month-olds could sit without arm support versus 50% expected in a normative sample. Remarkably, 22% of our sample exhibited gross motor delays (quotient <78). Tummy time (awake) was significantly associated with the AIMS (r = 0.64) and PDMS GMQ (r = 0.55) and FMQ (r = 0.33) quotients, even after adjusting for confounders. Typically developing infants who were sleep-positioned in supine had delayed motor development by age 6 months, and this was significantly associated with limited exposure to awake prone positioning. This has important implications for interpreting motor assessments of infants at risk and for preventing inappropriate referrals.

Representation of cerebral bridging veins in infants by postmortem computed tomography.

PubMed

Stein, Kirsten Marion; Ruf, Katharina; Ganten, Maria Katharina; Mattern, Rainer

2006-11-10

The postmortem diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, a severe form of child abuse, may be difficult, especially when no other visible signs of significant trauma are obvious. An important finding in shaken baby syndrome is subdural haemorrhage, typically originating from ruptured cerebral bridging veins. Since these are difficult to detect at autopsy, we have developed a special postmortem computed tomographic (PMCT) method to demonstrate the intracranial vein system in infants. This method is minimally invasive and can be carried out conveniently and quickly on clinical computed tomography (CT) systems. Firstly, a precontrast CT is made of the infant's head, to document the original state. Secondly, contrast fluid is injected manually via fontanel puncture into the superior sagittal sinus, followed by a repeat CT scan. This allows the depiction of even very small vessels of the deep and superficial cerebral veins, especially the bridging veins, without damaging them. Ruptures appear as extravasation of contrast medium, which helps to locate them at autopsy and examine them histologically, whenever necessary.

Shape, color, and the other-race effect in the infant brain

PubMed Central

Balas, Benjamin; Westerlund, Alissa; Hung, Katherine; Nelson, Charles A.

2015-01-01

The “other-race” effect describes the phenomenon in which faces are difficult to distinguish from one another if they belong to an ethnic or racial group to which the observer has had little exposure. Adult observers typically display multiple forms of recognition error for other-race faces, and infants exhibit behavioral evidence of a developing other-race effect at about 9 months of age. The neural correlates of the adult other-race effect have been identified using ERPs and fMRI, but the effects of racial category on infants’ neural response to face stimuli have to date not been described. We examine two distinct components of the infant ERP response to human faces and demonstrate through the use of computer-generated “hybrid” faces that the observed other-race effect is not the result of low-level sensitivity to 3D shape and color differences between the stimuli. Rather, differential processing depends critically on the joint encoding of race-specific features. PMID:21676108

A survey of breast feeding practices in infants seen in general practice.

PubMed

Chia, S F

1992-06-01

This is a study of infant feeding practices of 126 mothers. Seventy-seven mothers or 61.1% practised breast feeding. The typical breast feeding mother was more likely to be a Malay, with lower family income and residing in the rural area. The educational status of the mother was not an important factor in influencing her to breast feed. Health education on breast feeding should be intensified in schools to reinforce the implementation of the Malaysian Code of Ethics for Infant Formula Products.

Solitary Septated Simple Liver Cyst in a Newborn Infant

PubMed Central

Alviedo, Neil; Kent, Amanda; Cohen, Inbal

2015-01-01

Simple liver cysts (SLC) are generally rare and are typically symptomatic when detected in infancy. We present a case of a newborn infant in whom fetal ultrasound and MRI revealed a cystic structure. Postnatal imaging revealed a septated, single cystic structure causing mass effect on the common bile duct and partially obstructing the inferior vena cava. Treatment of a solitary septated SLC was successful by laparoscopic total excision. The infant had an uncomplicated postsurgical course and has done well. PMID:26203457

Development of a New Technique for the Efficient Delivery of Aerosolized Medications to Infants on Mechanical Ventilation

PubMed Central

Longest, P. Worth; Tian, Geng

2014-01-01

Purpose To evaluate the efficiency of a new technique for delivering aerosols to intubated infants that employs a new Y-connector, access port administration of a dry powder, and excipient enhanced growth (EEG) formulation particles that change size in the airways. Methods A previously developed CFD model combined with algebraic correlations were used to predict delivery system and lung deposition of typical nebulized droplets (MMAD = 4.9 μm) and EEG dry powder aerosols. The delivery system consisted of a Y-connector [commercial (CM); streamlined (SL); or streamlined with access port (SL-port)] attached to a 4-mm diameter endotracheal tube leading to the airways of a 6-month-old infant. Results Compared to the CM device and nebulized aerosol, the EEG approach with an initial 0.9 μm aerosol combined with the SL and SL-port geometries reduced device depositional losses by factors of 3-fold and >10-fold, respectively. With EEG powder aerosols, the SL geometry provided the maximum tracheobronchial deposition fraction (55.7%), whereas the SL-port geometry provided the maximum alveolar (67.6%) and total lung (95.7%) deposition fractions, respectively. Conclusions Provided the aerosol can be administered in the first portion of the inspiration cycle, the proposed new method can significantly improve the deposition of pharmaceutical aerosols in the lungs of intubated infants. PMID:25103332

Development of a new technique for the efficient delivery of aerosolized medications to infants on mechanical ventilation.

PubMed

Longest, P Worth; Tian, Geng

2015-01-01

To evaluate the efficiency of a new technique for delivering aerosols to intubated infants that employs a new Y-connector, access port administration of a dry powder, and excipient enhanced growth (EEG) formulation particles that change size in the airways. A previously developed CFD model combined with algebraic correlations were used to predict delivery system and lung deposition of typical nebulized droplets (MMAD = 4.9 μm) and EEG dry powder aerosols. The delivery system consisted of a Y-connector [commercial (CM); streamlined (SL); or streamlined with access port (SL-port)] attached to a 4-mm diameter endotracheal tube leading to the airways of a 6-month-old infant. Compared to the CM device and nebulized aerosol, the EEG approach with an initial 0.9 μm aerosol combined with the SL and SL-port geometries reduced device depositional losses by factors of 3-fold and >10-fold, respectively. With EEG powder aerosols, the SL geometry provided the maximum tracheobronchial deposition fraction (55.7%), whereas the SL-port geometry provided the maximum alveolar (67.6%) and total lung (95.7%) deposition fractions, respectively. Provided the aerosol can be administered in the first portion of the inspiration cycle, the proposed new method can significantly improve the deposition of pharmaceutical aerosols in the lungs of intubated infants.

Opsonophagocytic Antibodies to Serotype Ia, Ib, and III Group B Streptococcus among Korean Infants and in Intravenous Immunoglobulin Products.

PubMed

Kim, Han Wool; Lee, Ji Hyen; Cho, Hye Kyung; Lee, Hyunju; Seo, Ho Seong; Lee, Soyoung; Kim, Kyung Hyo

2017-05-01

Group B streptococcus (GBS) infection is a leading cause of sepsis and meningitis among infants, and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality in many countries. Protection against GBS typically involves antibody-mediated opsonization by phagocytes and complement components. The present study evaluated serotype-specific functional antibodies to GBS among Korean infants and in intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) products. An opsonophagocytic killing assay (OPA) was used to calculate the opsonization indices (OIs) of functional antibodies to serotypes Ia, Ib, and III in 19 IVIG products from 5 international manufacturers and among 98 Korean infants (age: 0-11 months). The GBS Ia, Ib, and III serotypes were selected because they are included in a trivalent GBS vaccine formulation that is being developed. The OI values for the IVIG products were 635-5,706 (serotype Ia), 488-1,421 (serotype Ib), and 962-3,315 (serotype III), and none of the IVIG lots exhibited undetectable OI values (< 4). The geometric mean OI values were similar for all 3 serotypes when we compared the Korean manufacturers. The seropositive rate among infants was significantly lower for serotype Ia (18.4%), compared to serotype Ib and serotype III (both, 38.8%). Infant age of ≥ 3 months was positively correlated with the seropositive rates for each serotype. Therefore, only a limited proportion of infants exhibited protective immunity against serotype Ia, Ib, and III GBS infections. IVIG products that exhibit high antibody titers may be a useful therapeutic or preventive measure for infants. Further studies are needed to evaluate additional serotypes and age groups. © 2017 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

Opsonophagocytic Antibodies to Serotype Ia, Ib, and III Group B Streptococcus among Korean Infants and in Intravenous Immunoglobulin Products

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Group B streptococcus (GBS) infection is a leading cause of sepsis and meningitis among infants, and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality in many countries. Protection against GBS typically involves antibody-mediated opsonization by phagocytes and complement components. The present study evaluated serotype-specific functional antibodies to GBS among Korean infants and in intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) products. An opsonophagocytic killing assay (OPA) was used to calculate the opsonization indices (OIs) of functional antibodies to serotypes Ia, Ib, and III in 19 IVIG products from 5 international manufacturers and among 98 Korean infants (age: 0–11 months). The GBS Ia, Ib, and III serotypes were selected because they are included in a trivalent GBS vaccine formulation that is being developed. The OI values for the IVIG products were 635–5,706 (serotype Ia), 488–1,421 (serotype Ib), and 962–3,315 (serotype III), and none of the IVIG lots exhibited undetectable OI values (< 4). The geometric mean OI values were similar for all 3 serotypes when we compared the Korean manufacturers. The seropositive rate among infants was significantly lower for serotype Ia (18.4%), compared to serotype Ib and serotype III (both, 38.8%). Infant age of ≥ 3 months was positively correlated with the seropositive rates for each serotype. Therefore, only a limited proportion of infants exhibited protective immunity against serotype Ia, Ib, and III GBS infections. IVIG products that exhibit high antibody titers may be a useful therapeutic or preventive measure for infants. Further studies are needed to evaluate additional serotypes and age groups. PMID:28378545

Getting back to the rough ground: deception and 'social living'.

PubMed

Reddy, Vasudevi

2007-04-29

At the heart of the social intelligence hypothesis is the central role of 'social living'. But living is messy and psychologists generally seek to avoid this mess in the interests of getting clean data and cleaner logical explanations. The study of deception as intelligent action is a good example of the dangers of such avoidance. We still do not have a full picture of the development of deceptive actions in human infants and toddlers or an explanation of why it emerges. This paper applies Byrne & Whiten's functional taxonomy of tactical deception to the social behaviour of human infants and toddlers using data from three previous studies. The data include a variety of acts, such as teasing, pretending, distracting and concealing, which are not typically considered in relation to human deception. This functional analysis shows the onset of non-verbal deceptive acts to be surprisingly early. Infants and toddlers seem to be able to communicate false information (about themselves, about shared meanings and about events) as early as true information. It is argued that the development of deception must be a fundamentally social and communicative process and that if we are to understand why deception emerges at all, the scientist needs to get 'back to the rough ground' as Wittgenstein called it and explore the messy social lives in which it develops.

Object Individuation and Physical Reasoning in Infancy: An Integrative Account

PubMed Central

Baillargeon, Renée; Stavans, Maayan; Wu, Di; Gertner, Yael; Setoh, Peipei; Kittredge, Audrey K.; Bernard, Amélie

2012-01-01

Much of the research on object individuation in infancy has used a task in which two different objects emerge in alternation from behind a large screen, which is then removed to reveal either one or two objects. In their seminal work, Xu and Carey (1996) found that it is typically not until the end of the first year that infants detect a violation when a single object is revealed. Since then, a large number of investigations have modified the standard task in various ways and found that young infants succeed with some but not with other modifications, yielding a complex and unwieldy picture. In this article, we argue that this confusing picture can be better understood by bringing to bear insights from a related subfield of infancy research, physical reasoning. By considering how infants reason about object information within and across physical events, we can make sense of apparently inconsistent findings from different object-individuation tasks. In turn, object-individuation findings deepen our understanding of how physical reasoning develops in infancy. Integrating the insights from physical-reasoning and object-individuation investigations thus enriches both subfields and brings about a clearer account of how infants represent objects and events. PMID:23204946

The effect of changes in health sector resources on infant mortality in the short-run and the long-run: a longitudinal econometric analysis.

PubMed

Farahani, Mansour; Subramanian, S V; Canning, David

2009-06-01

While countries with higher levels of human resources for health typically have better population health, the evidence that increases in the level of human resources for health leads to improvements in population health is limited. We use a dynamic regression model to obtain estimates of both the short-run and long-term effects of changes in physicians per capita, our measure of health system resources, on infant mortality. Using a dataset of 99 countries at 5-year intervals from 1960-2000, we estimate that increasing the number of physicians by one per 1000 population (roughly a doubling of current levels of provision) decreases the infant mortality rate by 15% within 5 years and by 45% in the long-run with half the long-run gain being achieved in 15 years. We conclude that the long-run effects of heath system resources are substantially larger than previously estimated. Our results suggest, however, that countries that have delayed action on the Millennium Development Goal of reducing infant and child mortality rate by two-thirds by 2015 (relative to 1990) may have difficulty meeting this goal even if they rapidly increase resources now.

Late erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Aher, S; Ohlsson, A

2006-07-19

Hematocrit falls after birth in preterm infants due to physiological factors and blood letting. Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anemia. To assess the effectiveness and safety of late initiation of EPO (initiated at 8 days after birth or later) in reducing the use of red blood cell transfusions in preterm and/or low birth weight infants. Subgroup analyses of low (< 500 IU/kg/week) and high (> 500 IU/kg/week) doses of EPO and within these subgroups analyses of the use of low (< 5 mg/kg/day) and high (> 5 mg/kg/day) doses of supplemental iron, in reducing the use of red blood cell transfusions in these infants. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, abstracts from scientific meetings published in Pediatric Research and reference lists of identified trials and reviews were searched in November 2005/April 2006 and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2006). No language restrictions were applied. Randomised or quasi-randomized controlled trials of late initiation of EPO treatment (started at eight days of age or later) vs. placebo or no intervention in preterm (< 37 weeks) and/or low birth weight (< 2500 g) neonates. For inclusion the studies needed to provide information on at least one outcome of interest. Data were abstracted by the two authors on pre-tested data collection forms. Data were entered by one review author (AO) and checked for accuracy by the other (SA). Data were analysed using RevMan 4.2.8. The statistical methods included relative risk (RR), risk difference (RD), number needed to treat to benefit (NNTB), number needed to treat to harm (NNTH) for dichotomous outcomes and weighted mean difference (WMD) for continuous outcomes reported with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). A fixed effects model was used for meta-analyses. Heterogeneity tests including the I squared (I(2)) statistic were performed to assess the appropriateness of pooling the data. Twenty-eight studies enrolling 1302 preterm infants in 21 countries were included. The quality of the trials varied. Most trials were of small sample size. Only one study clearly stated that infants were excluded if they had received red blood cell transfusion prior to study entry (Samanci 1996). A total of 19 studies including 912 infants reported on the primary outcome of "Use of one or more red cell transfusions". The meta-analysis showed a significant effect [typical RR; 0.66 (95% CI; 0.59, 0.74); typical RD -0.21 (95% CI; -0.26, -0.16); typical NNTB of 5 (95% CI 4, 6)]. There was statistically significant heterogeneity [for RR (p < 0.00001), I(2 )= 74.0% and for RD (p = 0.0006), I(2 )=58.9%]. Similar results were obtained in secondary analyses based on different combinations of high/low doses of EPO and iron supplementation. There was a significant reduction in the total volume (ml/kg) of blood transfused per infant (four studies enrolling 177 infants) [typical WMD = -7 ml (95% CI -12, -3)] and in the number of transfusions per infant (nine studies enrolling 567 infants); [typical WMD -0.78 (-0.97, -0.59)]. The effect size was less in a post hoc analyses of high quality studies compared to studies in which the quality was uncertain and in studies that used strict guidelines for red blood cell transfusions vs. studies that did not. There were no significant differences in mortality, retinopathy of prematurity, sepsis, intraventricular haemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, SIDS, neutropenia, hypertension, or length of hospital stay. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes were not reported. Late administration of EPO reduces the use of one or more red blood cell transfusions, the number of red blood cell transfusions per infant and the total volume of red blood cell transfused per infant. The clinical importance of the results for the latter two outcomes is marginal (< 1 transfusion per infant and 7 ml/kg of transfused red blood cells). Any donor exposure is likely not avoided as most studies included infants who had received red cell transfusions prior to trial entry. Late EPO does not significantly reduce or increase any of many important neonatal adverse outcomes including mortality and retinopathy of prematurity. Further research of the use of late EPO treatment to prevent donor exposure is not indicated. Research efforts should focus on limiting donor exposure during the first few days of life in sick neonates, when red blood cell requirements are most likely to be required and cannot be prevented by late EPO treatment.

Heart Activity and Autistic Behavior in Infants and Toddlers with Fragile X Syndrome

PubMed Central

Roberts, Jane E.; Tonnsen, Bridgette; Robinson, Ashley; Shinkareva, Svetlana V.

2014-01-01

The present study contrasted physiological arousal in infants and toddlers with fragile X syndrome to typically developing control participants and examined physiological predictors early in development to autism severity later in development in fragile X syndrome. Thirty-one males with fragile X syndrome (ages 8–40 months) and 25 age-matched control participants were included. The group with fragile X syndrome showed shorter interbeat intervals (IBIs), lower vagal tone (VT), and less modulation of IBI. Data suggested a nonlinear effect with IBI and autistic behavior; however, a linear effect with VT and autistic behavior emerged. These findings suggest that atypical physiological arousal emerges within the first year and predicts severity of autistic behavior in fragile X syndrome. These relationships are complex and dynamic, likely reflecting endogenous factors assumed to reflect atypical brain function secondary to reduced fragile X mental retardation protein. This research has important implications for the early identification and treatment of autistic behaviors in young children with fragile X syndrome. PMID:22515825

Mining temporal data sets: hypoplastic left heart syndrome case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusiak, Andrew; Caldarone, Christopher A.; Kelleher, Michael D.; Lamb, Fred S.; Persoon, Thomas J.; Gan, Yuan; Burns, Alex

2003-03-01

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) affects infants and is uniformly fatal without surgery. Post-surgery mortality rates are highly variable and dependent on postoperative management. The high mortality after the first stage surgery usually occurs within the first few days after procedure. Typically, the deaths are attributed to the unstable balance between the pulmonary and systemic circulations. An experienced team of physicians, nurses, and therapists is required to successfully manage the infant. However, even the most experienced teams report significant mortality due to the extremely complex relationships among physiologic parameters in a given patient. A data acquisition system was developed for the simultaneous collection of 73 physiologic, laboratory, and nurse-assessed variables. Data records were created at intervals of 30 seconds. An expert-validated wellness score was computed for each data record. A training data set consisting of over 5000 data records from multiple patients was collected. Preliminary results demonstratd that the knowledge discovery approach was over 94.57% accurate in predicting the "wellness score" of an infant. The discovered knowledge can improve care of complex patients by development of an intelligent simulator that can be used to support decisions.

Individual Differences in Infant Oculomotor Behavior During the Viewing of Complex Naturalistic Scenes.

PubMed

Wass, Sam V; Smith, Tim J

2014-07-01

Little research hitherto has examined how individual differences in attention, as assessed using standard experimental paradigms, relate to individual differences in how attention is spontaneously allocated in more naturalistic contexts. Here, we analyzed the time intervals between refoveating eye movements (fixation durations) while typically developing 11-month-old infants viewed a 90-min battery ranging from complex dynamic to noncomplex static materials. The same infants also completed experimental assessments of cognitive control, psychomotor reaction times (RT), processing speed (indexed via peak look during habituation), and arousal (indexed via tonic pupil size). High test-retest reliability was found for fixation duration, across testing sessions and across types of viewing material. Increased cognitive control and increased arousal were associated with reduced variability in fixation duration. For fixations to dynamic stimuli, in which a large proportion of saccades may be exogenously cued, we found that psychomotor RT measures were most predictive of mean fixation duration; for fixations to static stimuli, in contrast, in which there is less exogenous attentional capture, we found that psychomotor RT did not predict performance, but that measures of cognitive control and arousal did. The implications of these findings for understanding the development of attentional control in naturalistic settings are discussed.

The influence of infant food advertising on infant feeding practices in St. Vincent.

PubMed

Greiner, T; Latham, M C

1982-01-01

A survey designed to examine the extent to which infant food advertising could be shown measurably to influence infant feeding practices was carried out in St. Vincent in the eastern Caribbean. A questionnaire was administered to mothers of about 200 children one to two years old, nearly a complete sample in each of two towns. Infant food advertising was found to be uncommon. The typical infant feeding pattern, largely a combination of both breast feeding and bottle feeding, had existed for decades. Despite the fact that this was not a very appropriate setting for such a study and that there were a number of methodological constraints, the results of two multiple regression analyses suggested that the more a mother was influenced by infant food advertising, the sooner she began to bottle feed and the sooner she stopped breastfeeding. The cessation of all promotion of commercial infant foods, to the public as well as to health professionals, is called for.

The Whole-Hand Point: The Structure and Function of Pointing From a Comparative Perspective

PubMed Central

Leavens, David A.; Hopkins, William D.

2007-01-01

Pointing by monkeys, apes, and human infants is reviewed and compared. Pointing with the index finger is a species-typical human gesture, although human infants exhibit more whole-hand pointing than is commonly appreciated. Captive monkeys and feral apes have been reported to only rarely “spontaneously” point, although apes in captivity frequently acquire pointing, both with the index finger and with the whole hand, without explicit training. Captive apes exhibit relatively more gaze alternation while pointing than do human infants about 1 year old. Human infants are relatively more vocal while pointing than are captive apes, consistent with paralinguistic use of pointing. PMID:10608565

Beliefs and practices regarding solid food introduction among Latino parents in Northern California.

PubMed

Beck, Amy L; Hoeft, Kristin S; Takayama, John I; Barker, Judith C

2018-01-01

Latino children are more likely to be obese than non-Hispanic white children, and feeding patterns that begin in infancy may contribute to this disparity. The objective of this study was to elucidate beliefs and practices related to the introduction of solids and solid food feeding in the first year of life among low-income Latino parents residing in Northern California. We conducted 26 semi-structured interviews that explored the timing of introduction of solids, selection of foods to serve to infants, feeding strategies, sources of information on solid food feeding and concerns about infant weight. We found that most parents relied on traditional practices in selecting first foods for infants and had a strong preference for homemade food, which was often chicken soup with vegetables. Parents generally described responsive feeding practices; however a minority used pressuring practices to encourage infants to eat more. Very few parents practiced repeated gentle introduction of unfamiliar food to increase acceptance. High calorie low nutrient foods were typically introduced at around 12 months of age and parents struggled to limit such foods once children were old enough to ask for them. Parents were concerned about the possibility of infants becoming overweight and considered health care providers to be an important source of information on infant weight status. The results of this study can be used to inform the development of interventions to prevent obesity in Latino children with similar demographics to our study population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prosody in Infant-Directed Speech Is Similar across Western and Traditional Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broesch, Tanya L.; Bryant, Gregory A.

2015-01-01

When speaking to infants, adults typically alter the acoustic properties of their speech in a variety of ways compared with how they speak to other adults; for example, they use higher pitch, increased pitch range, more pitch variability, and slower speech rate. Research shows that these vocal changes happen similarly across industrialized…

Shape, Color and the Other-Race Effect in the Infant Brain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balas, Benjamin; Westerlund, Alissa; Hung, Katherine; Nelson, Charles A., III

2011-01-01

The "other-race" effect describes the phenomenon in which faces are difficult to distinguish from one another if they belong to an ethnic or racial group to which the observer has had little exposure. Adult observers typically display multiple forms of recognition error for other-race faces, and infants exhibit behavioral evidence of a developing…

Fussy Babies, Worried Families, and a New Service Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilkerson, Linda; Gray, Larry; Mork, Nancy

2005-01-01

The authors document the conceptualization, over time, of "fussy baby syndrome" and the establishment of a Fussy Baby Clinic. Excessive infant crying (commonly called colic) typically subsides in the first 3 months but may set up a cycle of parent-infant distress. Families studied felt a high degree of emotional stress and physical exhaustion;…

Evolutionary Relevance and Experience Contribute to Face Discrimination in Infant Macaques ("Macaca mulatta")

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Elizabeth A.; Suomi, Stephen J.; Paukner, Annika

2016-01-01

In human children and adults, familiar face types--typically own-age and own-species faces--are discriminated better than other face types; however, human infants do not appear to exhibit an own-age bias but instead better discriminate adult faces, which they see more often. There are two possible explanations for this pattern: Perceptual…

Children’s development of intonation during the first year of cochlear implant experience

PubMed Central

Snow, David P.; Ertmer, David J.

2012-01-01

This article describes the longitudinal development of intonation in 18 deaf children who received cochlear implants (CIs) before the age of three years and 12 infants with typical development (TD) who served as controls. At the time their implants were activated, the children with CIs ranged in age from 9 to 36 months. Cross-group comparisons were made when the children had equivalent amounts of robust hearing experience but different chronological ages. This paper reports the results for the 6-month period ending 9 months after activation of the child’s device for children with CIs, and the 6-month period ending at 12 months of age for TD infants. The findings were compared to a model of early intonation development in children with normal hearing. The results indicated that all groups progressed through 1 or more of the stages predicted by the normative model. At the end of the study period, however, children who had received a cochlear implant later than 24 months reached a more mature stage of intonation development than younger CI-recipients. Moreover, the older CI group reached the same stage of development as the TD infants who had 3 additional months of language listening experience. The findings suggest that the developmental advantage which older children had previously demonstrated shortly after activation of their CIs is maintained throughout most or all of the first year of cochlear implant use. PMID:21728834

The Fecal Microbial Community of Breast-fed Infants from Armenia and Georgia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewis, Zachery T.; Sidamonidze, Ketevan; Tsaturyan, Vardan

Multiple factors help shape the infant intestinal microbiota early in life. Environmental conditions such as the presence of bioactive molecules from breast milk dictate gut microbial growth and survival. Infants also receive distinct, personalized, bacterial exposures leading to differential colonization. Microbial exposures and gut environmental conditions differ between infants in different locations, as does the typical microbial community structure in an infant’s gut. Here we evaluate potential influences on the infant gut microbiota through a longitudinal study on cohorts of breast-fed infants from the neighboring countries of Armenia and Georgia, an area of the world for which the infant microbiomemore » has not been previously investigated. Marker gene sequencing of 16S ribosomal genes revealed that the gut microbial communities of infants from these countries were dominated by bifidobacteria, were different from each other, and were marginally influenced by their mother’s secretor status. Species-level differences in the bifidobacterial communities of each country and birth method were also observed. These community differences suggest that environmental variation between individuals in different locations may influence the gut microbiota of infants.« less

The Fecal Microbial Community of Breast-fed Infants from Armenia and Georgia

PubMed Central

Lewis, Zachery T; Sidamonidze, Ketevan; Tsaturyan, Vardan; Tsereteli, David; Khachidze, Nika; Pepoyan, Astghik; Zhgenti, Ekaterine; Tevzadze, Liana; Manvelyan, Anahit; Balayan, Marine; Imnadze, Paata; Torok, Tamas; Lemay, Danielle G.; Mills, David A.

2017-01-01

Multiple factors help shape the infant intestinal microbiota early in life. Environmental conditions such as the presence of bioactive molecules from breast milk dictate gut microbial growth and survival. Infants also receive distinct, personalized, bacterial exposures leading to differential colonization. Microbial exposures and gut environmental conditions differ between infants in different locations, as does the typical microbial community structure in an infant’s gut. Here we evaluate potential influences on the infant gut microbiota through a longitudinal study on cohorts of breast-fed infants from the neighboring countries of Armenia and Georgia, an area of the world for which the infant microbiome has not been previously investigated. Marker gene sequencing of 16S ribosomal genes revealed that the gut microbial communities of infants from these countries were dominated by bifidobacteria, were different from each other, and were marginally influenced by their mother’s secretor status. Species-level differences in the bifidobacterial communities of each country and birth method were also observed. These community differences suggest that environmental variation between individuals in different locations may influence the gut microbiota of infants. PMID:28150690

The Fecal Microbial Community of Breast-fed Infants from Armenia and Georgia

DOE PAGES

Lewis, Zachery T.; Sidamonidze, Ketevan; Tsaturyan, Vardan; ...

2017-02-02

Multiple factors help shape the infant intestinal microbiota early in life. Environmental conditions such as the presence of bioactive molecules from breast milk dictate gut microbial growth and survival. Infants also receive distinct, personalized, bacterial exposures leading to differential colonization. Microbial exposures and gut environmental conditions differ between infants in different locations, as does the typical microbial community structure in an infant’s gut. Here we evaluate potential influences on the infant gut microbiota through a longitudinal study on cohorts of breast-fed infants from the neighboring countries of Armenia and Georgia, an area of the world for which the infant microbiomemore » has not been previously investigated. Marker gene sequencing of 16S ribosomal genes revealed that the gut microbial communities of infants from these countries were dominated by bifidobacteria, were different from each other, and were marginally influenced by their mother’s secretor status. Species-level differences in the bifidobacterial communities of each country and birth method were also observed. These community differences suggest that environmental variation between individuals in different locations may influence the gut microbiota of infants.« less

Introducing the Infant Bookreading Database (IBDb).

PubMed

Hudson Kam, Carla L; Matthewson, Lisa

2017-11-01

Studies on the relationship between bookreading and language development typically lack data about which books are actually read to children. This paper reports on an Internet survey designed to address this data gap. The resulting dataset (the Infant Bookreading Database or IBDb) includes responses from 1,107 caregivers of children aged 0-36 months who answered questions about the English-language books they most commonly read to their children. The inclusion of demographic information enables analysis of subsets of data based on age, sex, or caregivers' education level. A comparison between our dataset and those used in previous analyses reveals that there is relatively little overlap between booklists gathered from proxies such as bestseller lists and the books caregivers reported reading to children in our survey. The IBDb is available for download for use by researchers at .

MRI Patterns of brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates with severe anaemia at birth.

PubMed

Loureiro, Begoña; Martinez-Biarge, Miriam; Foti, Francesca; Papadaki, Maria; Cowan, Frances M; Wusthoff, Courtney J

2017-02-01

To define patterns of brain injury and associated neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with severe neonatal anaemia. We studied 20 infants with severe anaemia at birth (haemoglobin<7g/dL). Clinical details were analysed for causes of anaemia and co-morbidities. All had early brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, which were reviewed for injury pattern. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed at a median age of 24months. The aetiology of the anaemia was feto-maternal haemorrhage in 17 and antepartum haemorrhage in 3 infants. The predominant site of injury was the white matter, which was affected in all infants, with differing grades of severity and with cystic evolution in 45%. Only one infant showed an injury pattern typical of an acute severe hypoxic-ischaemic insult. Outcomes correlated closely to the severity of MRI findings. Cerebral palsy was seen only with the most severe neuroimaging patterns (n=6). Global developmental delay, learning or behavioural problems and seizures were common with moderate injury. Visual impairment occurred, particularly with posterior injury. Microcephaly developed in 45%. Severe neonatal anaemia at birth was associated with a white matter predominant pattern of injury, the severity of which was related to neurodevelopmental outcomes. Early MRI and long-term follow-up are advisable following severe neonatal anaemia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Associations between metals in residential environmental media and exposure biomarkers over time in infants living near a mining-impacted site.

PubMed

Zota, Ami R; Riederer, Anne M; Ettinger, Adrienne S; Schaider, Laurel A; Shine, James P; Amarasiriwardena, Chitra J; Wright, Robert O; Spengler, John D

2016-09-01

Infant exposures to metals are a concern for mining-impacted communities, although limited information is available to assess residential exposures over the first year of life. We measured lead (Pb), manganese, arsenic, and cadmium in indoor air, house dust, yard soil, and tap water from 53 infants' homes near the Tar Creek Superfund Site (Oklahoma, USA) at two time points representing developmental stages before and during initial ambulation (age 0-6 and 6-12 months). We measured infant metal biomarkers in: umbilical cord blood (n=53); 12- (n=43) and 24- (n=22) month blood; and hair at age 12 months (n=39). We evaluated cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between infant residential and biomarker concentrations. A doubling of mean dust Pb concentration was consistently associated with 36-49% higher 12-month blood Pb adjusting for cord blood Pb (P⩽0.05). Adjusted dust concentration explained 29-35% of blood Pb variance, and consistent associations with other media were not observed. Although concentrations in dust and blood were generally low, strong and consistent associations between dust and body burden suggest that house dust in mining-impacted communities may impact children's health. These relationships were observed at a young age, typically before blood Pb levels peak and when children's development may be particularly vulnerable to toxic insult.

Premature birth and its repercussions on growth and development in guadalajara, jalisco, Mexico

PubMed

Ramos; Ramirez; Fern&aacuet;dez; Lopez

1998-04-01

This study focuses on the repercussions of prematurity for the growth and development of newborns from hospitals in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, typical of the health care system in Mexico. Infants were assessed every six months as to nutritional status and the Denver Selective Test. In analyzing the results, social groups were considered determinant categories for studying prematurity as the dependent variable. The results shows that both prematurity and social group are risk factors to be considered by the public health field when designing health care programs.

When modularization fails to occur: a developmental perspective.

PubMed

D'Souza, Dean; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette

2011-05-01

We argue that models of adult cognition defined in terms of independently functioning modules cannot be applied to development, whether typical or atypical. The infant brain starts out highly interconnected, and it is only over developmental time that neural networks become increasingly specialized-that is, relatively modularized. In the case of atypical development, even when behavioural scores fall within the normal range, they are frequently underpinned by different cognitive and neural processes. In other words, in neurodevelopmental disorders the gradual process of relative modularization may fail to occur.

Brain Differences in Infants at Differential Genetic Risk for Late-Onset Alzheimer Disease A Cross-sectional Imaging Study

PubMed Central

Dean, Douglas C.; Jerskey, Beth A.; Chen, Kewei; Protas, Hillary; Thiyyagura, Pradeep; Roontiva, Auttawat; O’Muircheartaigh, Jonathan; Dirks, Holly; Waskiewicz, Nicole; Lehman, Katie; Siniard, Ashley L.; Turk, Mari N.; Hua, Xue; Madsen, Sarah K.; Thompson, Paul M.; Fleisher, Adam S.; Huentelman, Matthew J.; Deoni, Sean C. L.; Reiman, Eric M.

2014-01-01

IMPORTANCE Converging evidence suggests brain structure alterations may precede overt cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease by several decades. Early detection of these alterations holds inherent value for the development and evaluation of preventive treatment therapies. OBJECTIVE To compare magnetic resonance imaging measurements of white matter myelin water fraction (MWF) and gray matter volume (GMV) in healthy infant carriers and noncarriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele, the major susceptibility gene for late-onset AD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Quiet magnetic resonance imaging was performed at an academic research imaging center on 162 healthy, typically developing 2- to 25-month-old infants with no family history of Alzheimer disease or other neurological or psychiatric disorders. Cross-sectional measurements were compared in the APOE ε4 carrier and noncarrier groups. White matter MWF was compared in one hundred sixty-two 2- to 25-month-old sleeping infants (60 ε4 carriers and 102 noncarriers). Gray matter volume was compared in a subset of fifty-nine 6- to 25-month-old infants (23 ε4 carriers and 36 noncarriers), who remained asleep during the scanning session. The carrier and noncarrier groups were matched for age, gestational duration, birth weight, sex ratio, maternal age, education, and socioeconomic status. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Automated algorithms compared regional white matter MWF and GMV in the carrier and noncarrier groups and characterized their associations with age. RESULTS Infant ε4 carriers had lower MWF and GMV measurements than noncarriers in precuneus, posterior/middle cingulate, lateral temporal, and medial occipitotemporal regions, areas preferentially affected by AD, and greater MWF and GMV measurements in extensive frontal regions and measurements were also significant in the subset of 2- to 6-month-old infants (MWF differences, P < .05, after correction for multiple comparisons; GMV differences, P < .001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). Infant ε4 carriers also exhibited an attenuated relationship between MWF and age in posterior white matter regions. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE While our findings should be considered preliminary, this study demonstrates some of the earliest brain changes associated with the genetic predisposition to AD. It raises new questions about the role of APOE in normal human brain development, the extent to which these processes are related to subsequent AD pathology, and whether they could be targeted by AD prevention therapies. PMID:24276092

Brain differences in infants at differential genetic risk for late-onset Alzheimer disease: a cross-sectional imaging study.

PubMed

Dean, Douglas C; Jerskey, Beth A; Chen, Kewei; Protas, Hillary; Thiyyagura, Pradeep; Roontiva, Auttawat; O'Muircheartaigh, Jonathan; Dirks, Holly; Waskiewicz, Nicole; Lehman, Katie; Siniard, Ashley L; Turk, Mari N; Hua, Xue; Madsen, Sarah K; Thompson, Paul M; Fleisher, Adam S; Huentelman, Matthew J; Deoni, Sean C L; Reiman, Eric M

2014-01-01

Converging evidence suggests brain structure alterations may precede overt cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease by several decades. Early detection of these alterations holds inherent value for the development and evaluation of preventive treatment therapies. To compare magnetic resonance imaging measurements of white matter myelin water fraction (MWF) and gray matter volume (GMV) in healthy infant carriers and noncarriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele, the major susceptibility gene for late-onset AD. Quiet magnetic resonance imaging was performed at an academic research imaging center on 162 healthy, typically developing 2- to 25-month-old infants with no family history of Alzheimer disease or other neurological or psychiatric disorders. Cross-sectional measurements were compared in the APOE ε4 carrier and noncarrier groups. White matter MWF was compared in one hundred sixty-two 2- to 25-month-old sleeping infants (60 ε4 carriers and 102 noncarriers). Gray matter volume was compared in a subset of fifty-nine 6- to 25-month-old infants (23 ε4 carriers and 36 noncarriers), who remained asleep during the scanning session. The carrier and noncarrier groups were matched for age, gestational duration, birth weight, sex ratio, maternal age, education, and socioeconomic status. Automated algorithms compared regional white matter MWF and GMV in the carrier and noncarrier groups and characterized their associations with age. Infant ε4 carriers had lower MWF and GMV measurements than noncarriers in precuneus, posterior/middle cingulate, lateral temporal, and medial occipitotemporal regions, areas preferentially affected by AD, and greater MWF and GMV measurements in extensive frontal regions and measurements were also significant in the subset of 2- to 6-month-old infants (MWF differences, P < .05, after correction for multiple comparisons; GMV differences, P < .001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). Infant ε4 carriers also exhibited an attenuated relationship between MWF and age in posterior white matter regions. While our findings should be considered preliminary, this study demonstrates some of the earliest brain changes associated with the genetic predisposition to AD. It raises new questions about the role of APOE in normal human brain development, the extent to which these processes are related to subsequent AD pathology, and whether they could be targeted by AD prevention therapies.

Prematurity Affects Age of Presentation of Pyloric Stenosis.

PubMed

Costanzo, Caitlyn M; Vinocur, Charles; Berman, Loren

2017-02-01

Term infants with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS) typically present between 4 and 6 weeks. There is limited consensus, however, regarding age of presentation of premature infants. We aim to determine if there is an association between the degree of prematurity and chronological age of presentation of HPS. A total of 2988 infants who had undergone a pyloromyotomy for HPS were identified from the 2012 and 2013 NSQIP-P Participant Use Files. Two hundred seventeen infants (7.3%) were born prematurely. A greater degree of prematurity was associated with an older chronological age of presentation ( P < .0001). Prematurity was significantly associated with an increase in overall postoperative morbidity, reintubation, readmission, and postoperative length of stay. When clinicians evaluate an infant with nonbilious emesis with a history of prematurity, they should consider pyloric stenosis if the calculated postconceptional age is between 44 and 50 weeks. When counseling families of premature infants, surgeons should discuss the increased incidence of postpyloromyotomy morbidity.

A Simple Introduction to Physical Health Impairments: A Series for Caregivers of Infants and Toddlers. Model of Interdisciplinary Training for Children with Handicaps (MITCH).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monroe County School District, Key West, FL.

Intended for use in Florida training programs for caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities, this booklet describes some of the more common physical and health impairments that can affect young children. For each disability, the description generally stresses typical characteristics and special requirements. Addresses and telephone…

Thinking Differently about Infants and Toddlers: Exploring the Reflections of Future Australian Early Childhood Teachers in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garvis, Susanne; Pendergast, Donna

2015-01-01

In Australian early childhood teacher education programs there is typically a greater focus on the age group of kindergarten children compared to that of infants and toddlers (Garvis, Lemon, Pendergast and Yim, 2013). As a consequence, pre-service teachers may have little opportunity to interact and learn about this important age range. This paper…

A Parent's Guide to Accessing Programs for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers with Handicaps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdivieso, Carol; And Others

The guide is intended to help parents of young children with special needs identify early intervention services (for children birth through age 2) and special education services (for children ages 3 through 5). Part 1 answers typical questions of parents of infants including: What should I do if I think my child has special needs? What are early…

Future of Early Intervention with Infants and Toddlers for Whom Typical Experiences Are Not Effective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWilliam, R. A.

2015-01-01

Early intervention for infants and toddlers began with high hopes, but became mired in overspecialization, bureaucracy, and turf guarding. Nevertheless, two important advances in the field have been (a) a recognition that the child's natural caregivers are in the best position to be the intervention agents and, concomitantly, (b) a rethinking…

Systematic review of interventions to promote social-emotional development in young children with or at risk for disability.

PubMed

Case-Smith, Jane

2013-01-01

This systematic review synthesized the research on interventions used by occupational therapy practitioners to promote social-emotional development in young children (birth-5 yr) with or at risk for disabilities. After a comprehensive search of the research literature, 23 studies were reviewed and then synthesized into five themes: (1) touch-based interventions to enhance calming and parent-infant bonding, (2) relationship-based interventions to promote positive caregiver-child interactions, (3) joint attention interventions, (4) naturalistic preschool interventions to promote peer-to-peer engagement, and (5) instruction-based interventions to teach children appropriate social behaviors. The interventions for infants primarily involved coaching parents in specific strategies to promote positive interactions; interventions for preschool-age children typically involved encouraging peer support, instructing children, and applying naturalistic behavioral techniques to develop higher-level social competence. The studies demonstrated low to moderate positive effects for interventions used by occupational therapy practitioners to improve social-emotional development across ages, diagnoses, and settings. Copyright © 2013 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Infant botulism: clinical spectrum and epidemiology.

PubMed

Thompson, J A; Glasgow, L A; Warpinski, J R; Olson, C

1980-12-01

Between 1977 and 1979, 12 cases of infant botulism were diagnosed in Utah, and 87 control patients (normal, nonbotulism neurologic disease, and nonbotulism systemic disease) were evaluated. Observations from these patients suggest an expanded clinical spectrum of infant botulism including asymptomatic carriers of organism; mild hypotonia and failure to thrive; typical cases with constipation, bulbar weakness, and hypotonia; and children with a picture compatible with sudden infant death syndrome. Clostridium botulinum was isolated from the stools of three normal control infants and nine control infants who had neurologic diseases that were clearly not infant botulism. These infants were termed "asymptomatic carriers" of the organism. The occurrence of the asymptomatic carrier state suggests that a diagnosis of infant botulism cannot be made on a basis of culture results alone, but must rest in historical documentation and physical confirmation of progressive bulbar and extremity weakness with ultimate complete resolution of symptoms and findings over a period of several months. A common set of environmental features characterizes the home environment of children with infant botulism and "asymptomatic carriers" and includes: nearby constructional or agricultural soil disruption, dusty and windy conditions, a high water table, and alkaline soil conditions.

Applying the plan-do-study-act model to increase the use of kangaroo care.

PubMed

Stikes, Reetta; Barbier, Denise

2013-01-01

To increase the rate of participation in kangaroo care within a level III neonatal intensive care unit. Preterm birth typically results in initial separation of mother and infant which may disrupt the bonding process. Nurses within the neonatal intensive care unit can introduce strategies that will assist parents in overcoming fears and developing relationships with their infants. Kangaroo care is a method of skin-to-skin holding that has been shown to enhance the mother-infant relationship while also improving infant outcomes. However, kangaroo care has been used inconsistently within neonatal intensive care unit settings. The Plan-Do-Study-Act Model was used as a framework for this project. Plan-Do-Study-Act Model uses four cyclical steps for continuous quality improvement. Based upon Plan-Do-Study-Act Model, education was planned, surveys were developed and strategies implemented to overcome barriers. Four months post-implementation, the use of kangaroo care increased by 31%. Staff surveys demonstrated a decrease in the perceived barriers to kangaroo care as well as an increase in kangaroo care. Application of Plan-Do-Study-Act Model was successful in meeting the goal of increasing the use of kangaroo care. The use of the Plan-Do-Study-Act Model framework encourages learning, reflection and validation throughout implementation. Plan-Do-Study-Act Model is a strategy that can promote the effective use of innovative practices in nursing. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Breastfeeding and Social Media among First-Time African American Mothers

PubMed Central

Asiodu, Ifeyinwa V.; Waters, Catherine M.; Dailey, Dawn E.; Lee, Kathryn A.; Lyndon, Audrey

2015-01-01

Objective To describe the use of social media during the antepartum and postpartum periods among first-time African American mothers and their support persons. Design A qualitative critical ethnographic research design within the contexts of Family Life Course Development Theory and Black Feminist Theory. Setting Participants were recruited from community-based, public health, and home visiting programs. Participants A purposive sample was recruited, consisting of 14 pregnant African American women and eight support persons. Methods Pregnant and postpartum African American women and their support persons were interviewed separately during the antepartum and postpartum periods. Data were analyzed thematically. Results Participants frequently used social media for educational and social support and searched the internet for perinatal and parenting information. Most participants reported using at least one mobile application during their pregnancies and after giving birth. Social media were typically accessed through smartphones and/or computers using different websites and applications. While participants gleaned considerable information about infant development from these applications, they had difficulty finding and recalling information about infant feeding. Conclusion Social media are an important vehicle to disseminate infant feeding information; however, they are not currently being used to full potential. Our findings suggest that future interventions geared towards African American mothers and their support persons should include social media approaches. The way individuals gather, receive, and interpret information is dynamic. The increasing popularity and use of social media platforms offers the opportunity to create more innovative, targeted mobile health interventions for infant feeding and breastfeeding promotion. PMID:25712127

Different stability of social-communication problems and negative demanding behaviour from infancy to toddlerhood in a large Dutch population sample

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Little is known about the stability of behavioural and developmental problems as children develop from infants to toddlers in the general population. Therefore, we investigated behavioural profiles at two time points and determined whether behaviours are stable during early development. Methods Parents of 4,237 children completed questionnaires with 62 items about externalizing, internalizing, and social-communicative behaviour when the children were 14–15 and 36–37 months old. Factor mixture modelling identified five homogeneous profiles at both time points: three with relatively normal behaviour or with mild/moderate problems, one with clear communication and interaction problems, and another with pronounced negative and demanding behaviour. Results More than 85% of infants with normal behaviour or mild problems at 14–15 months were reported to behave relatively typically as toddlers at 36–37 months. A similar percentage of infants with moderate communication problems outgrew their problems by the time they were toddlers. However, infants with severe problems had mild to severe problems as toddlers, and did not show completely normal behaviour. Improvement over time occurred more often in children with negative and demanding behaviour than in children with communication and interaction problems. The former showed less homotypic continuity than the latter. Conclusions Negative and demanding behaviour is more often transient and a less specific predictor of problems in toddlerhood than communication and interaction problems. PMID:25061477

Temporary brittle bone disease: fractures in medical care.

PubMed

Paterson, Colin R

2009-12-01

Temporary brittle bone disease is the name given to a syndrome first reported in 1990, in which fractures occur in infants in the first year of life. The fractures include rib fractures and metaphyseal fractures which are mostly asymptomatic. The radiological features of this disorder mimic those often ascribed to typical non-accidental injury. The subject has been controversial, some authors suggesting that the disorder does not exist. This study reports five infants with typical features of temporary brittle bone disease in whom all or most of the fractures took place while in hospital. A non-accidental cause can be eliminated with some confidence, and these cases provide evidence in support of the existence of temporary brittle bone disease.

Phosphatidylcholine supplementation in pregnant women consuming moderate-choline diets does not enhance infant cognitive function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial123

PubMed Central

Goldman, Barbara Davis; Fischer, Leslie M; da Costa, Kerry-Ann; Reznick, J Steven; Zeisel, Steven H

2012-01-01

Background: Choline is essential for fetal brain development, and it is not known whether a typical American diet contains enough choline to ensure optimal brain development. Objective: The study was undertaken to determine whether supplementing pregnant women with phosphatidylcholine (the main dietary source of choline) improves the cognitive abilities of their offspring. Design: In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 140 pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive supplemental phosphatidylcholine (750 mg) or a placebo (corn oil) from 18 wk gestation through 90 d postpartum. Their infants (n = 99) were tested for short-term visuospatial memory, long-term episodic memory, language development, and global development at 10 and 12 mo of age. Results: The women studied ate diets that delivered ∼360 mg choline/d in foods (∼80% of the recommended intake for pregnant women, 65% of the recommended intake for lactating women). The phosphatidylcholine supplements were well tolerated. Groups did not differ significantly in global development, language development, short-term visuospatial memory, or long-term episodic memory. Conclusions: Phosphatidylcholine supplementation of pregnant women eating diets containing moderate amounts of choline did not enhance their infants’ brain function. It is possible that a longer follow-up period would reveal late-emerging effects. Moreover, future studies should determine whether supplementing mothers eating diets much lower in choline content, such as those consumed in several low-income countries, would enhance infant brain development. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00678925. PMID:23134891

Foodborne botulism in a six-month-old infant caused by home-canned baby food.

PubMed

Armada, Manuel; Love, Suzanne; Barrett, Elizabeth; Monroe, John; Peery, Dave; Sobel, Jeremy

2003-08-01

Previously reported cases of botulism in infants have been diagnosed as infant botulism; that is, botulism caused by intestinal colonization by Clostridium botulinum with intraluminal production and absorption of toxin. Foodborne botulism is caused by ingestion of preformed toxin. We describe an unusual case of foodborne botulism in a 6-month-old infant caused by the ingestion of improperly prepared home-canned baby food. This represents the youngest age of onset for foodborne botulism in the United States of which we are aware and illustrates the need to rule out foodborne botulism, which represents a public health emergency, regardless of the patient's age. The diagnosis could have been readily missed or delayed in this case because the weakness was rapidly progressive rather than insidious, as is typical of infant botulism.

Regional Infant and Child Mortality Review Committee 2013 final report.

PubMed

Wilson, Ann L; Sideras, Jim

2015-02-01

The Regional Infant and Child Review Committee serves 10 counties in southeastern South Dakota and its mission is to review of deaths of infants and children under the age of 18 so that information can be transformed into action to protect young lives. In 2013, the committee's interdisciplinary team reviewed 32 deaths that met its criteria. The manner of 13 of these deaths was natural, nine accidental, one homicide, five suicide, and four undetermined. There were five infant deaths during sleep and each of these occurred in an unsafe sleep environment. The number of suicides in 2013 was considerably higher than the typical one death by suicide that previously has been observed per year in the area. The report provides the Committee's recommendations for community action that could prevent future deaths of infants and children.

Probiotics for prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants.

PubMed

AlFaleh, Khalid; Anabrees, Jasim

2014-09-01

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and nosocomial sepsis are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. Through prevention of bacterial migration across the mucosa, competitive exclusion of pathogenic bacteria, and enhancing the immune responses of the host, prophylactic enteral probiotics (live microbial supplements) may play a role in reducing NEC and the associated morbidity. To compare the efficacy and safety of prophylactic enteral probiotics administration versus placebo or no treatment in the prevention of severe NEC or sepsis, or both, in preterm infants. For this update, searches were made of MEDLINE (1966 to October 2013), EMBASE (1980 to October 2013), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library (2013, Issue 10), and abstracts of annual meetings of the Society for Pediatric Research (1995 to 2013). Only randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials that enrolled preterm infants < 37 weeks gestational age or < 2500 g birth weight, or both, were considered. Trials were included if they involved enteral administration of any live microbial supplement (probiotics) and measured at least one prespecified clinical outcome. Standard methods of The Cochrane Collaboration and its Neonatal Group were used to assess the methodologic quality of the trials and for data collection and analysis. Twenty-four eligible trials were included. Included trials were highly variable with regard to enrolment criteria (that is birth weight and gestational age), baseline risk of NEC in the control groups, timing, dose, formulation of the probiotics, and feeding regimens. In a meta-analysis of trial data, enteral probiotics supplementation significantly reduced the incidence of severe NEC (stage II or more) (typical relative risk (RR) 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.33 to 0.56; 20 studies, 5529 infants) and mortality (typical RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.81; 17 studies, 5112 infants). There was no evidence of significant reduction of nosocomial sepsis (typical RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.03; 19 studies, 5338 infants). The included trials reported no systemic infection with the supplemental probiotics organism. Probiotics preparations containing either lactobacillus alone or in combination with bifidobacterium were found to be effective. Enteral supplementation of probiotics prevents severe NEC and all cause mortality in preterm infants. Our updated review of available evidence strongly supports a change in practice. Head to head comparative studies are required to assess the most effective preparations, timing, and length of therapy to be utilized. Probiotics for prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious disease that affects the bowel of premature infants in the first few weeks of life. Although the cause of NEC is not entirely known, milk feeding and bacterial growth play a role. Probiotics (dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeast) have been used to prevent NEC. Our review of studies found that the use of probiotics reduces the occurrence of NEC and death in premature infants born weighing less than 1500 grams. There is insufficient data with regard to the benefits and potential adverse effects in the most at risk infants weighing less than 1000 grams at birth. Copyright © 2014 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Plasma and breastmilk selenium in HIV-infected Malawian mothers is positively associated with infant selenium status at 2 or 6 and 24 weeks post-partum but is not associated with supplementation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Selenium (Se) levels are typically low in HIV-infected individuals, but have been increased by supplementation in previous studies. In HIV-infected populations, the effect of Se supplementation on breastmilk Se and, consequently, plasma Se levels in exclusively breastfed infants is unknown. HIV-inf...

Buen Comienzo, Buen Futuro: El Bebe de Dos Meses (Healthy Start, Grow Smart: Your Two-Month-Old).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Education, Washington, DC.

Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the second month of life. The pamphlet outlines typical infant behavior at 2 months of age, the need for regular visits to a physician, health insurance,…

A novel approach: trans-ascending aorta balloon aortic valvuloplasty via sternotomy for treating severe valvular aortic stenosis in a low-weight infant.

PubMed

Gao, Lei; Wu, Qin; Xu, Xinhua; Zhao, Tianli; Jin, Wancun; Yang, Yifeng

2014-02-01

Severe congenital aortic stenosis in infants is a life-threatening congenital heart anomaly that is typically treated using percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty. The usual route is the femoral artery under radiographic guidance. However, this procedure may be limited by the small size of the femoral artery in low-weight infants. An infant weighing only 7 kg with severe aortic stenosis (peak gradient was 103 mmHg) was successfully treated with a novel approach, that is trans-ascending aorta balloon aortic valvuloplasty guided by transesophageal echocardiography. The patient tolerated the procedure well, and no major complications developed. After the intervention, transesophageal echocardiography indicated a significant reduction of the aortic valvular peak gradient from 103 mmHg to 22 mmHg, no aortic regurgitation was found. Eighteen months after the intervention, echocardiography revealed that the aortic valvular peak gradient had increased to 38 mmHg and that still no aortic regurgitation had occurred. In our limited experience, trans-ascending aorta balloon aortic valvuloplasty for severe aortic stenosis under transesophageal echocardiography guidance effectively reduces the aortic peak gradient. As this is a new procedure, long-term follow up and management will need to be established. It may be an alternative technique to treat congenital aortic stenosis in low-weight patients.

Heterologous Immunological Effects of Early BCG Vaccination in Low-Birth-Weight Infants in Guinea-Bissau: A Randomized-controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Jensen, Kristoffer Jarlov; Larsen, Nanna; Biering-Sørensen, Sofie; Andersen, Andreas; Eriksen, Helle Brander; Monteiro, Ivan; Hougaard, David; Aaby, Peter; Netea, Mihai G.; Flanagan, Katie L.; Benn, Christine Stabell

2015-01-01

Background. Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) seems to have beneficial nonspecific effects; early BCG vaccination of low-birth-weight (LBW) newborns reduces neonatal mortality by >40% due to prevention of primarily septicemia and pneumonia. Methods. Within a randomized trial in LBW infants in Guinea-Bissau of early BCG vs the usual postponed BCG, a subgroup was bled 4 weeks after randomization. Levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured from whole-blood assays stimulated with innate agonists to Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2, -4 or -7/8, or purified protein derivative (PPD). Results. Among 467 infants, BCG significantly increased the in vitro cytokine responses to purified protein derivative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (PPD), as expected. BCG was also associated with increased responses to heterologous innate stimulation, particularly of the cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ. Conclusion. Four weeks after immunization, BCG-vaccinated infants have a significantly increased production of cytokines upon heterologous challenge, particularly T helper cell type 1 polarizing and typically monocyte-derived pro-inflammatory cytokines. BCG may accelerate the development of the neonatal immune system, mediating comprehensive protection against infections and mortality. PMID:25210141

Why history matters for quantitative target setting: long-term trends in socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequities in US infant death rates (1960–2010)

PubMed Central

Krieger, Nancy; Singh, Nakul; Chen, Jarvis T.; Coull, Brent A.; Beckfield, Jason; Kiang, Mathew V.; Waterman, Pamela D.; Gruskin, Sofia

2016-01-01

Policy-oriented population health targets, such as the Millennium Development Goals and national targets to address health inequities, typically are based on trends of a decade or less. To test whether expanded timeframes might be more apt, we analyzed 50-year trends in US infant death rates (1960–2010) jointly by income and race/ethnicity. The largest annual percent changes in the infant death rate (between −4% and −10%) occurred, for all racial/ethnic groups, in the lowest income quintile between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, and in the second lowest income quintile between the mid-1960s and 1973; since the 1990s, they have hovered, in all groups, between −1% and −3%. Hence, to look back only 15 years, in 2014, to 1999, would ignore gains achieved prior to the post-1980 onset of neoliberal policies. Target setting should be informed by a deeper and more long-term appraisal of what is possible to achieve. PMID:25971237

Why history matters for quantitative target setting: Long-term trends in socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequities in US infant death rates (1960-2010).

PubMed

Krieger, Nancy; Singh, Nakul; Chen, Jarvis T; Coull, Brent A; Beckfield, Jason; Kiang, Mathew V; Waterman, Pamela D; Gruskin, Sofia

2015-08-01

Policy-oriented population health targets, such as the Millennium Development Goals and national targets to address health inequities, are typically based on trends of a decade or less. To test whether expanded timeframes might be more apt, we analyzed 50-year trends in US infant death rates (1960-2010) jointly by income and race/ethnicity. The largest annual per cent changes in the infant death rate (between -4 and -10 per cent), for all racial/ethnic groups, in the lowest income quintile occurred between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, and in the second lowest income quintile between the mid-1960s and 1973. Since the 1990s, these numbers have hovered, in all groups, between -1 and -3 per cent. Hence, to look back only 15 years (in 2014, to 1999) would ignore gains achieved prior to the onset of neoliberal policies after 1980. Target setting should be informed by a deeper and longer-term appraisal of what is possible to achieve.

Associations Between Hormonal Biomarkers and Cognitive, Motor, and Language Developmental Status in Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

PubMed

Cho, June; Holditch-Davis, Diane; Su, Xiaogang; Phillips, Vivien; Biasini, Fred; Carlo, Waldemar A

Male infants are more prone to health problems and developmental delays than female infants. On the basis of theories of gender differences in brain development and social relationships, we explored associations between testosterone and cortisol levels with infant cognitive, motor, and language development ("infant development") in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, controlling for mother-infant interactions, characteristics of mothers and infants, and days of saliva collection after birth. A total of 62 mother-VLBW infant pairs were recruited from the newborn intensive care unit of a tertiary medical center in the Southeast United States. Data were collected through infant medical record review, biochemical measurement, observation of mother-infant interactions, and standard questionnaires. Infant development was assessed at 6 months corrected age (CA), and mother-infant interactions were observed at 3 and 6 months CA. General linear regression with separate analyses for each infant gender showed that high testosterone levels were positively associated with language development of male infants after controlling for mother-infant interactions and other covariates, whereas high cortisol levels were negatively associated with motor development of female infants after controlling for mother-infant interactions. Steroid hormonal levels may well be more fundamental factors for assessing infant development than infant gender or mother-infant interactions at 6 months CA.

Delayed introduction of progressive enteral feeds to prevent necrotising enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Morgan, Jessie; Young, Lauren; McGuire, William

2014-01-01

The introduction of enteral feeds for very preterm (less than 32 weeks' gestation) or very low birth weight (VLBW; less than 1500 g) infants is often delayed for several days or longer after birth due to concern that early introduction may not be tolerated and may increase the risk of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). However, delaying enteral feeding could diminish the functional adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract and prolong the need for parenteral nutrition with its attendant infectious and metabolic risks. To determine the effect of delayed introduction of progressive enteral feeds on the incidence of NEC, mortality and other morbidities in very preterm or VLBW infants. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2014, Issue 8), MEDLINE (1966 to September 2014), EMBASE (1980 to September 2014), CINAHL (1982 to September 2014), conference proceedings and previous reviews. We included randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that assessed the effect of delayed (more than four days after birth) versus earlier introduction of progressive enteral feeds on the incidence of NEC, mortality and other morbidities in very preterm or VLBW infants. Two review authors independently assessed trial eligibility and risk of bias and undertook data extraction. We analysed the treatment effects in the individual trials and reported the risk ratio (RR) and risk difference for dichotomous data and mean difference for continuous data, with respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). We used a fixed-effect model in meta-analyses and explored the potential causes of heterogeneity in sensitivity analyses. We identified nine randomised controlled trials in which 1106 infants participated. Few participants were extremely preterm (less 28 weeks' gestation) or extremely low birth weight (less than 1000 g). The trials defined delayed introduction of progressive enteral feeds as later than four to seven days after birth and early introduction as four days or less after birth. Meta-analyses did not detect statistically significant effects on the risk of NEC (typical RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.34; 8 trials; 1092 infants) or all-cause mortality (typical RR 1.18, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.88; 7 trials; 967 infants). Four of the trials restricted participation to growth-restricted infants with Doppler ultrasound evidence of abnormal fetal circulatory distribution or flow. Planned subgroup analyses of these trials found no statistically significant effects on the risk of NEC or all-cause mortality. Infants who had delayed introduction of enteral feeds took longer to establish full enteral feeding (reported median differences two to four days). The evidence available from randomised controlled trials suggested that delaying the introduction of progressive enteral feeds beyond four days after birth did not reduce the risk of developing NEC in very preterm or VLBW infants, including growth-restricted infants. Delaying the introduction of progressive enteral feeds resulted in a few days' delay in establishing full enteral feeds but the clinical importance of this effect was unclear. The applicability of these findings to extremely preterm or extremely low birth weight was uncertain. Further randomised controlled trials in this population may be warranted.

Robots Learn to Recognize Individuals from Imitative Encounters with People and Avatars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boucenna, Sofiane; Cohen, David; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Gaussier, Philippe; Chetouani, Mohamed

2016-02-01

Prior to language, human infants are prolific imitators. Developmental science grounds infant imitation in the neural coding of actions, and highlights the use of imitation for learning from and about people. Here, we used computational modeling and a robot implementation to explore the functional value of action imitation. We report 3 experiments using a mutual imitation task between robots, adults, typically developing children, and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We show that a particular learning architecture - specifically one combining artificial neural nets for (i) extraction of visual features, (ii) the robot’s motor internal state, (iii) posture recognition, and (iv) novelty detection - is able to learn from an interactive experience involving mutual imitation. This mutual imitation experience allowed the robot to recognize the interactive agent in a subsequent encounter. These experiments using robots as tools for modeling human cognitive development, based on developmental theory, confirm the promise of developmental robotics. Additionally, findings illustrate how person recognition may emerge through imitative experience, intercorporeal mapping, and statistical learning.

Robots Learn to Recognize Individuals from Imitative Encounters with People and Avatars

PubMed Central

Boucenna, Sofiane; Cohen, David; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Gaussier, Philippe; Chetouani, Mohamed

2016-01-01

Prior to language, human infants are prolific imitators. Developmental science grounds infant imitation in the neural coding of actions, and highlights the use of imitation for learning from and about people. Here, we used computational modeling and a robot implementation to explore the functional value of action imitation. We report 3 experiments using a mutual imitation task between robots, adults, typically developing children, and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We show that a particular learning architecture - specifically one combining artificial neural nets for (i) extraction of visual features, (ii) the robot’s motor internal state, (iii) posture recognition, and (iv) novelty detection - is able to learn from an interactive experience involving mutual imitation. This mutual imitation experience allowed the robot to recognize the interactive agent in a subsequent encounter. These experiments using robots as tools for modeling human cognitive development, based on developmental theory, confirm the promise of developmental robotics. Additionally, findings illustrate how person recognition may emerge through imitative experience, intercorporeal mapping, and statistical learning. PMID:26844862

Individual Differences in Infant Oculomotor Behavior During the Viewing of Complex Naturalistic Scenes

PubMed Central

Wass, Sam V; Smith, Tim J

2014-01-01

Little research hitherto has examined how individual differences in attention, as assessed using standard experimental paradigms, relate to individual differences in how attention is spontaneously allocated in more naturalistic contexts. Here, we analyzed the time intervals between refoveating eye movements (fixation durations) while typically developing 11-month-old infants viewed a 90-min battery ranging from complex dynamic to noncomplex static materials. The same infants also completed experimental assessments of cognitive control, psychomotor reaction times (RT), processing speed (indexed via peak look during habituation), and arousal (indexed via tonic pupil size). High test–retest reliability was found for fixation duration, across testing sessions and across types of viewing material. Increased cognitive control and increased arousal were associated with reduced variability in fixation duration. For fixations to dynamic stimuli, in which a large proportion of saccades may be exogenously cued, we found that psychomotor RT measures were most predictive of mean fixation duration; for fixations to static stimuli, in contrast, in which there is less exogenous attentional capture, we found that psychomotor RT did not predict performance, but that measures of cognitive control and arousal did. The implications of these findings for understanding the development of attentional control in naturalistic settings are discussed. PMID:25635173

Objective Measurement of Fusional Vergence Ranges and Heterophoria in Infants and Preschool Children

PubMed Central

Sreenivasan, Vidhyapriya; Babinsky, Erin E.; Wu, Yifei; Candy, T. Rowan

2016-01-01

Purpose Binocular alignment typically includes motor fusion compensating for heterophoria. This study evaluated heterophoria and then accommodation and vergence responses during measurement of fusional ranges in infants and preschoolers. Methods Purkinje image eye tracking and eccentric photorefraction (MCS PowerRefractor) were used to record the eye alignment and accommodation of uncorrected infants (n = 17; 3–5 months old), preschoolers (n = 19; 2.5–5 years), and naïve functionally emmetropic adults (n = 14; 20–32 years; spherical equivalent [SE], +1 to −1 diopters [D]). Heterophoria was derived from the difference between monocular and binocular alignments while participants viewed naturalistic images at 80 cm. The presence or absence of fusion was then assessed after base-in (BI) and base-out (BO) prisms (2–40 prism diopters [pd]) were introduced. Results Mean (±SD) SE refractions were hyperopic in infants (+2.4 ± 1.2 D) and preschoolers (+1.1 ± 0.6 D). The average exophoria was similar (P = 0.11) across groups (Infants, −0.79 ± 2.5 pd; Preschool, −2.43 ± 2.0 pd; Adults, −1.0 ± 2.7 pd). Mean fusional vergence range also was similar (P = 0.1) for BI (Infants, 11.2 ± 2.5 pd; Preschool, 8.8 ± 2.8 pd; Adults, 11.8 ± 5.2 pd) and BO (Infants, 14 ± 6.6 pd; Preschool, 15.3 ± 8.3 pd; Adults, 20 ± 9.2 pd). Maximum change in accommodation to the highest fusible prism was positive (increased accommodation) for BO (Infants, 1.69 ± 1.4 D; Preschool, 1.35 ± 1.6 D; Adults, 1.22 ± 1.0 D) and negative for BI (Infants, −0.96 ± 1.0 D; Preschool, −0.78 ± 0.6 D; Adults, −0.62 ± 0.3 D), with a similar magnitude across groups (BO, P = 0.6; BI, P = 0.4). Conclusions Despite typical uncorrected hyperopia, infants and preschoolers exhibited small exophorias at 80 cm, similar to adults. All participants demonstrated substantial fusional ranges, providing evidence that even 3- to 5-month-old infants can respond to a large range of image disparities. PMID:27183054

Intramedullary spinal immature teratoma: resolution of quadriplegia following resection in a 4-week-old infant.

PubMed

Nickols, Hilary Highfield; Chambless, Lola B; Carson, Robert P; Coffin, Cheryl M; Pearson, Matthew M; Abel, Ty W

2010-12-01

Intramedullary spinal cord teratomas are rare entities in infants. Management of these lesions is primarily surgical, with outcome dependent on rapid surgical decompression and complete gross-total tumor resection. The lesions are typically of the mature type, with immature teratomas displaying unique pathological features. The authors report a case of an extensive intramedullary immature teratoma in an infant with resolution of quadriplegia following gross-total radical resection. At the 1-year follow-up, there was radiographic evidence of tumor, and surgical reexploration yielded portions of immature teratoma and extensive gliosis.

Establishing a learning foundation in a dynamically changing world: Insights from artificial language work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzales, Kalim

It is argued that infants build a foundation for learning about the world through their incidental acquisition of the spatial and temporal regularities surrounding them. A challenge is that learning occurs across multiple contexts whose statistics can greatly differ. Two artificial language studies with 12-month-olds demonstrate that infants come prepared to parse statistics across contexts using the temporal and perceptual features that distinguish one context from another. These results suggest that infants can organize their statistical input with a wider range of features that typically considered. Possible attention, decision making, and memory mechanisms are discussed.

Effects of parenting role and parent-child interaction on infant motor development in Taiwan Birth Cohort Study.

PubMed

Chiang, Yi-Chen; Lin, Dai-Chan; Lee, Chun-Yang; Lee, Meng-Chih

2015-04-01

Previous studies have rarely focused on healthy infants' motor development, and nationwide birth cohort studies in Taiwan are limited. It has been shown that parent-child interactions significantly influence infant motor development and the effect of mother-infant attachment on infant development is stronger than father-infant attachment. However, it is not well understood that whether the mother-infant or father-infant interaction has the confounding effect on infant motor development. To understand healthy infant motor development in Taiwan; and to investigate the effects of parenting roles and parent-child interactions on infant motor development. Data were derived from the 1st through the 2nd waves of the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study-Pilot Database. Infants were classified into two categories (complete or incomplete development) according to their developmental milestones. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) and random effects models were used to clarify the possible long-term effects. The rate of infants who completed development in 6 months was 30.50%; however the rate was increased in 18 month-old children (80.01%). A mother's perceived infant care competence was the most important factor for infant motor development. "Whether or not the infant was the only baby in the family" and "parent-child interaction" had slightly significant effect on infant motor development. In conclusion, the mother's perceived competence must be strengthened and parent-infant interactions should be emphasized on a daily basis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Baby babbling at five months linked to sex hormone levels in early infancy.

PubMed

Quast, Anja; Hesse, Volker; Hain, Johannes; Wermke, Peter; Wermke, Kathleen

2016-08-01

Gender-dependent differentiation of the brain at morphological, neurochemical and functional levels of organization have been shown to be primarily controlled by sex differences in gonadal hormone concentrations during pre- and early postnatal development. Indeed, previous studies have reported that pre- and perinatal hormonal environments influence brain development and, consequently, affect sex specific long-term language outcomes. Herein, we investigated whether postnatal surges of estrogen (estradiol) and androgen (testosterone) may predict properties of pre-speech babbling at five months. This study is the first attempt to investigate a possible correlation between sex hormones and infants' articulatory skills during the typical postnatal period of extended hormonal activity known as 'mini-puberty.' A hierarchical, multiple regression approach revealed a significant, robust positive relationship between 4-week concentrations of estradiol and individual articulatory skills. In contrast, testosterone concentrations at five months negatively correlated with articulatory skills at the same age in both boys and girls. Our findings reinforce the assumption of the importance of sex hormones for auditory-vocal development towards language in human infants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of oral motor behavior related to the skill assisted spoon feeding.

PubMed

van den Engel-Hoek, Lenie; van Hulst, Karen C M; van Gerven, Marjo H J C; van Haaften, Leenke; de Groot, Sandra A F

2014-05-01

Milestones in the typical development of eating skills are considered to be nippling (breast or bottle), eating from a spoon, drinking from a cup, biting and chewing. The purpose of this research was to study the development and consolidation of oral motor behavior related to the skill assisted spoon feeding in young infants. The present study longitudinally investigated the development of this skill in 39 healthy children from the start of spoon feeding until the skill was acquired. The Observation List Spoon Feeding with 7 observation items for oral motor behavior and 6 items for abnormal behavior was used. Results showed that infants between 4 and 8 months of age needed 5.7 weeks (SD 2.1), with a range of 8 weeks (from 2 to 10 weeks) to acquire this skill. No significant correlation (p=.109) between age at start spoon feeding and weeks needed to develop the skill was found. During this period oral motor behavior consolidated and abnormal behavior diminished. With this study it is shown that the period in weeks needed to acquire the oral motor behavior for the skill assisted spoon feeding is important in case of feeding problems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neonatal vitamin A supplementation for the prevention of mortality and morbidity in term neonates in low and middle income countries.

PubMed

Haider, Batool A; Sharma, Renee; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2017-02-24

Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem in low and middle income countries. Vitamin A supplementation in children six months of age and older has been found to be beneficial, but no effect of supplementation has been noted for children between one and five months of age. Supplementation during the neonatal period has been suggested to have an impact by increasing body stores in early infancy. To evaluate the role of vitamin A supplementation for term neonates in low and middle income countries with respect to prevention of mortality and morbidity. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2016, Issue 2), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 13 March 2016), Embase (1980 to 13 March 2016) and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; 1982 to 13 March 2016). We also searched clinical trials databases, conference proceedings and reference lists of retrieved articles for randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised trials. Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials. Also trials with a factorial design. Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted study data. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to assess the quality of evidence. We included 12 trials (168,460 neonates) in this review, with only a few trials reporting disaggregated data for term infants. Therefore, we analysed data and presented estimates for term infants (when specified) and for all infants.Data for term neonates from three studies did not show a statistically significant effect on the risk of infant mortality at six months in the vitamin A group compared with the control group (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54 to 1.18; I 2 = 63%). Analysis of data for all infants from 11 studies revealed no evidence of a significant reduction in the risk of infant mortality at six months among neonates supplemented with vitamin A compared with control neonates (typical RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.07; I 2 = 47%). We observed similar results for infant mortality at 12 months of age with no significant effect of vitamin A compared with control (typical RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.15; I 2 = 47%). Limited data were available for the outcomes of cause-specific mortality and morbidity, vitamin A deficiency, anaemia and adverse events. Given the high burden of death among children younger than five years of age in low and middle income countries, and the fact that mortality in infancy is a major contributory cause, it is critical to obtain sound scientific evidence of the effect of vitamin A supplementation during the neonatal period on infant mortality and morbidity. Evidence provided in this review does not indicate a potential beneficial effect of vitamin A supplementation among neonates at birth in reducing mortality during the first six months or 12 months of life. Given this finding and the absence of a clear indication of the biological mechanism through which vitamin A could affect mortality, along with substantial conflicting findings from individual studies conducted in settings with potentially varying levels of maternal vitamin A deficiency and infant mortality, absence of follow-up studies assessing any long-term impact of a bulging fontanelle after supplementation and the finding of a potentially harmful effect among female infants, additional research is warranted before a decision can be reached regarding policy recommendations for this intervention.

The non-linear development of the right hemispheric specialization for human face perception.

PubMed

Lochy, Aliette; de Heering, Adélaïde; Rossion, Bruno

2017-06-24

The developmental origins of human adults' right hemispheric specialization for face perception remain unclear. On the one hand, infant studies have shown a right hemispheric advantage for face perception. On the other hand, it has been proposed that the adult right hemispheric lateralization for face perception slowly emerges during childhood due to reading acquisition, which increases left lateralized posterior responses to competing written material (e.g., visual letters and words). Since methodological approaches used in infant and children typically differ when their face capabilities are explored, resolving this issue has been difficult. Here we tested 5-year-old preschoolers varying in their level of visual letter knowledge with the same fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) paradigm leading to strongly right lateralized electrophysiological occipito-temporal face-selective responses in 4- to 6-month-old infants (de Heering and Rossion, 2015). Children's face-selective response was quantitatively larger and differed in scalp topography from infants', but did not differ across hemispheres. There was a small positive correlation between preschoolers' letter knowledge and a non-normalized index of right hemispheric specialization for faces. These observations show that previous discrepant results in the literature reflect a genuine nonlinear development of the neural processes underlying face perception and are not merely due to methodological differences across age groups. We discuss several factors that could contribute to the adult right hemispheric lateralization for faces, such as myelination of the corpus callosum and reading acquisition. Our findings point to the value of FPVS coupled with electroencephalography to assess specialized face perception processes throughout development with the same methodology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of early life abuse differ across development: Infant social behavior deficits are followed by adolescent depressive-like behaviors mediated by the amygdala

PubMed Central

Raineki, Charlis; Cortés, Millie Rincón; Belnoue, Laure; Sullivan, Regina M.

2012-01-01

Abuse during early life, especially from the caregiver, increases vulnerability to develop later life psychopathologies such as depression. Although signs of depression are typically not expressed until later life, signs of dysfunctional social behavior have been found earlier. How infant abuse alters the trajectory of brain development to produce pathways to pathology is not completely understood. Here we address this question using two different but complementary rat models of early-life abuse from postnatal days (PN) 8–12: a naturalistic paradigm, where the mother is provided with insufficient bedding for nest building and a more controlled paradigm, where infants undergo olfactory classical conditioning. Amygdala neural assessment (c-Fos), as well as social behavior and forced swim tests were performed at preweaning (PN20) and adolescence (PN45). Our results show that both models of early life abuse induce deficits in social behavior, even during the preweaning period; however, depressive-like behaviors were observed only during adolescence. Adolescent depressive-like behavior corresponds with an increase in amygdala neural activity in response to forced swim test. A causal relationship between the amygdala and depressive-like behavior was suggested through amygdala temporary deactivation (muscimol infusions), which rescued the depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test. Our results indicate that social behavior deficits in infancy could serve as an early marker for later psychopathology. Moreover, the implication of the amygdala in the ontogeny of depressive-like behaviors in infant abused animals is an important step toward understanding the underlying mechanisms of later life mental disease associated with early-life abuse. PMID:22649253

Acute and Chronic Effects of Oral Genistein Administration in Neonatal Mice1

PubMed Central

Cimafranca, Melissa A.; Davila, Juanmahel; Ekman, Gail C.; Andrews, Rachel N.; Neese, Steven L.; Peretz, Jackye; Woodling, Kellie A.; Helferich, William G.; Sarkar, Jhimly; Flaws, Jodi A.; Schantz, Susan L.; Doerge, Daniel R.; Cooke, Paul S.

2010-01-01

Soy-based infant formulas are widely used in the United States and some other countries. These formulas contain high levels of the estrogenic isoflavone genistein, leading to concern that neonatal genistein exposure could cause acute and/or long-term adverse effects on reproductive and other organs. However, previous work to assess genistein effects in rodent models has not typically replicated the route of delivery and/or serum genistein concentrations reported for soy formula-fed human infants. Our objective was to develop a mouse model that more closely mimics the oral genistein exposure and total serum genistein concentrations observed in soy formula-fed infants. Mouse pups were dosed orally with genistein in a soy formula-corn oil emulsion from Postnatal Day (PND) 1 to PND 5, then effects on reproductive and nonreproductive organs were assessed after dosing and during subsequent development. Neonatal treatment resulted in changes both at the completion of dosing (PND 5) and in adult animals. At PND 5, neonatal genistein treatment caused increased relative uterine weight and down-regulation of progesterone receptor in uterine epithelia. Estrogenic effects of genistein were also seen in the neonatal ovary and thymus, which had an increase in the incidence of multioocyte follicles (MOFs) and a decrease in thymic weight relative to body weight, respectively. The increased incidence of MOFs persisted into adulthood for neonatally treated genistein females, and estrous cycle abnormalities were seen at 6 mo of age despite normal fertility in these mice. The immediate and long-term effects in this neonatal animal model raise concerns that high serum concentrations of genistein are estrogenic and could potentially impact the development of human infants fed soy formula. PMID:20357267

Parents attending to nurse visits and birth age contribute to infant development: A study about the determinants of infant development.

PubMed

Soares, Hélia; Barbieri-Figueiredo, Maria; Pereira, Sandra; Silva, Manuela; Fuertes, Marina

2018-05-24

Life experiences and parenting play an important role in infant development. To prevent developmental risks and support parents in their educational role, it is important to identify the determinants of infant development. In this study, we investigate the association between child, maternal, family and social variables, and infant development, as well as we investigate the determinants of infant development. A sample of 86 healthy infants and their mothers participated in this study. At 11-months, infant development was assessed with Schedule of Growing Skills II (SGSII). To assess mother-infant quality of interaction, the dyads were observed in free play at 12-months using CARE-Index. Maternal sensitivity and infant cooperative behavior were correlated with SGSII global scores and sub-scales. Infant development was associated with maternal years of education, number of siblings, birth weight or risks in pregnancy. Number of nurse visits attended by parents during the infant first year and birth age were determinants of infant development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Toxic exposure in America: estimating fetal and infant health outcomes from 14 years of TRI reporting.

PubMed

Agarwal, Nikhil; Banternghansa, Chanont; Bui, Linda T M

2010-07-01

We examine the effect of exposure to a set of toxic pollutants that are tracked by the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) from manufacturing facilities on county-level infant and fetal mortality rates in the United States between 1989 and 2002. Unlike previous studies, we control for toxic pollution from both mobile sources and non-TRI reporting facilities. We find significant adverse effects of toxic air pollution concentrations on infant mortality rates. Within toxic air pollutants we find that releases of carcinogens are particularly problematic for infant health outcomes. We estimate that the average county-level decreases in various categories of TRI concentrations saved in excess of 13,800 infant lives from 1989 to 2002. Using the low end of the range for the value of a statistical life that is typically used by the EPA of $1.8M, the savings in lives would be valued at approximately $25B.

Dysregulation of the cortisol diurnal rhythm following prenatal alcohol exposure and early life adversity.

PubMed

McLachlan, Kaitlyn; Rasmussen, Carmen; Oberlander, Tim F; Loock, Christine; Pei, Jacqueline; Andrew, Gail; Reynolds, James; Weinberg, Joanne

2016-06-01

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is impacted by a multitude of pre- and postnatal factors. Developmental programming of HPA axis function by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been demonstrated in animal models and in human infants, but remains understudied in older children and adolescents. Moreover, early life adversity (ELA), which occurs at higher rates in children with PAE than in non-exposed children, may also play a role in programming the stress response system. In a cohort of children and adolescents with PAE and ELA (PAE + ELA), we evaluated HPA function through assessment of diurnal cortisol activity compared to that in typically developing controls, as well as the associations among specific ELAs, adverse outcomes, protective factors, and diurnal cortisol. Morning and evening saliva samples were taken under basal conditions from 42 children and adolescents (5-18 years) with PAE + ELA and 43 typically developing controls. High rates of ELA were shown among children with PAE, and significantly higher evening cortisol levels and a flatter diurnal slope were observed in children with PAE + ELA, compared to controls. Medication use in the PAE + ELA group was associated with lower morning cortisol levels, which were comparable to controls. Complex associations were found among diurnal cortisol patterns in the PAE + ELA group and a number of ELAs and later adverse outcomes, whereas protective factors were associated with more typical diurnal rhythms. These results complement findings from research on human infants and animal models showing dysregulated HPA function following PAE, lending weight to the suggestion that PAE and ELA may interact to sensitize the developing HPA axis. The presence of protective factors may buffer altered cortisol regulation, underscoring the importance of early assessment and interventions for children with FASD, and in particular, for the many children with FASD who also have ELA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dysregulation of the cortisol diurnal rhythm following prenatal alcohol exposure and early life adversity

PubMed Central

McLachlan, Kaitlyn; Rasmussen, Carmen; Oberlander, Tim F.; Loock, Christine; Pei, Jacqueline; Andrew, Gail; Reynolds, James; Weinberg, Joanne

2016-01-01

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is impacted by a multitude of pre- and postnatal factors. Developmental programming of HPA axis function by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been demonstrated in animal models and in human infants, but remains understudied in older children and adolescents. Moreover, early life adversity (ELA), which occurs at higher rates in children with PAE than in non-exposed children, may also play a role in programming the HPA or stress response system. In a cohort of children and adolescents with PAE and ELA (PAE + ELA), we evaluated HPA function through assessment of diurnal cortisol activity compared to that in typically developing controls, as well as the associations among specific ELAs, adverse outcomes, protective factors, and diurnal cortisol. Morning and evening saliva samples were taken under basal conditions from 42 children and adolescents (5–18 years) with PAE + ELA and 43 typically developing controls. High rates of ELA were shown among children with PAE, and significantly higher evening cortisol levels and a flatter diurnal slope were observed in children with PAE + ELA, compared to controls. Medication use in the PAE + ELA group was associated with lower morning cortisol levels, which were comparable to controls. Complex associations were found among diurnal cortisol patterns in the PAE + ELA group and a number of ELAs and later adverse outcomes, whereas protective factors were associated with more typical diurnal rhythms. These results complement findings from research on human infants and animal models showing dysregulated HPA function following PAE, lending weight to the suggestion that PAE and ELA may interact to sensitize the developing HPA axis. The presence of protective factors may buffer altered cortisol regulation, underscoring the importance of early assessment and interventions for children with FASD, and in particular, for the many children with FASD who also have ELA. PMID:27286932

Progress towards early detection services for infants with hearing loss in developing countries

PubMed Central

Olusanya, Bolajoko O; Swanepoel, De Wet; Chapchap, Mônica J; Castillo, Salvador; Habib, Hamed; Mukari, Siti Z; Martinez, Norberto V; Lin, Hung-Ching; McPherson, Bradley

2007-01-01

Background Early detection of infants with permanent hearing loss through infant hearing screening is recognised and routinely offered as a vital component of early childhood care in developed countries. This article investigates the initiatives and progress towards early detection of infants with hearing loss in developing countries against the backdrop of the dearth of epidemiological data from this region. Methods A cross-sectional, descriptive study based on responses to a structured questionnaire eliciting information on the nature and scope of early hearing detection services; strategies for financing services; parental and professional attitudes towards screening; and the performance of screening programmes. Responses were complemented with relevant data from the internet and PubMed/Medline. Results Pilot projects using objective screening tests are on-going in a growing number of countries. Screening services are provided at public/private hospitals and/or community health centres and at no charge only in a few countries. Attitudes amongst parents and health care workers are typically positive towards such programmes. Screening efficiency, as measured by referral rate at discharge, was generally found to be lower than desired but several programmes achieved other international benchmarks. Coverage is generally above 90% but poor follow-up rates remain a challenge in some countries. The mean age of diagnosis is usually less than six months, even for community-based programmes. Conclusion Lack of adequate resources by many governments may limit rapid nationwide introduction of services for early hearing detection and intervention, but may not deter such services altogether. Parents may be required to pay for services in some settings in line with the existing practice where healthcare services are predominantly financed by out-of-pocket spending rather than public funding. However, governments and their international development partners need to complement current voluntary initiatives through systematic scaling-up of public awareness and requisite manpower development towards sustainable service capacities at all levels of healthcare delivery. PMID:17266763

Mechanical analysis of infant carrying in hominoids

PubMed Central

2007-01-01

In all higher nonhuman primates, species survival depends upon safe carrying of infants clinging to body hair of adults. In this work, measurements of mechanical properties of ape hair (gibbon, orangutan, and gorilla) are presented, focusing on constraints for safe infant carrying. Results of hair tensile properties are shown to be species-dependent. Analysis of the mechanics of the mounting position, typical of heavier infant carrying among African apes, shows that both clinging and friction are necessary to carry heavy infants. As a consequence, a required relationship between infant weight, hair–hair friction coefficient, and body angle exists. The hair–hair friction coefficient is measured using natural ape skin samples, and dependence on load and humidity is analyzed. Numerical evaluation of the equilibrium constraint is in agreement with the knuckle-walking quadruped position of African apes. Bipedality is clearly incompatible with the usual clinging and mounting pattern of infant carrying, requiring a revision of models of hominization in relation to the divergence between apes and hominins. These results suggest that safe carrying of heavy infants justify the emergence of biped form of locomotion. Ways to test this possibility are foreseen here. PMID:18030438

Breastfeeding and use of social media among first-time African American mothers.

PubMed

Asiodu, Ifeyinwa V; Waters, Catherine M; Dailey, Dawn E; Lee, Kathryn A; Lyndon, Audrey

2015-01-01

To describe the use of social media during the antepartum and postpartum periods among first-time African American mothers and their support persons. A qualitative critical ethnographic research design within the contexts of family life course development theory and Black feminist theory. Participants were recruited from community-based, public health, and home visiting programs. A purposive sample was recruited, consisting of 14 pregnant African American women and eight support persons. Pregnant and postpartum African American women and their support persons were interviewed separately during the antepartum and postpartum periods. Data were analyzed thematically. Participants frequently used social media for education and social support and searched the Internet for perinatal and parenting information. Most participants reported using at least one mobile application during their pregnancies and after giving birth. Social media were typically accessed through smartphones and/or computers using different websites and applications. Although participants gleaned considerable information about infant development from these applications, they had difficulty finding and recalling information about infant feeding. Social media are an important vehicle to disseminate infant feeding information; however, they are not currently being used to full potential. Our findings suggest that future interventions geared toward African American mothers and their support persons should include social media approaches. The way individuals gather, receive, and interpret information is dynamic. The increasing popularity and use of social media platforms offers the opportunity to create more innovative, targeted mobile health interventions for infant feeding and breastfeeding promotion. © 2015 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

School-age outcomes of infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Miller, Meghan; Iosif, Ana-Maria; Young, Gregory S; Hill, Monique; Phelps Hanzel, Elise; Hutman, Ted; Johnson, Scott; Ozonoff, Sally

2016-06-01

Studies of infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have proliferated, but few of these samples have been followed longer-term. We conducted a follow-up study, at age 5.5-9 years, of younger siblings of children with ASD (high-risk group, n = 79) or typical development (low-risk group, n = 60), originally recruited as infants. Children with ASD were excluded because of the focus on understanding the range of non-ASD outcomes among high-risk siblings. Using examiner ratings, parent ratings, and standardized assessments, we evaluated differences in clinical outcomes, psychopathology symptoms, autism symptoms, language skills, and nonverbal cognitive abilities. After adjusting for covariates, the high-risk group had increased odds of any clinically elevated/impaired score across measures relative to the low-risk group (43% vs. 12%, respectively). The high-risk group also had increased odds of examiner-rated Clinical Concerns (CC) outcomes (e.g., ADHD concerns, broader autism phenotype, speech-language difficulties, anxiety/mood problems, learning problems) relative to the low-risk group (38% vs. 13%, respectively). The high-risk group with CC outcomes had higher parent-reported psychopathology and autism symptoms, and lower directly-assessed language skills, than the Low-Risk Typically Developing (TD) and High-Risk TD groups, which did not differ. There were no differences in nonverbal cognitive skills. For some in the high-risk group, clinical concerns persisted from early childhood, whereas for others clinical concerns were first evident at school-age. Results suggest continued vulnerability in at least a subgroup of school-age children with a family history of ASD and suggest that this population may benefit from continued screening and monitoring into the school-age years. Autism Res 2016, 9: 632-642. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relational information processing of novel unrelated actions by infants.

PubMed

Knopf, Monika; Kraus, Uta; Kressley-Mba, Regina A

2006-01-01

Declarative memory in infants is often assessed via deferred imitation. Not much is known about the information processing basis of the memory effect found in these experiments. While in the typical deferred imitation study the order of actions remains the same during demonstration and retrieval, in two experiments with n=30 respective n=25, 10- and 11-month-old infants, the order of novel unrelated actions in demonstration and retrieval was varied (same, reversed, mixed). This allowed a separation of item-specific from item-relational information processing. In both experiments best memory performance was found when the order of target actions remained the same during encoding and recall, demonstrating that infants seem to rely on item-specific as well as item-relational information which has to be ad hoc constructed while encoding.

Massage for promoting mental and physical health in typically developing infants under the age of six months.

PubMed

Bennett, Cathy; Underdown, Angela; Barlow, Jane

2013-04-30

Infant massage is increasingly being used in the community with babies and their primary caregivers. Anecdotal reports suggest benefits for sleep, respiration and elimination, the reduction of colic and wind, and improved growth. Infant massage is also thought to reduce infant stress and promote positive parent-infant interaction. The aim of this review was to assess whether infant massage is effective in promoting infant physical and mental health in low-risk, population samples. Relevant studies were identified by searching the following electronic databases up to June 2011: CENTRAL; MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; PsycINFO; Maternity and Infant Care; LILACS; WorldCat (dissertations); ClinicalTrials.gov; China Masters' Theses; China Academic Journals; China Doctoral Dissertations; China Proceedings of Conference. We also searched the reference lists of relevant studies and reviews. We included studies that randomised healthy parent-infant dyads (where the infant was under the age of six months) to an infant massage group or a 'no-treatment' control group. Studies had to have used a standardised outcome measure of infant mental or physical development. Mean differences (MD) and standardised mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are presented. Where appropriate, the results have been combined in a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. We included 34 studies, which includes one that was a follow-up study and 20 that were rated as being at high risk of bias.We conducted 14 meta-analyses assessing physical outcomes post-intervention. Nine meta-analyses showed significant findings favouring the intervention group for weight (MD -965.25 g; 95% CI -1360.52 to -569.98), length (MD -1.30 cm; 95% CI -1.60 to -1.00), head circumference (MD -0.81 cm; 95% CI -1.18 to -0.45), arm circumference (MD -0.47 cm; 95% CI -0.80 to -0.13), leg circumference (MD -0.31 cm; 95% CI -0.49 to -0.13), 24-hour sleep duration (MD -0.91 hr; 95% CI -1.51 to -0.30), time spent crying/fussing (MD -0.36; 95% CI -0.52 to -0.19), deceased levels of blood bilirubin (MD -38.11 mmol/L; 95% CI -50.61 to -25.61), and there were fewer cases of diarrhoea, RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.76). Non-significant results were obtained for cortisol levels, mean increase in duration of night sleep, mean increase in 24-hour sleep and for number of cases of upper respiratory tract disease and anaemia.Sensitivity analyses were conducted for weight, length and head circumference, and only the finding for length remained significant following removal of studies judged to be at high risk of bias. These three outcomes were the only ones that could also be meta-analysed at follow-up; although both weight and head circumference continued to be significant at 6-month follow-up, these findings were obtained from studies conducted in Eastern countries only. No sensitivity analyses were possible.We conducted 18 meta-analyses measuring aspects of mental health and development. A significant effect favouring the intervention group was found for gross motor skills (SMD -0.44; 95% CI -0.70 to -0.18), fine motor skills (SMD -0.61; 95% CI -0.87 to -0.35), personal and social behaviour (SMD -0.90; 95% CI -1.61 to -0.18) and psychomotor development (SMD -0.35; 95% CI -0.54 to -0.15); although the first three findings were obtained from only two studies, one of which was rated as being at high risk of bias, and the finding for psychomotor development was not maintained following following removal of studies judged to be at high risk of bias in a sensitivity analysis. No significant differences were found for a range of aspects of infant temperament, parent-infant interaction and mental development. Only parent-infant interaction could be meta-analysed at follow-up, and the result was again not significant. These findings do not currently support the use of infant massage with low-risk groups of parents and infants. Available evidence is of poor quality, and many studies do not address the biological plausibility of the outcomes being measured, or the mechanisms by which change might be achieved. Future research should focus on the impact of infant massage in higher-risk groups (for example, demographically and socially deprived parent-infant dyads), where there may be more potential for change.

Longitudinal prediction of language emergence in infants at high and low risk for autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Edmunds, Sarah R; Ibañez, Lisa V; Warren, Zachary; Messinger, Daniel S; Stone, Wendy L

2017-02-01

This study used a prospective longitudinal design to examine the early developmental pathways that underlie language growth in infants at high risk (n = 50) and low risk (n = 34) for autism spectrum disorder in the first 18 months of life. While motor imitation and responding to joint attention (RJA) have both been found to predict expressive language in children with autism spectrum disorder and those with typical development, the longitudinal relation between these capacities has not yet been identified. As hypothesized, results revealed that 15-month RJA mediated the association between 12-month motor imitation and 18-month expressive vocabulary, even after controlling for earlier levels of RJA and vocabulary. These results provide new information about the developmental sequencing of skills relevant to language growth that may inform future intervention efforts for children at risk for language delay or other developmental challenges.

Infant victimization in a nationally representative sample.

PubMed

Turner, Heather A; Finkelhor, David; Ormrod, Richard; Hamby, Sherry L

2010-07-01

The objectives of this research were to (1) obtain estimates of child maltreatment and other forms of personal, witnessing of, and indirect victimization among children aged 0 to 1 year in the United States and (2) examine associations between infant victimization exposure and the infant's level of emotional and behavioral symptoms. The study is based on a cross-sectional national telephone survey that included caregivers of a sample of 503 children under 2 years of age. Nearly one-third of the sample of infants (31.6%) had experienced some form of personal, witnessing, or indirect form of victimization. The rate of infant maltreatment by caregivers (2.1%) was significantly lower than among older preschool-aged children. However, the rate of infant assault by siblings was considerable at 15.4%. The greatest risk of assault occurred in households with young siblings; nearly 35% of the infants with a sibling aged 2 to 3 years were assaulted in the year before the interview. Witnessing family violence was also relatively common among the infants (9.5%). Victimization was associated with emotional and behavioral problems; sibling assault and witnessing family violence had the highest correlations with infant symptom scores. The results of this study highlight the need for attention to infant victimization that considers a wider array of victimization sources and a broader scope of prevention efforts than has been typical in the child-maltreatment field.

Maternal avoidance, anxiety cognitions and interactive behaviour predicts infant development at 12 months in the context of anxiety disorders in the postpartum period.

PubMed

Reck, C; Van Den Bergh, B; Tietz, A; Müller, M; Ropeter, A; Zipser, B; Pauen, S

2018-02-01

Few studies have examined the relation between anxiety disorders in the postpartum period and cognitive as well as language development in infancy. This longitudinal study investigated whether anxiety disorder in the postpartum period is linked to infant development at twelve months. A closer look was also taken at a possible link between maternal interaction and infant development. Subjects were videotaped during a Face-to-Face-Still-Face interaction with their infant (M = 4.0 months). Specific maternal anxiety symptoms were measured by self-report questionnaires (Anxiety Cognition Questionnaire (ACQ), Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ), Mobility Inventory (MI)) to check for a connection with infant development. The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III (Bayley-III) were used to assess infant language and cognitive development at one year of age. n = 34 mothers with anxiety disorder (SCID-I; DSM-IV) and n = 47 healthy mothers with their infant. Infant performance on Bayley-III language and cognitive scales. Infants of mothers with anxiety disorder yielded significantly lower language scores than infants of controls. No significant group differences were found regarding infant cognitive development. Exploratory analyses revealed the vital role of "maternal avoidance accompanied" in infant language and cognitive development. Maternal neutral engagement, which lacks positive affect and vocalisations, turned out as the strongest negative predictor of cognitive development. Maternal anxiety cognitions and joint activity in mother-infant interaction were the strongest predictors of infant language performance. Results underline the importance to also consider the interaction behaviour of women with anxiety disorders to prevent adverse infant development. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A nipple shield delivery system for oral drug delivery to breastfeeding infants: microbicide delivery to inactivate HIV.

PubMed

Gerrard, Stephen E; Baniecki, Mary Lynn; Sokal, David C; Morris, Mary K; Urdaneta-Hartmann, Sandra; Krebs, Fred C; Wigdahl, Brian; Abrams, Barbara F; Hanson, Carl V; Slater, Nigel K H; Edwards, Alexander D

2012-09-15

A new drug delivery method for infants is presented which incorporates an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)-loaded insert into a nipple shield delivery system (NSDS). The API is released directly into milk during breastfeeding. This study investigates the feasibility of using the NSDS to deliver the microbicide sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), with the goal of preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV during breastfeeding in low-resource settings, when there is no safer alternative for the infant but to breastfeed. SDS has been previously shown to effectively inactivate HIV in human milk. An apparatus was developed to simulate milk flow through and drug release from a NSDS. Using this apparatus milk was pulsed through a prototype device containing a non-woven fiber insert impregnated with SDS and the microbicide was rapidly released. The total SDS release from inserts ranged from 70 to 100% of the average 0.07 g load within 50 ml (the volume of a typical breastfeed). Human milk spiked with H9/HIV(IIIB) cells was also passed through the same set-up. Greater than 99% reduction of cell-associated HIV infectivity was achieved in the first 10 ml of milk. This proof of concept study demonstrates efficient drug delivery to breastfeeding infants is achievable using the NSDS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Associations between metals in residential environmental media and exposure biomarkers over time in infants living near a mining-impacted site

PubMed Central

Zota, Ami R.; Riederer, Anne M.; Ettinger, Adrienne S.; Schaider, Laurel A.; Shine, James P.; Amarasiriwardena, Chitra J.; Wright, Robert O.; Spengler, John D.

2017-01-01

Infant exposures to metals are a concern for mining-impacted communities, although limited information is available to assess residential exposures over the first year of life. We measured lead (Pb), manganese, arsenic, and cadmium in indoor air, house dust, yard soil, and tap water from 53 infants’ homes near the Tar Creek Superfund Site (Oklahoma, USA) at two time points representing developmental stages before and during initial ambulation (age 0–6 and 6–12 months). We measured infant metal biomarkers in: umbilical cord blood (n = 53); 12- (n = 43) and 24- (n = 22) month blood; and hair at age 12 months (n = 39). We evaluated cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between infant residential and biomarker concentrations. A doubling of mean dust Pb concentration was consistently associated with 36–49% higher 12-month blood Pb adjusting for cord blood Pb (P≤ 0.05). Adjusted dust concentration explained 29–35% of blood Pb variance, and consistent associations with other media were not observed. Although concentrations in dust and blood were generally low, strong and consistent associations between dust and body burden suggest that house dust in mining-impacted communities may impact children’s health. These relationships were observed at a young age, typically before blood Pb levels peak and when children’s development may be particularly vulnerable to toxic insult. PMID:26648247

Laryngeal mask airway versus bag-mask ventilation or endotracheal intubation for neonatal resuscitation.

PubMed

Qureshi, Mosarrat J; Kumar, Manoj

2018-03-15

Providing effective positive pressure ventilation is considered to be the single most important component of successful neonatal resuscitation. Ventilation is frequently initiated manually with bag and face mask (BMV) followed by endotracheal intubation if respiratory depression continues. These techniques may be difficult to perform successfully resulting in prolonged resuscitation or neonatal asphyxia. The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) may achieve initial ventilation and successful resuscitation faster than a bag-mask device or endotracheal intubation. Among newborns requiring positive pressure ventilation for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, is LMA more effective than BMV or endotracheal intubation for successful resuscitation? When BMV is either insufficient or ineffective, is effective positive pressure ventilation and successful resuscitation achieved faster with the LMA compared to endotracheal intubation? We used the standard search strategy of Cochrane Neonatal to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2017, Issue 1), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 15 February 2017), Embase (1980 to 15 February 2017), and CINAHL (1982 to 15 February 2017). We also searched clinical trials registers, conference proceedings, and the reference lists of retrieved articles for randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised trials. We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared LMA for neonatal resuscitation with either BMV or endotracheal intubation and reported on any outcomes related to neonatal resuscitation specified in this review. Two review authors independently evaluated studies for risk of bias assessments, and extracted data using Cochrane Neonatal criteria. Categorical treatment effects were described as relative risks and continuous treatment effects were described as the mean difference, with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of estimates. We included seven trials that involved a total of 794 infants. Five studies compared LMA with BMV and three studies compared LMA with endotracheal intubation. We added six new studies for this update (754 infants).LMA was associated with less need for endotracheal intubation than BMV (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.24, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.47 and typical risk difference (RD) -0.14, 95% CI -0.14 to -0.06; 5 studies, 661 infants; moderate-quality evidence) and shorter ventilation time (mean difference (MD) -18.90 seconds, 95% CI -24.35 to -13.44; 4 studies, 610 infants). Babies resuscitated with LMA were less likely to require admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (typical RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.90 and typical RD -0.18, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.04; 2 studies,191 infants; moderate-quality evidence). There was no difference in deaths or hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) events.Compared to endotracheal intubation, there were no clinically significant differences in insertion time or failure to correctly insert the device (typical RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.17 to 5.42; 3 studies, 158 infants; very low-quality evidence). There was no difference in deaths or HIE events. LMA can achieve effective ventilation during neonatal resuscitation in a time frame consistent with current neonatal resuscitation guidelines. Compared to BMV, LMA is more effective in terms of shorter resuscitation and ventilation times, and less need for endotracheal intubation (low- to moderate-quality evidence). However, in trials comparing LMA with BMV, over 80% of infants in both trial arms responded to the allocated intervention. In studies that allowed LMA rescue of infants failing with BMV, it was possible to avoid intubation in the majority. It is important that the clinical community resorts to the use of LMA more proactively to provide effective ventilation when newborn is not responding to BMV before attempting intubation or initiating chest compressions.LMA was found to offer comparable efficacy to endotracheal intubation (very low- to low-quality evidence). It therefore offers an alternate airway device when attempts at inserting endotracheal intubation are unsuccessful during resuscitation.Most studies enrolled infants with birth weight over 1500 g or 34 or more weeks' gestation. As such, there is lack of evidence to support LMA use in more premature infants.

Examination of the safety of pediatric vaccine schedules in a non-human primate model: assessments of neurodevelopment, learning, and social behavior.

PubMed

Curtis, Britni; Liberato, Noelle; Rulien, Megan; Morrisroe, Kelly; Kenney, Caroline; Yutuc, Vernon; Ferrier, Clayton; Marti, C Nathan; Mandell, Dorothy; Burbacher, Thomas M; Sackett, Gene P; Hewitson, Laura

2015-06-01

In the 1990s, the mercury-based preservative thimerosal was used in most pediatric vaccines. Although there are currently only two thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) recommended for pediatric use, parental perceptions that vaccines pose safety concerns are affecting vaccination rates, particularly in light of the much expanded and more complex schedule in place today. The objective of this study was to examine the safety of pediatric vaccine schedules in a non-human primate model. We administered vaccines to six groups of infant male rhesus macaques (n = 12-16/group) using a standardized thimerosal dose where appropriate. Study groups included the recommended 1990s Pediatric vaccine schedule, an accelerated 1990s Primate schedule with or without the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, the MMR vaccine only, and the expanded 2008 schedule. We administered saline injections to age-matched control animals (n = 16). Infant development was assessed from birth to 12 months of age by examining the acquisition of neonatal reflexes, the development of object concept permanence (OCP), computerized tests of discrimination learning, and infant social behavior. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, multilevel modeling, and survival analyses, where appropriate. We observed no group differences in the acquisition of OCP. During discrimination learning, animals receiving TCVs had improved performance on reversal testing, although some of these same animals showed poorer performance in subsequent learning-set testing. Analysis of social and nonsocial behaviors identified few instances of negative behaviors across the entire infancy period. Although some group differences in specific behaviors were reported at 2 months of age, by 12 months all infants, irrespective of vaccination status, had developed the typical repertoire of macaque behaviors. This comprehensive 5-year case-control study, which closely examined the effects of pediatric vaccines on early primate development, provided no consistent evidence of neurodevelopmental deficits or aberrant behavior in vaccinated animals.

Infant social attention: an endophenotype of ASD-related traits?

PubMed

Jones, Emily J H; Venema, Kaitlin; Earl, Rachel K; Lowy, Rachel; Webb, Sara J

2017-03-01

As a neurodevelopmental disorder, symptoms of ASD likely emerge from a complex interaction between preexisting genetic vulnerabilities and the child's environment. One way to understand causal paths to ASD is to identify dimensional ASD-related traits that vary in the general population and that predispose individuals with other risk factors toward ASD. Moving beyond behavioral traits to explore underlying neurocognitive processes may further constrain the underlying genetics. Endophenotypes are quantitative, heritable, trait-related differences that are generally assessed with laboratory-based methods, can be identified in the general population, and may be more closely tied to particular causal chains that have a more restricted set of genetic roots. The most fruitful endophenotypes may be those observed in infancy, prior to the emergence of behavioral symptoms that they are hypothesized to cause. Social motivation is an ASD-related trait that is highly heritable. In this study, we investigate whether infant endophenotypes of social attention relate to familial risk for lower social motivation in the general population. We examined whether infant social attention (measured using habituation, EEG power, and event-related potential tasks previously used in infants/toddlers with ASD) varies quantitatively with parental social motivation in 117 six-month-old and 106 twelve-month-old typically developing infants assessed cross-sectionally. To assess heritable aspects of social motivation, primary caregiver biological parents completed two self-report measures of social avoidance and discomfort that have shown high heritability in previous work. Parents with higher social discomfort and avoidance had infants who showed shorter looks to faces but not objects; reduced theta power during naturalistic social attention; and smaller P400 responses to faces versus objects. Early reductions in social attention are continuously related to lower parental social motivation. Alterations in social attention may be infant endophenotypes of social motivation traits related to ASD. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Infant social attention: an endophenotype of ASD-related traits?

PubMed Central

Jones, Emily J.H.; Venema, Kaitlin; Earl, Rachel K.; Lowy, Rachel; Webb, Sara J.

2018-01-01

Background As a neurodevelopmental disorder, symptoms of ASD likely emerge from a complex interaction between preexisting genetic vulnerabilities and the child’s environment. One way to understand causal paths to ASD is to identify dimensional ASD-related traits that vary in the general population and that predispose individuals with other risk factors toward ASD. Moving beyond behavioral traits to explore underlying neurocognitive processes may further constrain the underlying genetics. Endophenotypes are quantitative, heritable, trait-related differences that are generally assessed with laboratory-based methods, can be identified in the general population, and may be more closely tied to particular causal chains that have a more restricted set of genetic roots. The most fruitful endophenotypes may be those observed in infancy, prior to the emergence of behavioral symptoms that they are hypothesized to cause. Social motivation is an ASD-related trait that is highly heritable. In this study, we investigate whether infant endophenotypes of social attention relate to familial risk for lower social motivation in the general population. Methods We examined whether infant social attention (measured using habituation, EEG power, and event-related potential tasks previously used in infants/toddlers with ASD) varies quantitatively with parental social motivation in 117 six-month-old and 106 twelve-month-old typically developing infants assessed cross-sectionally. To assess heritable aspects of social motivation, primary caregiver biological parents completed two self-report measures of social avoidance and discomfort that have shown high heritability in previous work. Results Parents with higher social discomfort and avoidance had infants who showed shorter looks to faces but not objects; reduced theta power during naturalistic social attention; and smaller P400 responses to faces versus objects. Conclusions Early reductions in social attention are continuously related to lower parental social motivation. Alterations in social attention may be infant endophenotypes of social motivation traits related to ASD. PMID:27861851

Autism in Early Childhood: An Unusual Developmental Course—Three Case Reports

PubMed Central

Cohen-Ophir, Michal; Castel-Deutsh, Tsophia; Tirosh, Emanuel

2012-01-01

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is typically characterized by either an emerging and gradual course or developmental regression in early childhood. The versatile clinical course is progressively acknowledged in recent years. Children with developmental disorders in general are referred to the Child Development Center for a multidisciplinary assessment, investigation, treatment and followup. We report three infants with an initial diagnosis of developmental delays, recovery of normal development following intervention in a multidisciplinary center, and subsequent regression into classic autism following their discharge from the program. An extensive medical workup was noncontributory. This unusual presentation, to our knowledge not reported previously, should be recognized by professionals involved in child development and psychiatry. PMID:22937419

Specialization and integration of functional thalamocortical connectivity in the human infant.

PubMed

Toulmin, Hilary; Beckmann, Christian F; O'Muircheartaigh, Jonathan; Ball, Gareth; Nongena, Pumza; Makropoulos, Antonios; Ederies, Ashraf; Counsell, Serena J; Kennea, Nigel; Arichi, Tomoki; Tusor, Nora; Rutherford, Mary A; Azzopardi, Denis; Gonzalez-Cinca, Nuria; Hajnal, Joseph V; Edwards, A David

2015-05-19

Connections between the thalamus and cortex develop rapidly before birth, and aberrant cerebral maturation during this period may underlie a number of neurodevelopmental disorders. To define functional thalamocortical connectivity at the normal time of birth, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to measure blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals in 66 infants, 47 of whom were at high risk of neurocognitive impairment because of birth before 33 wk of gestation and 19 of whom were term infants. We segmented the thalamus based on correlation with functionally defined cortical components using independent component analysis (ICA) and seed-based correlations. After parcellating the cortex using ICA and segmenting the thalamus based on dominant connections with cortical parcellations, we observed a near-facsimile of the adult functional parcellation. Additional analysis revealed that BOLD signal in heteromodal association cortex typically had more widespread and overlapping thalamic representations than primary sensory cortex. Notably, more extreme prematurity was associated with increased functional connectivity between thalamus and lateral primary sensory cortex but reduced connectivity between thalamus and cortex in the prefrontal, insular and anterior cingulate regions. This work suggests that, in early infancy, functional integration through thalamocortical connections depends on significant functional overlap in the topographic organization of the thalamus and that the experience of premature extrauterine life modulates network development, altering the maturation of networks thought to support salience, executive, integrative, and cognitive functions.

Specialization and integration of functional thalamocortical connectivity in the human infant

PubMed Central

Toulmin, Hilary; Beckmann, Christian F.; O'Muircheartaigh, Jonathan; Ball, Gareth; Nongena, Pumza; Makropoulos, Antonios; Ederies, Ashraf; Counsell, Serena J.; Kennea, Nigel; Arichi, Tomoki; Tusor, Nora; Rutherford, Mary A.; Azzopardi, Denis; Gonzalez-Cinca, Nuria; Hajnal, Joseph V.; Edwards, A. David

2015-01-01

Connections between the thalamus and cortex develop rapidly before birth, and aberrant cerebral maturation during this period may underlie a number of neurodevelopmental disorders. To define functional thalamocortical connectivity at the normal time of birth, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to measure blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals in 66 infants, 47 of whom were at high risk of neurocognitive impairment because of birth before 33 wk of gestation and 19 of whom were term infants. We segmented the thalamus based on correlation with functionally defined cortical components using independent component analysis (ICA) and seed-based correlations. After parcellating the cortex using ICA and segmenting the thalamus based on dominant connections with cortical parcellations, we observed a near-facsimile of the adult functional parcellation. Additional analysis revealed that BOLD signal in heteromodal association cortex typically had more widespread and overlapping thalamic representations than primary sensory cortex. Notably, more extreme prematurity was associated with increased functional connectivity between thalamus and lateral primary sensory cortex but reduced connectivity between thalamus and cortex in the prefrontal, insular and anterior cingulate regions. This work suggests that, in early infancy, functional integration through thalamocortical connections depends on significant functional overlap in the topographic organization of the thalamus and that the experience of premature extrauterine life modulates network development, altering the maturation of networks thought to support salience, executive, integrative, and cognitive functions. PMID:25941391

Sleep versus wake classification from heart rate variability using computational intelligence: consideration of rejection in classification models.

PubMed

Lewicke, Aaron; Sazonov, Edward; Corwin, Michael J; Neuman, Michael; Schuckers, Stephanie

2008-01-01

Reliability of classification performance is important for many biomedical applications. A classification model which considers reliability in the development of the model such that unreliable segments are rejected would be useful, particularly, in large biomedical data sets. This approach is demonstrated in the development of a technique to reliably determine sleep and wake using only the electrocardiogram (ECG) of infants. Typically, sleep state scoring is a time consuming task in which sleep states are manually derived from many physiological signals. The method was tested with simultaneous 8-h ECG and polysomnogram (PSG) determined sleep scores from 190 infants enrolled in the collaborative home infant monitoring evaluation (CHIME) study. Learning vector quantization (LVQ) neural network, multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network, and support vector machines (SVMs) are tested as the classifiers. After systematic rejection of difficult to classify segments, the models can achieve 85%-87% correct classification while rejecting only 30% of the data. This corresponds to a Kappa statistic of 0.65-0.68. With rejection, accuracy improves by about 8% over a model without rejection. Additionally, the impact of the PSG scored indeterminate state epochs is analyzed. The advantages of a reliable sleep/wake classifier based only on ECG include high accuracy, simplicity of use, and low intrusiveness. Reliability of the classification can be built directly in the model, such that unreliable segments are rejected.

Language and motor skills in siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analytic review.

PubMed

Garrido, Dunia; Petrova, Dafina; Watson, Linda R; Garcia-Retamero, Rocio; Carballo, Gloria

2017-11-01

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show significant linguistic and motor impairments compared to children with typical development (TD). Findings from studies of siblings of children with ASD show similarities to conclusions from studies of children with ASD. The current meta-analysis reviewed studies reporting linguistic and/or motor skills in siblings of children with ASD compared to siblings of children with TD. Thirty-four studies published between 1994 and 2016 met all inclusion criteria. We compared three different age groups (12 months or younger, 13 to 24 months, and 25 to 36 months). At 12 months, compared to siblings of children with TD, siblings of children with ASD had worse receptive language (d = -.43, 95% CI [-.53, -.33]) and expressive language skills (d = -.40, 95% CI [-.57, -.23]), and these effects were sustained at 24 and 36 months. Similar, albeit smaller differences in fine motor skills were detected at 12 months (d = -.22, 95% CI [-.39, -.04]), and these differences were larger at 36 months (d = -.36, 95% CI [-.54, -.17]). There were differences in gross motor skills at 12 months (d = -.22, 95% CI [-.40, -.04]), but only a few studies were available at later ages. Compared to siblings of children with TD, infants who have siblings with ASD have worse linguistic and motor skills. These differences are detectable as early as when infants are 12 months old and seem to be sustained until they are 3 years old. Differences in language skills are larger than those in motor skills, especially during the first year. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1737-1750. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. We reviewed studies reporting linguistic and/or motor skills in siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to those in siblings of children with typical development. The results showed that as a group, those infants who have siblings with ASD have less advanced linguistic and motor skills. These differences are detectable when infants are 12 months old and seem to be sustained until they are 3 years old. Differences in language skills are larger than those in motor skills. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Infant discrimination of faces in naturalistic events: actions are more salient than faces.

PubMed

Bahrick, Lorraine E; Newell, Lisa C

2008-07-01

Despite the fact that faces are typically seen in the context of dynamic events, there is little research on infants' perception of moving faces. L. E. Bahrick, L. J. Gogate, and I. Ruiz (2002) demonstrated that 5-month-old infants discriminate and remember repetitive actions but not the faces of the women performing the actions. The present research tested an attentional salience explanation for these findings: that dynamic faces are discriminable to infants, but more salient actions compete for attention. Results demonstrated that 5-month-old infants discriminated faces in the context of actions when they had longer familiarization time (Experiment 1) and following habituation to a single person performing 3 different activities (Experiment 2). Further, 7-month-old infants who have had more experience with social events also discriminated faces in the context of actions. Overall, however, discrimination of actions was more robust and occurred earlier in processing time than discrimination of dynamic faces. These findings support an attentional salience hypothesis and indicate that faces are not special in the context of actions in early infancy.

The protective effects of father involvement for infants of teen mothers with depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Lewin, Amy; Mitchell, Stephanie J; Waters, Damian; Hodgkinson, Stacy; Southammakosane, Cathy; Gilmore, Jasmine

2015-05-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of father involvement on infant distress among children born to teen mothers, particularly those who are depressed. 119 teen mothers (<20 years) and their infants (<6 months) enrolled in a quasi-experimental trial of a comprehensive pediatric primary care program. Data were drawn from mother-reported questionnaires administered at baseline, before participation in the intervention or comparison conditions. 29 % of teen mothers screened positive for depression. Mothers reported that 78 % of fathers were engaged with their children, typically seeing them a few times per month, and 71 % took financial responsibility for their children. In a multiple linear regression, father responsibility predicted lower infant distress, maternal depression predicted higher infant distress, and there was a significant interaction in which father engagement buffered the effect of maternal depression on infant distress. Fathers may be a protective resource for children born to teen mothers, even as early as the first 6 months of life, potentially mitigating the heightened risk associated with maternal depression in the postpartum period.

Sensitivity of vergence responses of 5- to 10-week-old human infants

PubMed Central

Seemiller, Eric S.; Wang, Jingyun; Candy, T. Rowan

2016-01-01

Infants have been shown to make vergence eye movements by 1 month of age to stimulation with prisms or targets moving in depth. However, little is currently understood about the threshold sensitivity of the maturing visual system to such stimulation. In this study, 5- to 10-week-old human infants and adults viewed a target moving in depth as a triangle wave of three amplitudes (1.0, 0.5, and 0.25 meter angles). Their horizontal eye position and the refractive state of both eyes were measured simultaneously. The vergence responses of the infants and adults varied at the same frequency as the stimulus at the three tested modulation amplitudes. For a typical infant of this age, the smallest amplitude is equivalent to an interocular change of approximately 2° of retinal disparity, from nearest to farthest points. The infants' accommodation responses only modulated reliably to the largest stimulus, while adults responded to all three amplitudes. Although the accommodative system appears relatively insensitive, the sensitivity of the vergence responses suggests that subtle cues are available to drive vergence in the second month after birth. PMID:26891827

Growth of Korean preterm infants in a family-centered tradition during early infancy: the influence of health risks, maternal employment, and the sex of infants.

PubMed

Ahn, Youngmee; Sohn, Min; Lee, Sangmi

2014-10-01

The physical growth of mild preterm infants (<32 weeks of gestation at birth) needs to be explored in terms of bio-sociocultural factors considering the sociocultural aspects of child-care practice. A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 238 Korean mild preterm infants from birth up to 6 months of corrected age regarding four of the biological and sociocultural factors such as health risks (at birth and discharge), maternal employment status, and the infant sex. There were four noteworthy findings on growth variation in Korean mild preterm infants during early infancy: (i) the secular trend of intrauterine growth; (ii) the cumulative adverse effects of four risk factors; (iii) the possible burden of maternal employment if insufficient support; and (iv) the possibility of the cultural favoritism to male infants regardless of the modern industrialized society. The study suggests that, in a modern society, while mild preterm infants could sustain typical fetal growth, the early postnatal growth may vary based on health risks and sociocultural circumstances related to child-bearing and -rearing practices surrounding them. © 2013 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2013 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Molecular and Epidemiological Characterization of Infant Botulism in Beijing, China.

PubMed

Dong, Yin Ping; Wang, Wei; Jiang, Tao; Xu, Jin; Han, Chun Hui; Yan, Shao Fei; Fanning, Séamus; Li, Ying; Ma, Xiao Chen; Zhang, Di; Zhao, Yao; Zeng, Biao; Li, Feng Qin

2017-06-01

Laboratory-based pathogen isolation, identification, and toxicity determination were performed on samples from a suspected case of infant botulism. Mice injected with cultures generated from the enema sample and ingested Powered infant formula (PIF) presented typical signs of botulism. Antitoxins to polyvalent botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) and monovalent BoNT type B antitoxin had protective effects. Clostridium botulinum isolated from the enema and residual PIF samples were positive for type B toxin. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed that the two strains of C. botulinum isolated from the two samples produced indistinguishable pulsotypes. These findings confirmed this case of type B infant botulism associated with the ingestion of PIF contaminated by type B C. botulinum spores. Copyright © 2017 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

Mother Recognition and Preference After Neonatal Amygdala Lesions in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Raised in a Semi-Naturalistic Environment

PubMed Central

Goursaud, Anne-Pierre S.; Wallen, Kim; Bachevalier, Jocelyne

2015-01-01

Attachment to the caregiver, typically the biological mother, is crucial to young mammals' socio-emotional development. Although studies in nonprimate species suggest that the amygdala regulates social preference and attachment development, its role in primate filial attachment development has been little investigated and has produced mixed results. This study assessed the effects of neonatal amygdala- (Neo-A, N = 16) and sham- (Neo-C, N = 12) lesions on mother recognition and discrimination in macaques raised in species-typical social groups. Neonatal amygdalectomy did not affect social discriminative abilities and mother preference at 3 and 6 months of age, strongly suggesting that the amygdala is not involved in the cognitive processes underlying the development of filial attachment at least when the amygdala damage occurred after the third to fourth weeks of age. Nevertheless, as compared to shamoperated controls, amygdalectomized infants initiated physical contact with their mothers less frequently. The findings are discussed in relation to the known contribution of the amygdala to filial attachment in both rodents and humans. PMID:25042548

Infant color preference for red is not selectively context specific.

PubMed

Franklin, Anna; Gibbons, Emily; Chittenden, Katie; Alvarez, James; Taylor, Chloe

2012-10-01

It has been proposed that human infants, like nonhuman primates, respond favorably to red in hospitable contexts, yet unfavorably in hostile contexts (Maier, Barchfeld, Elliot, & Pekrun, 2009). Here, we replicate and extend the study (Maier et al., 2009) whose findings have been used to support this hypothesis. As in Maier et al., 1-year-old infants were shown a photograph of a happy or angry face before pairs of colors were presented, yet in the current study, the set of stimuli crucially included two colors that are typically preferred by infants (red and blue). The percentage of times that infants looked first at the colors was analyzed for the two emotional "contexts." Following the happy face, infants looked first at red and blue equally, but significantly more than green. Following the angry face, the pattern of looking preference was the same as following the happy face, but the variation across the three colors was reduced. Contrary to Maier et al.'s hypothesis, there was no evidence that infants are selectively averse to red in angry contexts: following the angry face, "preference" for both red and blue was reduced, but was not significantly below chance. We therefore suggest an alternative account to Maier et al.'s evolutionary hypothesis, which argues that an angry face merely removes infant color preference, potentially due to the perceptual characteristics of the angry face disrupting infants' encoding of color.

Effects of perinatal testosterone on infant health, mother-infant interactions, and infant development.

PubMed

Cho, June; Holditch-Davis, Diane

2014-04-01

Many researchers and health care providers have noticed male vulnerability in infant health, mother-infant interactions, and some infant cognitive development, especially among very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants. However, factors beyond gender that could explain these observed differences have not been clear. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on the subject and to introduce a conceptual framework relating these factors. According to gender-difference theories, prenatal exposure to high levels of testosterone may influence infant health and mother-infant interactions by negatively affecting infant cognitive/motor/language development. We constructed a conceptual framework based on the associations among biological (perinatal testosterone), stress-related (perinatal and maternal cortisol), and developmental (infant cognitive/motor/language skills) factors. If research establishes these biological, environmental, and developmental associations in mother-VLBW preterm pairs, the results will highlight the importance of addressing gender differences in nursing research and encourage the development of nursing interventions designed to reduce stress among mothers of VLBW preterm infants, particularly male infants. From a psychobiosocial perspective, combining biophysiological factors such as perinatal testosterone and cortisol with socioenvironmental factors such as the quality of mother-infant interactions and infant temperament may provide a broader view of gender differences in infant health and development.

Changes in infants' affect related to the onset of independent locomotion.

PubMed

Whitney, Pamela G; Green, James A

2011-06-01

Previous research suggests that after gaining several weeks of independent locomotor experience, infants may show both more negative and more positive affect toward parents. However, this prior work has been based largely on parent report, and no studies have used longitudinal or naturalistic methods to chart changes in infants' affective expressions as they gain locomotor ability. Fifteen infants were observed at home before, during, and after learning to crawl in two naturalistic contexts, free play and dyadic play. Expressions of negative affect during free play decreased after the onset of crawling, but there was no change in expressions of positive affect. At the same time, however, mothers reported an increase in both negative and positive reactivity. These results are discussed in terms of the contexts typically assessed during observations and the different sensitivities of mothers to infants' expressions of affect. Several lines of evidence point to a potential role for independent locomotion in the reorganization of affective expressions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The challenge of meeting nutrient needs of infants and young children during the period of complementary feeding: an evolutionary perspective.

PubMed

Dewey, Kathryn G

2013-12-01

Breast-fed infants and young children need complementary foods with a very high nutrient density (particularly for iron and zinc), especially at ages 6-12 mo. However, in low-income countries, their diet is usually dominated by cereal-based porridges with low nutrient density and poor mineral bioavailability. Complementary feeding diets typically fall short in iron and zinc and sometimes in other nutrients. These gaps in nutritional adequacy of infant diets have likely been a characteristic of human diets since the agricultural revolution ~10,000 y ago. Estimates of nutrient intakes before then, based on hypothetical diets of preagricultural humans, suggest that infants had much higher intakes of key nutrients than is true today and would have been able to meet their nutrient needs from the combination of breast milk and premasticated foods provided by their mothers. Strategies for achieving adequate nutrition for infants and young children in modern times must address the challenge of meeting nutrient needs from largely cereal-based diets.

Early-life exposure to combustion-derived particulate matter causes pulmonary immunosuppression

PubMed Central

Saravia, Jordy; You, Dahui; Thevenot, Paul; Lee, Greg I.; Shrestha, Bishwas; Lomnicki, Slawo; Cormier, Stephania A.

2013-01-01

Elevated levels of combustion-derived particulate matter (CDPM) are a risk factor for the development of lung diseases such as asthma. Studies have shown that CDPM exacerbates asthma, inducing acute lung dysfunction and inflammation; however, the impact of CDPM exposure on early immunological responses to allergens remains unclear. To determine the effects of early-life CDPM exposure on allergic asthma development in infants, we exposed infant mice to CDPM and then induced a mouse model of asthma using house dust mite (HDM) allergen. Mice exposed to CDPM+HDM failed to develop a typical asthma phenotype including airway hyperresponsiveness, Th2-inflammation, Muc5ac expression, eosinophilia, and HDM-specific Ig compared to HDM-exposed mice. Although HDM-specific IgE was attenuated, total IgE was two-fold higher in CDPM+HDM mice compared to HDM-mice. We further demonstrate that CDPM exposure during early life induced an immunosuppressive environment in the lung, concurrent with increases in tolerogenic dendritic cells and Tregs, resulting in suppression of Th2 responses. Despite having early immunosuppression, these mice develop severe allergic inflammation when challenged with allergen as adults. These findings demonstrate a mechanism whereby CDPM exposure modulates adaptive immunity, inducing specific-antigen tolerance while amplifying total IgE, and leading to a predisposition to develop asthma upon rechallenge later in life. PMID:24172848

Spatial working memory deficits in children at ages 3-4 who were low birth weight, preterm infants.

PubMed

Vicari, Stefano; Caravale, Barbara; Carlesimo, Giovanni Augusto; Casadei, Anna Maria; Allemand, Federico

2004-10-01

The aim of this study was to investigate attention and perceptual and spatial working memory abilities in preterm, low birth weight preschool children without evident brain disorders as determined by normal cerebral ultrasound findings and normal motor development. The authors evaluated 19 preterm and 19 typically developing children who were matched for IQ and chronological age. Results indicated that children born prematurely without major neurological deficits and with a normal cognitive level may have specific difficulty in sustained attention, visuospatial processing, and spatial working memory when evaluated at ages 3-4. This finding is relevant for understanding the qualitative aspects of cognitive development in preterm children and the neurobiological substrate underlying this development.

Emotional availability at bedtime, infant temperament, and infant sleep development from 1 to 6 months

PubMed Central

Jian, Ni; Teti, Douglas M.

2016-01-01

Infant sleep consolidates rapidly during the first half year of life in the context of a dynamic, bidirectional exchange between infant characteristics and the caregiving environment. The current study examined relations among mothers’ emotional availability (EA) at bedtime, infant temperament, and objectively assessed infant sleep development from 1 to 6 months, and in particular focused on whether infant temperament moderated linkages between EA at bedtime and infant sleep development. The sample consisted of seventy-two mother-infant dyads, and measures included actigraphy-assessed infant sleep at 1 and 6 months, observed maternal EA coded from bedtime videos at 3 and 6 months, and maternal reports of infant temperament at 3 and 6 months. Analysis showed significant positive effects of maternal EA at bedtime on developmental changes in infant sleep minutes. Additionally, infant temperamental surgency moderated the influence of EA at bedtime on the increase in infant sleep minutes. In other words, highly surgent infants increased their sleep time more than other infants if their mothers were emotionally available at bedtime. Results were discussed in terms of the transactional model of infant sleep development. PMID:27692276

Treatable newborn and infant seizures due to inborn errors of metabolism.

PubMed

Campistol, Jaume; Plecko, Barbara

2015-09-01

About 25% of seizures in the neonatal period have causes other than asphyxia, ischaemia or intracranial bleeding. Among these are primary genetic epileptic encephalopathies with sometimes poor prognosis and high mortality. In addition, some forms of neonatal infant seizures are due to inborn errors of metabolism that do not respond to common AEDs, but are amenable to specific treatment. In this situation, early recognition can allow seizure control and will prevent neurological deterioration and long-term sequelae. We review the group of inborn errors of metabolism that lead to newborn/infant seizures and epilepsy, of which the treatment with cofactors is very different to that used in typical epilepsy management.

Extrinsic Factors Influencing Fetal Deformations and Intrauterine Growth Restriction

PubMed Central

Moh, Wendy; Graham, John M.; Wadhawan, Isha; Sanchez-Lara, Pedro A.

2012-01-01

The causes of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are multifactorial with both intrinsic and extrinsic influences. While many studies focus on the intrinsic pathological causes, the possible long-term consequences resulting from extrinsic intrauterine physiological constraints merit additional consideration and further investigation. Infants with IUGR can exhibit early symmetric or late asymmetric growth abnormality patterns depending on the fetal stage of development, of which the latter is most common occurring in 70–80% of growth-restricted infants. Deformation is the consequence of extrinsic biomechanical factors interfering with normal growth, functioning, or positioning of the fetus in utero, typically arising during late gestation. Biomechanical forces play a critical role in the normal morphogenesis of most tissues. The magnitude and direction of force impact the form of the developing fetus, with a specific tissue response depending on its pliability and stage of development. Major uterine constraining factors include primigravida, small maternal size, uterine malformation, uterine fibromata, early pelvic engagement of the fetal head, aberrant fetal position, oligohydramnios, and multifetal gestation. Corrective mechanical forces similar to those that gave rise to the deformation to reshape the deformed structures are often used and should take advantage of the rapid postnatal growth to correct form. PMID:22888434

Infants' use of category knowledge and object attributes when segregating objects at 8.5 months of age.

PubMed

Needham, Amy; Cantlon, Jessica F; Ormsbee Holley, Susan M

2006-12-01

The current research investigates infants' perception of a novel object from a category that is familiar to young infants: key rings. We ask whether experiences obtained outside the lab would allow young infants to parse the visible portions of a partly occluded key ring display into one single unit, presumably as a result of having categorized it as a key ring. This categorization was marked by infants' perception of the keys and ring as a single unit that should move together, despite their attribute differences. We showed infants a novel key ring display in which the keys and ring moved together as one rigid unit (Move-together event) or the ring moved but the keys remained stationary throughout the event (Move-apart event). Our results showed that 8.5-month-old infants perceived the keys and ring as connected despite their attribute differences, and that their perception of object unity was eliminated as the distinctive attributes of the key ring were removed. When all of the distinctive attributes of the key ring were removed, the 8.5-month-old infants perceived the display as two separate units, which is how younger infants (7-month-old) perceived the key ring display with all its distinctive attributes unaltered. These results suggest that on the basis of extensive experience with an object category, infants come to identify novel members of that category and expect them to possess the attributes typical of that category.

An Experimental Approach to Study Individual Differences in Infants' Intake and Satiation Behaviors during Bottle-Feeding.

PubMed

Ventura, Alison K; Mennella, Julie A

2017-02-01

As a group, bottle-fed infants are at higher risk for rapid weight gain compared with breast-fed infants. However, little is known about individual differences in feeding behaviors of bottle-feeding infants, as well as maternal and infant characteristics associated with bottle-feeding outcomes. We conducted a 2-day, within-subject study of 21 formula-feeding dyads; the within-subject factor was feeding condition: mother-led (ML; mothers were given the instruction to feed their infants as they typically would) vs. infant-led (IL; the experimenter ensured feeding began when infants signaled hunger and ended when they rejected the bottle on three consecutive occasions). Intake was determined by bottle weight; feedings were video-recorded and later analyzed to determine feeding duration and types of satiation behaviors displayed. Percent difference scores were calculated for each outcome as [((ML - IL)/IL) × 100] to standardize differences among dyads. Mothers completed questionnaires of feeding styles and infant temperament. On average, infants consumed ∼42% more formula during the ML- than IL-condition (p = 0.03). However, notable variation existed in difference scores for intake (range = -52.8% to 268.9%; higher scores reflect greater intake during ML than IL). Stepwise regression illustrated that greater intakes during the ML-condition were predicted by the combination of: (1) higher infant age; (2) lower levels of infant rhythmicity and adaptability; (3) higher levels of infant positive mood; and (4) lower levels of maternal restrictive and responsive feeding styles. This objective, experimental approach illustrated that variation in bottle-feeding outcomes is associated with characteristics of both members of the dyad.

An Experimental Approach to Study Individual Differences in Infants' Intake and Satiation Behaviors during Bottle-Feeding

PubMed Central

Mennella, Julie A.

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: As a group, bottle-fed infants are at higher risk for rapid weight gain compared with breast-fed infants. However, little is known about individual differences in feeding behaviors of bottle-feeding infants, as well as maternal and infant characteristics associated with bottle-feeding outcomes. Methods: We conducted a 2-day, within-subject study of 21 formula-feeding dyads; the within-subject factor was feeding condition: mother-led (ML; mothers were given the instruction to feed their infants as they typically would) vs. infant-led (IL; the experimenter ensured feeding began when infants signaled hunger and ended when they rejected the bottle on three consecutive occasions). Intake was determined by bottle weight; feedings were video-recorded and later analyzed to determine feeding duration and types of satiation behaviors displayed. Percent difference scores were calculated for each outcome as [((ML – IL)/IL) × 100] to standardize differences among dyads. Mothers completed questionnaires of feeding styles and infant temperament. Results: On average, infants consumed ∼42% more formula during the ML- than IL-condition (p = 0.03). However, notable variation existed in difference scores for intake (range = −52.8% to 268.9%; higher scores reflect greater intake during ML than IL). Stepwise regression illustrated that greater intakes during the ML-condition were predicted by the combination of: (1) higher infant age; (2) lower levels of infant rhythmicity and adaptability; (3) higher levels of infant positive mood; and (4) lower levels of maternal restrictive and responsive feeding styles. Conclusions: This objective, experimental approach illustrated that variation in bottle-feeding outcomes is associated with characteristics of both members of the dyad. PMID:27788024

Implications of kangaroo care for growth and development in preterm infants.

PubMed

Dodd, Virginia L

2005-01-01

To review research on kangaroo care with implications for growth and development in preterm infants. Nursing, medical, and child development research literature was searched through PubMed through 2003 using the search terms kangaroo Care, skin-to-skin, growth/development, and premature infants. Randomized controlled trials, pretest-posttest designs, and other comparative studies of kangaroo care were reviewed. Reports exploring parent perspectives were examined for attachment and parent-infant interaction findings. Theory and research regarding growth in preterm infants were explored. Research on topics of kangaroo care, skin-to-skin contact, preterm infant growth, preterm infant weight gain, and failure to thrive was evaluated. Research on kangaroo care reports physiologic safety for preterm infants and increased attachment for parents. Attachment promotes nurturing behaviors that support growth and development. Weight gain as a benefit of kangaroo care remains in question. Kangaroo care is safe for preterm infants and may have important benefits for growth and development. Suggestions are made for future research on effects of KC on preterm infants.

Feeding Management in Infants with Craniofacial Anomalies.

PubMed

Merrow, Jill M

2016-11-01

The instinctual drive to gain nourishment can become complicated by structural differences, physiologic instability and environmental influences. Infants with craniofacial anomalies may experience significant feeding and swallowing difficulties related to the type and severity of the anomalies present as well as social-emotional interactions with caregivers. Typical outcome measures and feeding goals are discussed. Details regarding clinical and instrumental evaluation, including fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and modified barium swallow study, as well as management techniques are reported. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Postnatal phenobarbital for the prevention of intraventricular haemorrhage in preterm infants.

PubMed

Smit, Elisa; Odd, David; Whitelaw, Andrew

2013-08-13

Intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) is a major complication of preterm birth. Large haemorrhages are associated with a high risk of disability and hydrocephalus. Instability of blood pressure and cerebral blood flow are postulated as causative factors. Another mechanism may involve reperfusion damage from oxygen free radicals. Phenobarbital has been suggested as a safe treatment that stabilises blood pressure and may protect against free radicals. To determine the effect of postnatal administration of phenobarbital on the risk of IVH, neurodevelopmental impairment or death in preterm infants. We used the search strategy of the Neonatal Collaborative Review Group. The original review author (A Whitelaw) was an active trialist in this area and had personal contact with many groups in this field. He handsearched journals from 1976 (when cranial computed tomography (CT) scanning started) to October 2000; these included: Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatrics, Archives of Disease in Childhood, Pediatric Research, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, Acta Paediatrica, European Journal of Pediatrics, Neuropediatrics, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet and British Medical Journal. We searched the National Library of Medicine (USA) database (via PubMed) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2012, Issue 10) through to 31 October 2012. We did not limit the searches to the English language, as long as the article included an English abstract. We read identified articles in the original language or translated. We included randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials in which phenobarbital was given to preterm infants identified as being at risk of IVH because of gestational age below 34 weeks, birthweight below 1500 g or respiratory failure. Adequate determination of IVH by ultrasound or CT was also required. In addition to details of patient selection and control of bias, we extracted the details of the administration of phenobarbital. We searched for the following endpoints: IVH (with grading), posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilation or hydrocephalus, neurodevelopmental impairment and death. In addition, we searched for possible adverse effects of phenobarbitone, for example hypotension, mechanical ventilation, pneumothorax, hypercapnia and acidosis. We included 12 controlled trials that recruited 982 infants. There was heterogeneity between trials for the outcome IVH, with three trials finding a significant decrease in IVH and one trial finding an increase in IVH in the group receiving phenobarbital. Meta-analysis showed no difference between the phenobarbital-treated group and the control group in either all IVH (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.91; 95% CI 0.77 to 1.08), severe IVH (typical RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.58 to 1.04), posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilation (typical RR 0.89; 95% CI 0.38 to 2.08), severe neurodevelopmental impairment (typical RR 1.44; 95% CI 0.41 to 5.04) or death before hospital discharge (typical RR 0.88; 95% CI 0.64 to 1.21). There was a consistent trend in the trials towards increased use of mechanical ventilation in the phenobarbital-treated group, which was supported by the meta-analysis (typical RR 1.18; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.32; typical risk difference 0.129; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.21), but there was no significant difference in pneumothorax, acidosis or hypercapnia. Postnatal administration of phenobarbital cannot be recommended as prophylaxis to prevent IVH in preterm infants and is associated with an increased need for mechanical ventilation.

Brazilian infant motor and cognitive development: Longitudinal influence of risk factors.

PubMed

Pereira, Keila Rg; Valentini, Nadia C; Saccani, Raquel

2016-12-01

Infant developmental delays have been associated with several risk factors, such as familial environmental, individual and demographic characteristics. The goal of this study was to longitudinally investigate the effects of maternal knowledge and practices, home environment and biological factors on infant motor and cognitive outcomes. This was a prospective cohort study with a sample of 49 infants from Southern Brazil. The infants were assessed three times over 4 months using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale and the Bayley Scale of Infant Development (Mental Development Scale). Parents completed the Daily Activities Scale of Infants, the Affordances in The Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale, the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory and a demographic questionnaire. Generalized estimating equation with Bonferroni method as the follow-up test and Spearman correlation and multivariate linear backward regression were used. Cognitive and motor scores were strongly associated longitudinally and increased over time. Associations between the home affordances, parental practices and knowledge, and motor and cognitive development over time were observed. This relationship explained more variability in motor and cognitive scores compared with biological factors. Variability in motor and cognitive development is better explained by environment and parental knowledge and practice. The investigation of factors associated with infant development allows the identification of infants at risk and the implementation of educational programs and parental training to minimize the effects of developmental delay. © 2016 Japan Pediatric Society.

Motor development curve from 0 to 12 months in infants born preterm.

PubMed

Kayenne Martins Roberto Formiga, Cibelle; Linhares, Maria Beatriz Martins

2011-03-01

To trace a reference curve for motor development from birth up to 12 months of corrected chronological age in infants born preterm and low birth weight. This is a cross-sectional study with a sample of 308 preterm infants (53% boys) weighing < 2500 g at birth. The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was used for motor development assessment. Comparing the motor performance of preterm infants with infants from a standardized sample on the AIMS, it was found that, except for the age group of the newborn, preterm infants showed lower motor development scores in comparison with the AIMS normative sample in all age groups between 1 and 12 months. The curve of motor development showed a continuous increase in the number of motor skills of preterm infants during their first 12 months of age. However, the average of motor acquisitions of preterm infants showed a nonlinear pattern with a standard indicator of stabilization between 8 and 10 months of age. Preterm infants, 1-12 months of age, showed motor development AIMS scores lower than the standards established in the normative sample. The findings may contribute as norm-reference for assessing the motor development of preterm infants in follow-up programmes in developing countries. © 2010 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2010 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Infantile vitreous hemorrhage as the initial presentation of X-linked juvenile retinoschisis.

PubMed

Lee, Jong Joo; Kim, Jeong Hun; Kim, So Yeon; Park, Sung Sup; Yu, Young Suk

2009-06-01

The authors report two cases of X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS) manifested as bilateral vitreous hemorrhage as early as in an 1-month-old infant and in a 3-month-old infant. The one-month-old male infant showed massive bilateral vitreous hemorrhage. During vitrectomy, thin membrane representing an inner part of schisis cavity was excised and intraschisis hemorrhage was evacuated. As intraschisis cavities were cleared, the stump of inner layer appeared as the demarcation line between the outer layer of the schisis retina and non-schisis retina. The other three-month-old male infant presenting with esodeviation also showed bilateral vitreous hemorrhage. Typical bilateral retinoschisis involving maculae could be seen through vitreous hemorrhage in both eyes on fundus examination. Spontaneous absorption of hemorrhage was observed on regular follow-up. XLRS could be manifested as massive hemorrhage inside or outside of the schisis cavity early in infancy.

Infantile Vitreous Hemorrhage as the Initial Presentation of X-linked Juvenile Retinoschisis

PubMed Central

Lee, Jong Joo; Kim, Jeong Hun; Kim, So Yeon; Park, Sung Sup

2009-01-01

The authors report two cases of X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS) manifested as bilateral vitreous hemorrhage as early as in an 1-month-old infant and in a 3-month-old infant. The one-month-old male infant showed massive bilateral vitreous hemorrhage. During vitrectomy, thin membrane representing an inner part of schisis cavity was excised and intraschisis hemorrhage was evacuated. As intraschisis cavities were cleared, the stump of inner layer appeared as the demarcation line between the outer layer of the schisis retina and non-schisis retina. The other three-month-old male infant presenting with esodeviation also showed bilateral vitreous hemorrhage. Typical bilateral retinoschisis involving maculae could be seen through vitreous hemorrhage in both eyes on fundus examination. Spontaneous absorption of hemorrhage was observed on regular follow-up. XLRS could be manifested as massive hemorrhage inside or outside of the schisis cavity early in infancy. PMID:19568363

Brief Parenteral Nutrition Accelerates Weight Gain, Head Growth Even in Healthy VLBWs

PubMed Central

Morisaki, Naho; Belfort, Mandy B.; McCormick, Marie C.; Mori, Rintaro; Noma, Hisashi; Kusuda, Satoshi; Fujimura, Masanori

2014-01-01

Introduction Whether parenteral nutrition benefits growth of very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants in the setting of rapid enteral feeding advancement is unclear. Our aim was to examine this issue using data from Japan, where enteral feeding typically advances at a rapid rate. Methods We studied 4005 hospitalized VLBW, very preterm (23–32 weeks' gestation) infants who reached full enteral feeding (100 ml/kg/day) by day 14, from 75 institutions in the Neonatal Research Network Japan (2003–2007). Main outcomes were weight gain, head growth, and extra-uterine growth restriction (EUGR, measurement <10th percentile for postmenstrual age) at discharge. Results 40% of infants received parenteral nutrition. Adjusting for maternal, infant, and institutional characteristics, infants who received parenteral nutrition had greater weight gain [0.09 standard deviation (SD), 95% CI: 0.02, 0.16] and head growth (0.16 SD, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.28); lower odds of EUGR by head circumference (OR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.88). No statistically significant difference was seen in the proportion of infants with EUGR at discharge. SGA infants and infants who took more than a week until full feeding had larger estimates. Discussion Even in infants who are able to establish enteral nutrition within 2 weeks, deprivation of parenteral nutrition in the first weeks of life could lead to under nutrition, but infants who reached full feeding within one week benefit least. It is important to predict which infants are likely or not likely to advance on enteral feedings within a week and balance enteral and parenteral nutrition for these infants. PMID:24586323

Lactose Intolerance

MedlinePlus

... a necessity for infants, who get all their nutrition from milk. As children replace milk with other foods, their lactase production normally decreases, but remains high enough to digest the amount of dairy in a typical adult diet. In primary lactose ...

Linguistic Significance of Babbling: Evidence from a Tracheostomized Infant.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Locke, John L.; Pearson, Dawn M.

1990-01-01

Examines the phonetic patterns and linguistic development of an infant who was tracheostomized during the period that infants normally begin to produce syllabic vocalization. It was found that the infant had developed only a tenth of the canonical syllables expected in normally developing infants, a small inventory of consonant-like segments, and…

Relationship between mother-infant mutual dyadic responsiveness and premature infant development as measured by the Bayley III at 6 weeks corrected age.

PubMed

White-Traut, Rosemary C; Rankin, Kristin M; Yoder, Joe; Zawacki, Laura; Campbell, Suzann; Kavanaugh, Karen; Brandon, Debra; Norr, Kathleen F

2018-06-01

The quality of mother-preterm infant interaction has been identified as a key factor in influencing the infant's later development and language acquisition. The relationship between mother-infant responsiveness and later development may be evident early in infancy, a time period which has been understudied. Describe the relationship between mother-infant mutual dyadic responsiveness and premature infant development. This study employed a secondary analysis of data from the 6-week corrected age (CA) follow-up visit of the Hospital-Home Transition: Optimizing Prematures' Environment (H-HOPE) study, a randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a mother- and infant- focused intervention for improving outcomes among premature infants. Premature infants born between 29 and 34 weeks gestational age and their mothers who had social-environmental risks. At 6-weeks corrected age, a play session was coded for the quality of mutual responsiveness (Dyadic Mutuality Code). Development was assessed via the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition. Of 137 mother-infant dyads, high, medium and low mutual responsiveness was observed for 35.8%, 34.3% and 29.9%, respectively. Overall motor, language and cognitive scores were 115.8 (SD = 8.2), 108.0 (7.7) and 109.3 (7.9). Multivariable linear models showed infants in dyads with high versus low mutual responsiveness had higher scores on the motor (β = 3.07, p = 0.06) and language (β = 4.47, p = 0.006) scales. High mutual responsiveness in mother-premature infant dyads is associated with significantly better language development and marginally better motor development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nonverbal components of Theory of Mind in typical and atypical development.

PubMed

Kampis, Dora; Fogd, Dóra; Kovács, Ágnes Melinda

2017-08-01

To successfully navigate the human social world one needs to realize that behavior is guided by mental states such as goals and beliefs. Humans are highly proficient in using mental states to explain and predict their conspecific's behavior, which enables adjusting one's own behavior in online social interactions. Whereas according to recent studies even young infants seem to integrate others' beliefs into their own behavior, it is unclear what processes contribute to such competencies and how they may develop. Here we analyze a set of possible nonverbal components of theory of mind that may be involved in taking into account others' mental states, and discuss findings from typical and atypical development. To track an agent's belief one needs to (i) pay attention to agents that might be potential belief holders, and identify their focus of attention and their potential belief contents; (ii) keep track of their different experiences and their consequent beliefs, and (iii) to make behavioral predictions based on such beliefs. If an individual fails to predict an agent's behavior depending on the agent's beliefs, this may be due to a problem at any stage in the above processes. An analysis of the possible nonverbal processes contributing to belief tracking and their functioning in typical and atypical development aims to provide new insights into the possible mechanisms that make human social interactions uniquely rich. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Educational clinical case series for pediatric allergy and immunology: allergic proctocolitis, food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome and allergic eosinophilic gastroenteritis with protein-losing gastroenteropathy as manifestations of non-IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy.

PubMed

Maloney, Jennifer; Nowak-Wegrzyn, Anna

2007-06-01

Cow's milk protein allergy is the most common food allergy in infants and young children. It is estimated that up to 50% of pediatric cow's milk allergy is non-IgE-mediated. Allergic proctocolitis is a benign disorder manifesting with blood-streaked stools in otherwise healthy-appearing infants who are breast- or formula-fed. Symptoms resolve within 48-72 h following elimination of dietary cow's milk protein. Most infants tolerate cow's milk by their first birthday. Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome presents in young formula-fed infants with chronic emesis, diarrhea, and failure to thrive. Reintroduction of cow's milk protein following a period of avoidance results in profuse, repetitive emesis within 2-3 h following ingestion; 20% of acute exposures may be associated with hypovolemic shock. Treatment of acute reactions is with vigorous hydration. Most children become tolerant with age; attempts of re-introduction of milk must be done under physician supervision and with secure i.v. access. Allergic eosinophilic gastroenteritis affects infants as well as older children and adolescents. Abdominal pain, emesis, diarrhea, failure to thrive, or weight loss are the most common symptoms. A subset of patients may develop protein-losing enteropathy. Fifty percent of affected children are atopic and have evidence of food-specific IgE antibody but skin prick tests and serum food-IgE levels correlate with response to elimination diet poorly. Elemental diet based on the amino-acid formula leads to resolutions of gastrointestinal eosinophilic inflammation typically within 6 wk.

The association between observed non-verbal maternal responses at 12 months and later infant development at 18 months and IQ at 4 years: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Pearson, R M; Heron, J; Melotti, R; Joinson, C; Stein, A; Ramchandani, P G; Evans, J

2011-12-01

An infant's early environment has an important influence on their development. For example, the sensitivity and warmth of a mother's responses towards her infant is associated with the infant's later socio-emotional development. However, it is less clear whether maternal responses are associated with the infant's later cognitive development. We used data from a large UK cohort study to investigate the association between non-verbal maternal responses and later infant development and IQ. Maternal responses were rated at 12 months during an observed mother-infant interaction. Infant development was assessed using the Griffiths scales at 18 months and IQ at 4 years was assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). Data on the infant's developmental level at 6 months (prior to the maternal response ratings) was also available. The complete case sample comprised 732 mother-infant pairs. There was evidence for an association between positive maternal responses and infant development at 18 months. After adjusting for infant developmental level at 6 months and other confounders, we found a difference of 0.25 standard deviations (coef 2.0, 95% CI (0.8-3.2), p=0.002) on the Griffiths scales between infant's whose mothers showed positive compared to neutral non-verbal responses at 12 months. However, an association between positive maternal responses and IQ at 4 years diminished following adjustment for maternal educational attainment. The results provide evidence that positive maternal responses are associated with improved development in infants at 18 months. However, the association between maternal response and IQ at 4 years may be explained by higher educational attainment in mothers who show positive responses. Future studies are needed to explore the influence of maternal responses on different aspects of infant development as well as the role of maternal factors such as education. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Innovations: Infant and Toddler Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albrecht, Kay; Miller, Linda G.

This book provides teachers of infants and toddlers with an in-depth guide to infant and toddler development, theories of growth and development, and best practices in early childhood education. The chapters are: (1) "Innovations: Infant and Toddler Development," looking at the underlying principles of developmental and interactional…

Vocal Coordination During Early Parent-Infant Interactions Predicts Language Outcome in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Northrup, Jessie B.; Iverson, Jana M.

2015-01-01

This study examined vocal coordination during mother-infant interactions in the infant siblings (high risk infants; HR) of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a population at heightened risk for developing language delays. Vocal coordination between mothers and HR infants was compared to a group of low risk (LR; no first- or second-degree relative with ASD) dyads, and used to predict later language development. Nine-month-old infants were videotaped at home playing with their mothers, and interactions were coded for the frequency and timing of vocalizations. Percent infant simultaneous speech was predictive of later language delay (LD), and dyads with LD infants were less coordinated with one another in average latency to respond than dyads with non-delayed (ND) infants. The degree of coordination between mothers and infants on this variable predicted a continuous measure of language development in the third year. This research underscores the importance of understanding early development in the context of interaction. PMID:26345517

Population pharmacokinetics and maximum a posteriori probability Bayesian estimator of abacavir: application of individualized therapy in HIV-infected infants and toddlers

PubMed Central

Zhao, Wei; Cella, Massimo; Della Pasqua, Oscar; Burger, David; Jacqz-Aigrain, Evelyne

2012-01-01

AIMS To develop a population pharmacokinetic model for abacavir in HIV-infected infants and toddlers, which will be used to describe both once and twice daily pharmacokinetic profiles, identify covariates that explain variability and propose optimal time points to optimize the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) targeted dosage and individualize therapy. METHODS The pharmacokinetics of abacavir was described with plasma concentrations from 23 patients using nonlinear mixed-effects modelling (NONMEM) software. A two-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination was developed. The final model was validated using bootstrap, visual predictive check and normalized prediction distribution errors. The Bayesian estimator was validated using the cross-validation and simulation–estimation method. RESULTS The typical population pharmacokinetic parameters and relative standard errors (RSE) were apparent systemic clearance (CL) 13.4 l h−1 (RSE 6.3%), apparent central volume of distribution 4.94 l (RSE 28.7%), apparent peripheral volume of distribution 8.12 l (RSE14.2%), apparent intercompartment clearance 1.25 l h−1 (RSE 16.9%) and absorption rate constant 0.758 h−1 (RSE 5.8%). The covariate analysis identified weight as the individual factor influencing the apparent oral clearance: CL = 13.4 × (weight/12)1.14. The maximum a posteriori probability Bayesian estimator, based on three concentrations measured at 0, 1 or 2, and 3 h after drug intake allowed predicting individual AUC0–t. CONCLUSIONS The population pharmacokinetic model developed for abacavir in HIV-infected infants and toddlers accurately described both once and twice daily pharmacokinetic profiles. The maximum a posteriori probability Bayesian estimator of AUC0–t was developed from the final model and can be used routinely to optimize individual dosing. PMID:21988586

[Allergic colitis in exclusively breast-fed infants].

PubMed

Sierra Salinas, C; Blasco Alonso, J; Olivares Sánchez, L; Barco Gálvez, A; del Río Mapelli, L

2006-02-01

Eosinophilic colitis is induced by antigens present in cow's milk proteins in formula or human milk. In the last few years, an increasing number of cases have been diagnosed in exclusively breast-fed infants. We performed a retrospective study of 13 infants diagnosed with allergic colitis in our unit between January 1997 and January 2004. All the infants had been exclusively breast-fed. In all patients, initial symptoms were digestive (12 with mucus and bloody stools). Onset of symptoms occurred at 0-3 months in 77 %. Laboratory data of the allergic compound were negative. The main locations were the descending and sigmoid colon (75 %). Biopsy demonstrated acute inflammation, with neutrophil infiltration and an increase in eosinophils. In all patients, initial treatment consisted of exclusion of cow's milk proteins from the mother's diet. Ten of the 13 patients showed no improvement, requiring exclusive administration of protein-free hydrolyzate. In 3 infants, breastfeeding was maintained (breastfeeding without cow's milk proteins plus hydrolyzate). Diagnosis of eosinophilic colitis is based on exclusion of other causes of specific colitis and typical endoscopic and ultrastructural findings. Moreover, a satisfactory response to dietary treatment must be demonstrated. This diagnosis should be considered in breast-fed infants with rectal bleeding without involvement of general health status.

Impact of maternal depressive symptoms and infant temperament on early infant growth and motor development: results from a population based study in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Nasreen, Hashima-E; Kabir, Zarina Nahar; Forsell, Yvonne; Edhborg, Maigun

2013-04-05

Evidence linking maternal depressive symptoms with infant's growth and development in low-income countries is inadequate and conflicting. This study investigated the independent effect of maternal perinatal depressive symptoms on infant's growth and motor development in rural Bangladesh. A cohort of 720 pregnant women was followed from the third trimester of pregnancy to 6-8 months postpartum. For growth and developmental outcomes, 652 infants at 2-3 months and 6-8 months were assessed. Explanatory variables comprised maternal depressive symptoms, socioeconomic status, and infant's health and temperament. Outcome measures included infant's underweight, stunting and motor development. Multiple linear regression analyses identified predictors of infant growth and development. Maternal postpartum depressive symptoms independently predicted infant's underweight and impaired motor development, and antepartum depressive symptoms predicted infant's stunting. Infant's unadaptable temperament was inversely associated with infant's weight-for-age and motor development, and fussy and unpredictable temperament with height-for-age and motor development. Repeated measures design might threaten the internal validity of the results 8.3% of the participant does not participate in the measurements at different times. As the study was conducted in two sub-districts of rural Bangladesh, it does not represent the urban scenario and cannot be generalized even for other rural areas of the country. This study provides evidence that maternal ante- and postpartum depressive symptoms predict infant's growth and motor development in rural Bangladesh. It is recommended to integrate psychosocial components in maternal and child health interventions in order to counsel mothers with depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Sensory oral motor and global motor development of preterm infants].

PubMed

de Castro, Adriana Guerra; Lima, Marilia de Carvalho; de Aquino, Rebeca Raposo; Eickmann, Sophie Helena

2007-01-01

development assessment of preterm infants. to evaluate the association between the gestational ages (GA) of premature infants with the global motor development as well as with early signs of sensory oral motor development delay, and to verify a possible association between them. an exploratory study that assessed the development of 55 infants with corrected chronological ages between four to five months, born preterm at the Instituto Materno Infantil Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP) and who were followed at the Kangaroo Mother Program Clinic between March and August of 2004. The assessment of the sensory oral motor development was performed through pre-selected indicators and of the global motor development through the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). infants with lower GA (29 to 34 weeks) presented a higher median of risk signs in the sensory oral motor development assessment when compared to those with higher GA (35 to 36 weeks). Regarding the global motor development, infants born with lower GA presented a higher number of scores in the AIMS below percentile 10 (26%) when compared to those with a higher GA (4%) (p=0.009). The median index of the risk signs for the sensory oral motor development were significantly higher among infants with total AIMS scores below percentile 25 when compared to those with scores equal to or above percentile 25. the gestational age of infants at birth influenced the sensory oral motor and global motor development - infants with lower gestational ages presented worse performances. These findings suggest a possible association between both aspects of infant development.

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for patent ductus arteriosus in preterm or low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Ohlsson, Arne; Shah, Prakeshkumar S

2018-04-06

In preterm newborns, the ductus arteriosus frequently fails to close and the infants require medical or surgical closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). A PDA can be treated surgically; or medically with one of two prostaglandin inhibitors, indomethacin or ibuprofen. Case reports suggest that paracetamol may be an alternative for the closure of a PDA. An association between prenatal or postnatal exposure to paracetamol and later development of autism or autism spectrum disorder has been reported. To determine the effectiveness and safety of intravenous or oral paracetamol compared with placebo or no intervention, intravenous indomethacin, intravenous or oral ibuprofen, or with other cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors for treatment of an echocardiographically diagnosed PDA in preterm or low birth weight infants. We used the standard search strategy of Cochrane Neonatal to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2017, Issue 10), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 6 November 2017), Embase (1980 to 6 November 2017), and CINAHL (1982 to 6 November 2017). We searched clinical trial databases, conference proceedings, and the reference lists of retrieved articles for randomised controlled trials (RCT) and quasi-randomised trials. We included RCTs in which paracetamol was compared to no intervention, placebo or other agents used for closure of PDA irrespective of dose, duration and mode of administration in preterm (≤ 34 weeks' postmenstrual age) infants. We both reviewed the search results and made a final selection of potentially eligible articles by discussion. We included studies of both prophylactic and therapeutic use of paracetamol. We performed data collection and analyses in accordance with the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. We used the GRADE approach to assess the quality of evidence for the following outcomes when data were available: failure of ductal closure after the first course of treatment; neurodevelopmental impairment; all-cause mortality during initial hospital stay (death); gastrointestinal bleed or stools positive for occult blood; and serum levels of creatinine after treatment (µmol/L). We included eight studies that reported on 916 infants. One of these studies compared paracetamol to both ibuprofen and indomethacin. Five studies compared treatment of PDA with paracetamol versus ibuprofen and enrolled 559 infants. There was no significant difference between paracetamol and ibuprofen for failure of ductal closure after the first course of drug administration (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75 to 1.21; typical risk difference (RD) -0.02, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.09); I² = 0% for RR and RD; moderate quality of evidence. Four studies (n = 537) reported on gastrointestinal bleed which was lower in the paracetamol group versus the ibuprofen group (typical RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.69; typical RD -0.06, 95% CI -0.09 to -0.02); I² = 0% for RR and RD; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 17 (95% CI 11 to 50); moderate quality of evidence. The serum levels of creatinine were lower in the paracetamol group compared with the ibuprofen group in four studies (moderate quality of evidence), as were serum bilirubin levels following treatment in two studies (n = 290). Platelet counts and daily urine output were higher in the paracetamol group compared with the ibuprofen group. One study reported on long-term follow-up to 18 to 24 months of age following treatment with paracetamol versus ibuprofen. There were no significant differences in the neurological outcomes at 18 to 24 months (n = 61); (low quality of evidence).Two studies compared prophylactic administration of paracetamol for a PDA with placebo or no intervention in 80 infants. Paracetamol resulted in a lower rate of failure of ductal closure after 4 to 5 days of treatment compared to placebo or no intervention which was of borderline significance for typical RR 0.49 (95% CI 0.24 to 1.00; P = 0.05); but significant for typical RD -0.21 (95% CI -0.41 to -0.02); I² = 0 % for RR and RD; NNTB 5 (95% CI 2 to 50); (low quality of evidence).Two studies (n = 277) compared paracetamol with indomethacin. There was no significant difference in the failure to close a PDA (typical RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.65; I² = 11%; typical RD -0.01, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.08; I² = 17%) (low quality of evidence). Serum creatinine levels were significantly lower in the paracetamol group compared with the indomethacin group and platelet counts and daily urine output were significantly higher in the paracetamol group. Moderate-quality evidence according to GRADE suggests that paracetamol is as effective as ibuprofen; low-quality evidence suggests paracetamol to be more effective than placebo or no intervention; and low-quality evidence suggests paracetamol as effective as indomethacin in closing a PDA. There was no difference in neurodevelopmental outcome in children exposed to paracetamol compared to ibuprofen; however the quality of evidence is low and comes from only one study. In view of concerns raised regarding neurodevelopmental outcomes following prenatal and postnatal exposure to paracetamol, long-term follow-up to at least 18 to 24 months' postnatal age must be incorporated in any studies of paracetamol in the newborn population. At least 19 ongoing trials have been registered. Such trials are required before any recommendations for the possible routine use of paracetamol in the newborn population can be made.

Triplet Birth and Infant Development: The Impact of Intrauterine Growth and Maternal-Infant Interaction on the Infant's Emotional and Cognitive Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eidelman, Arthur I.; Feldman, Ruth

2006-01-01

The explosion in the rate of multiple births has led to new questions about how adequately prepared parents are for the demands of raising triplets and the implications for the healthy development of the infants. The authors examined the relationship between mothering, infant social behavior, and cognitive development in a longitudinal study of 23…

Investigation of the Relationship Between Sensory Processing and Motor Development in Preterm Infants.

PubMed

Celik, Halil Ibrahim; Elbasan, Bulent; Gucuyener, Kivilcim; Kayihan, Hulya; Huri, Meral

The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants. We included 30 preterm and 30 term infants with corrected and chronological ages between 10 and 12 mo. We used the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants to evaluate sensory processing and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale to evaluate motor development. The Spearman correlation test indicated a strong positive relationship between sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants (r = .63, p < .001). Given the relationship between sensory processing and motor development in the preterm group, the evaluation of sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants was considered necessary for the effective implementation of physiotherapy assessment and interventions. Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Oxytocin and the Development of Parenting in Humans

PubMed Central

Gordon, Ilanit; Zagoory-Sharon, Orna; Leckman, James F.; Feldman, Ruth

2014-01-01

Background The nonapeptide oxytocin (OT) has been repeatedly implicated in processes of parent-infant bonding in animal models; yet, its role in the development of human parenting has received less attention and no research has addressed the involvement of OT in the transition to fatherhood. Methods Using a prospective longitudinal design, 160 cohabitating mothers and fathers and their firstborn infant were visited at home during the first postpartum weeks and again at 6 months postpartum. Mothers’ and fathers’ plasma OT was analyzed at each time point with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methodology. Interactions between each parent and the infant were observed in the postpartum and microcoded for parenting behavior. Results Overall, parental OT increased across the study period and there were no differences between maternal and paternal OT at each time point. Oxytocin showed high intraindividual stability across the first 6 months of parenting and the OT levels of husband and wife were interrelated at both assessments. Maternal OT was related to the amount of affectionate parenting behaviors, including “motherese” vocalizations, the expression of positive affect, and affectionate touch, whereas paternal OT correlated with the degree of stimulatory parenting behaviors, including proprioceptive contact, tactile stimulation, and object presentation. Conclusions Results are the first to describe plasma OT levels in new fathers and mothers across the transition to parenthood in relation to maternal and paternal typical parenting behaviors. These data may provide a normative basis for the study of parenting under conditions of high risk. PMID:20359699

Harnessing Teams and Technology to Improve Outcomes in Infants With Single Ventricle.

PubMed

Shirali, Girish; Erickson, Lori; Apperson, Jonathan; Goggin, Kathy; Williams, David; Reid, Kimberly; Bradley-Ewing, Andrea; Tucker, Dawn; Bingler, Michael; Spertus, John; Rabbitt, Leslie; Stroup, Richard

2016-05-01

Infants with single ventricle require staged cardiac surgery, with stage I typically performed shortly after birth, stage II at 4 to 6 months of age, and stage III at 3 to 5 years of age. There is a high risk of interstage mortality and morbidity after infants are discharged from the hospital between stages I and II. Traditional home monitoring requires caregivers to record measurements of weight and oxygen saturation into a binder and requires families to assume a surveillance role. We have developed a tablet PC-based solution that provides secure and nearly instantaneous transfer of patient information to a cloud-based server, with the capacity for instant alerts to be sent to the caregiver team. The cloud-based IT infrastructure lends itself well to being able to be scaled to multiple sites while maintaining strict control over the privacy of each site. All transmitted data are transferred to the electronic medical record daily. The system conforms to recently released Food and Drug Administration regulation that pertains to mobile health technologies and devices. Since this platform was developed in March 2014, 30 patients have been monitored. There have been no interstage deaths. The experience of care providers has been unanimously positive. The addition of video has added to the use of the monitoring program. Of 30 families, 23 expressed a preference for the tablet PC over the notebook, 3 had no preference, and 4 preferred the notebook to the tablet PC. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Serum NGF, BDNF and IL-6 Levels in Postpartum Mothers As Predictors of Infant Development: The Influence of Affective Disorders

PubMed Central

Pinheiro, Karen Amaral Tavares; Pinheiro, Ricardo Tavares; Coelho, Fábio Monteiro da Cunha; da Silva, Ricardo Azevedo; Quevedo, Luciana Ávila; Schwanz, Cristina Carvalhal; Wiener, Carolina David; Manfro, Gisele Gus; Giovenardi, Márcia; Lucion, Aldo Bolten; de Souza, Diogo Onofre; Portela, Luis Valmor; Oses, Jean Pierre

2014-01-01

Background Early adverse experiences are associated with increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, although little is known about the neurobiological mediators involved. The mechanisms by which early environmental influences may mediate vulnerability in the development of offspring await further investigation. The present study correlated the NGF, BDNF, IL-6 and cortisol levels of mothers with postpartum affective disorders (PPAD) with infant development. Methods A longitudinal study was performed with 152 pregnant women and their infants. Between 60 and 120 days after delivery, women were interviewed and provided biological samples for biochemical analysis, and the infants were examined for neurobiological-motor development. Results Overall, the mothers' history of affective disorders, PPAD and anxiety disorder were associated with infant motor development. Using an adjusted linear regression analysis, PPAD (p = 0.049), maternal anxiety disorder (p = 0.043), NGF level (p = 0.034) and infant cortisol level (p = 0.013) were associated with infant motor development. Using a factorial analysis of primary components, two components were retained. The psychological factor was characterized by a positive loading of a history of affective disorder, PPAD and anxiety disorder. For the biological factor, infant cortisol adhered negatively with infant motor development, but NGF was positively associated. The psychological factor had a negative association, but the biological factor had a positive association with infant motor development. Conclusions There are few studies that have focused on the relationship of biomarkers and infant neurodevelopment. Our study points that psychological and biological factors are associated with infant motor development, however the causal relationship between these factors is still to be defined. PMID:24733087

Serum NGF, BDNF and IL-6 levels in postpartum mothers as predictors of infant development: the influence of affective disorders.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Karen Amaral Tavares; Pinheiro, Ricardo Tavares; Coelho, Fábio Monteiro da Cunha; da Silva, Ricardo Azevedo; Quevedo, Luciana Ávila; Schwanz, Cristina Carvalhal; Wiener, Carolina David; Manfro, Gisele Gus; Giovenardi, Márcia; Lucion, Aldo Bolten; de Souza, Diogo Onofre; Portela, Luis Valmor; Oses, Jean Pierre

2014-01-01

Early adverse experiences are associated with increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, although little is known about the neurobiological mediators involved. The mechanisms by which early environmental influences may mediate vulnerability in the development of offspring await further investigation. The present study correlated the NGF, BDNF, IL-6 and cortisol levels of mothers with postpartum affective disorders (PPAD) with infant development. A longitudinal study was performed with 152 pregnant women and their infants. Between 60 and 120 days after delivery, women were interviewed and provided biological samples for biochemical analysis, and the infants were examined for neurobiological-motor development. Overall, the mothers' history of affective disorders, PPAD and anxiety disorder were associated with infant motor development. Using an adjusted linear regression analysis, PPAD (p = 0.049), maternal anxiety disorder (p = 0.043), NGF level (p = 0.034) and infant cortisol level (p = 0.013) were associated with infant motor development. Using a factorial analysis of primary components, two components were retained. The psychological factor was characterized by a positive loading of a history of affective disorder, PPAD and anxiety disorder. For the biological factor, infant cortisol adhered negatively with infant motor development, but NGF was positively associated. The psychological factor had a negative association, but the biological factor had a positive association with infant motor development. There are few studies that have focused on the relationship of biomarkers and infant neurodevelopment. Our study points that psychological and biological factors are associated with infant motor development, however the causal relationship between these factors is still to be defined.

A comparison of maternal sensitivity and verbal stimulation as unique predictors of infant social-emotional and cognitive development.

PubMed

Page, Melissa; Wilhelm, Mari S; Gamble, Wendy C; Card, Noel A

2010-02-01

Although maternal sensitivity has been shown to influence social-emotional development, the role of verbal stimulation on infant developmental outcomes has received less exploration. Recent research has focused on intentional behaviors within the context of a mother-infant interaction as a critical influence and as distinct from sensitivity. In this investigation 6377 mother-infant dyads participated in a teaching task as part of the sample from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). Analyses focused in deciphering the role of maternal sensitivity and verbal stimulation as contributors to the infant's social-emotional (S-E) and cognitive (Cog) development. We further hypothesized that inclusion of infant age as a moderator of maternal behaviors would illuminate any differences between younger and older infants. For the infant's S-E development, our hypothesis that maternal sensitivity would be a stronger predictor than verbal stimulation was not supported; nor did we find support for our hypothesis that the association would be moderated by age. For Cog development, only verbal stimulation had a direct positive effect on the infant's cognitive ability; our findings for moderation showed that mothers spoke more to older infants than younger infants. Identification of specific maternal behaviors associated with infant outcomes informs the child development field, and also provides strategies for early intervention to assist mothers with developing or maintaining a consistent relationship that includes sensitivity and verbal stimulation. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Preterm infant development, maternal distress and sensitivity: The influence of severity of birth weight.

PubMed

Neri, Erica; Agostini, Francesca; Baldoni, Franco; Facondini, Elisa; Biasini, Augusto; Monti, Fiorella

To evaluate the influence of the severity of prematurity based on birth weight on maternal distress and sensitivity and on infant development. Sixty-eight mothers and their preterm babies (30 babies classified into Extremely-Low-Birth Weight-ELBW and 38 into Very-Low-Birth Weight-VLBW) were assessed at 9months of infant corrected age, using: Griffiths Scales for infant development, CARE-Index for maternal sensitivity during 5-minute of mother-infant interaction, and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) for maternal distress. Sixty-six healthy full-term infants (FT) and their mothers were assessed with the same procedure. ELBW, VLBW and FT groups showed similar levels at CARE-Index and PSI-SF. Nevertheless, considering infant development as outcome, a significant interaction between birth weight and maternal distress emerged, with higher Hearing & Language mean quotients in association with Non-Distressed mothers, but only in VLBW infants, compared to FT ones. Also the interaction between birth weight and maternal sensitivity influenced infant development: higher quotients (Eye-hand coordination, Hearing & Language, Locomotor) were significantly associated with sensitive mothers but only in ELBW infants. The severity of prematurity, in interaction with the degree of maternal distress and sensitivity, influenced the level of infant development. Taken together, these results suggest the relevance of considering severity of prematurity and maternal variables in order to implement appropriate interventions for supporting parenting role after a preterm birth and promoting an adequate infant development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Orientation Tuning in the Visual Cortex of 3-Month-old Human Infants

PubMed Central

Baker, Thomas J.; Norcia, Anthony M.; Candy, T. Rowan

2016-01-01

Sensitivity to orientation is critical for making a whole and complete picture of the world. We measured the orientation tuning of mechanisms inthe visual cortex of typically developing 3-month-olds and adults using a nonlinear analysis of the two-input steady-state visually evoked potential (VEP). Two gratings, one a fixed test and the other a variable orientation masker were tagged with distinct temporal frequencies and the corresponding evoked responses were measured at the harmonics of the test and masker frequencies and at a frequency equal to the sum of the two stimulus frequencies. The magnitude of the sum frequency component depended strongly on the relative orientation of the test and masker in both infants and adults. The VEP tuning bandwidths of the 3-month-olds measured at the sum frequency were similar to those of adults, suggesting that behavioral immaturities in functions such as orientation discrimination and contour integration may result from other immaturities in long-range lateral projections or feedback mechanisms. PMID:21236289

Training Toddlers Seated on Mobile Robots to Steer Using Force-Feedback Joystick.

PubMed

Agrawal, S K; Xi Chen; Ragonesi, C; Galloway, J C

2012-01-01

The broader goal of our research is to train infants with special needs to safely and purposefully drive a mobile robot to explore the environment. The hypothesis is that these impaired infants will benefit from mobility in their early years and attain childhood milestones, similar to their healthy peers. In this paper, we present an algorithm and training method using a force-feedback joystick with an "assist-as-needed" paradigm for driving training. In this "assist-as-needed" approach, if the child steers the joystick outside a force tunnel centered on the desired direction, the driver experiences a bias force on the hand. We show results with a group study on typically developing toddlers that such a haptic guidance algorithm is superior to training with a conventional joystick. We also provide a case study on two special needs children, under three years old, who learn to make sharp turns during driving, when trained over a five-day period with the force-feedback joystick using the algorithm.

Maternal Responsiveness and Sensitivity Re-Considered: Some Is More

PubMed Central

Bornstein, Marc H.; Manian, Nanmathi

2013-01-01

Is it always or necessarily the case that common and important parenting practices are better insofar as they occur more often, or worse because they occur less often? Perhaps, less is more, or some is more. To address this question, we studied mothers’ microcoded contingent responsiveness to their infants (M = 5.4 months, SD = 0.2) in relation to independent global judgments of the same mothers’ parenting sensitivity. In a community sample of 335 European American dyads, videorecorded infant and maternal behaviors were timed microanalytically throughout an extended home observation; separately and independently, global maternal sensitivity was rated macroanalytically. Sequential analysis and spline regression showed that, as maternal contingent responsiveness increased, judged maternal sensitivity increased to significance on the contingency continuum, after which mothers who were even more contingent were judged less sensitive. Just significant levels of maternal responsiveness are deemed optimally sensitive. Implications of these findings for typical and atypical parenting, child development, and intervention science are discussed. PMID:24229542

32 CFR Appendix A to Part 80 - Procedures for the Provision of Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the development of the infant or toddler with a disability. b. A mechanism to develop, for each infant... development of procedures to ensure that services are provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities and... Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities, Ages 0-2 years (Inclusive), and Their...

32 CFR Appendix A to Part 80 - Procedures for the Provision of Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the development of the infant or toddler with a disability. b. A mechanism to develop, for each infant... development of procedures to ensure that services are provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities and... Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities, Ages 0-2 years (Inclusive), and Their...

32 CFR Appendix A to Part 80 - Procedures for the Provision of Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the development of the infant or toddler with a disability. b. A mechanism to develop, for each infant... development of procedures to ensure that services are provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities and... Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities, Ages 0-2 years (Inclusive), and Their...

32 CFR Appendix A to Part 80 - Procedures for the Provision of Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the development of the infant or toddler with a disability. b. A mechanism to develop, for each infant... development of procedures to ensure that services are provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities and... Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities, Ages 0-2 years (Inclusive), and Their...

32 CFR Appendix A to Part 80 - Procedures for the Provision of Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the development of the infant or toddler with a disability. b. A mechanism to develop, for each infant... development of procedures to ensure that services are provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities and... Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities, Ages 0-2 years (Inclusive), and Their...

"Security Theater" in the Pediatric Wing: The Case for RFID Protection for Infants in Hospitals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyld, David C.

In a typical year, five infants are abducted by strangers from hospitals. These are devastating events for the families involved and for the health care facilities' staff and executives. This article looks at the nature of newborn and infant abductions, analyzing data on these kidnappings from the FBI and from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Then, the article examines the potential for RFID (radio frequency identification) based systems to improve security in the pediatric area of hospitals, providing an overview of the technology on the market today for infant protection. The article concludes with an analysis of the ROI (return on investment) equation for health care administrators to consider in weighing their options on how to prevent a statistically unlikely, but potentially cataclysmic occurrence, at their facility. In the end, RFID-based infant protection systems can be seen as a form of "security theater," serving as a "palliative countermeasure" that will indeed work - both substantively and psychologically - to promote a more secure hospital environment for moms and their newborns.

Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome in a Term Infant Presenting With Cardiopulmonary Arrest.

PubMed

Hoeffler, Christina D; Krenek, Michele E; Brand, M Colleen

2016-02-01

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a congenital abnormality of the cardiac conduction system caused by the presence of an abnormal accessory electrical pathway between the atria and the ventricles. This can result in intermittent tachyarrhythmias such as supraventricular tachycardia. In rare occasions, sudden death may occur from atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular conduction. Supraventricular tachycardia typically has a sudden onset and offset, classified as a paroxysmal arrhythmia. Because of the variable occurrence, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome may go undiagnosed in the immediate newborn period. To highlight arrhythmia as a possible cause of sudden decompensation in infants. The clinical presentation of this infant is complex and a number of potential diagnoses were considered. Preexcitation on electrocardiogram resulted in the diagnosis of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Nurses caring for infants should be alert to tachycardia and irregularities of the heart rate, including those in the prenatal history, and should report them for evaluation. While all parents should be taught to watch for signs of illness, parents of infants with Wolff-Parkinson-White have additional learning needs, including recognizing early signs and symptoms of heart failure.

Social visual engagement in infants and toddlers with autism: Early developmental transitions and a model of pathogenesis

PubMed Central

Klin, Ami; Shultz, Sarah; Jones, Warren

2014-01-01

Efforts to determine and understand the causes of autism are currently hampered by a large disconnect between recent molecular genetics findings that are associated with the condition and the core behavioral symptoms that define the condition. In this perspective piece, we propose a systems biology framework to bridge that gap between genes and symptoms. The framework focuses on basic mechanisms of socialization that are highly-conserved in evolution and are early-emerging in development. By conceiving of these basic mechanisms of socialization as quantitative endophenotypes, we hope to connect genes and behavior in autism through integrative studies of neurodevelopmental, behavioral, and epigenetic changes. These changes both lead to and are led by the accomplishment of specific social adaptive tasks in a typical infant's life. However, based on recent research that indicates that infants later diagnosed with autism fail to accomplish at least some of these tasks, we suggest that a narrow developmental period, spanning critical transitions from reflexive, subcortically-controlled visual behavior to interactional, cortically-controlled and social visual behavior be prioritized for future study. Mapping epigenetic, neural, and behavioral changes that both drive and are driven by these early transitions may shed a bright light on the pathogenesis of autism. PMID:25445180

Network integrity of the parental brain in infancy supports the development of children's social competencies.

PubMed

Abraham, Eyal; Hendler, Talma; Zagoory-Sharon, Orna; Feldman, Ruth

2016-11-01

The cross-generational transmission of mammalian sociality, initiated by the parent's postpartum brain plasticity and species-typical behavior that buttress offspring's socialization, has not been studied in humans. In this longitudinal study, we measured brain response of 45 primary-caregiving parents to their infant's stimuli, observed parent-infant interactions, and assayed parental oxytocin (OT). Intra- and inter-network connectivity were computed in three main networks of the human parental brain: core limbic, embodied simulation and mentalizing. During preschool, two key child social competencies were observed: emotion regulation and socialization. Parent's network integrity in infancy predicted preschoolers' social outcomes, with subcortical and cortical network integrity foreshadowing simple evolutionary-based regulatory tactics vs complex self-regulatory strategies and advanced socialization. Parent-infant synchrony mediated the links between connectivity of the parent's embodied simulation network and preschoolers' ability to use cognitive/executive emotion regulation strategies, highlighting the inherently dyadic nature of this network and its long-term effects on tuning young to social life. Parent's inter-network core limbic-embodied simulation connectivity predicted children's OT as moderated by parental OT. Findings challenge solipsistic neuroscience perspectives by demonstrating how the parent-offspring interface enables the brain of one human to profoundly impact long-term adaptation of another. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press.

Social visual engagement in infants and toddlers with autism: early developmental transitions and a model of pathogenesis.

PubMed

Klin, Ami; Shultz, Sarah; Jones, Warren

2015-03-01

Efforts to determine and understand the causes of autism are currently hampered by a large disconnect between recent molecular genetics findings that are associated with the condition and the core behavioral symptoms that define the condition. In this perspective piece, we propose a systems biology framework to bridge that gap between genes and symptoms. The framework focuses on basic mechanisms of socialization that are highly-conserved in evolution and are early-emerging in development. By conceiving of these basic mechanisms of socialization as quantitative endophenotypes, we hope to connect genes and behavior in autism through integrative studies of neurodevelopmental, behavioral, and epigenetic changes. These changes both lead to and are led by the accomplishment of specific social adaptive tasks in a typical infant's life. However, based on recent research that indicates that infants later diagnosed with autism fail to accomplish at least some of these tasks, we suggest that a narrow developmental period, spanning critical transitions from reflexive, subcortically-controlled visual behavior to interactional, cortically-controlled and social visual behavior be prioritized for future study. Mapping epigenetic, neural, and behavioral changes that both drive and are driven by these early transitions may shed a bright light on the pathogenesis of autism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A machine for haemodialysing very small infants.

PubMed

Everdell, Nicholas L; Coulthard, Malcolm G; Crosier, Jean; Keir, Michael J

2005-05-01

Babies weighing under 6 kg are difficult to dialyse, especially those as small as 1 kg. Peritoneal dialysis is easier than haemodialysis, but is not always possible, and clears molecules less efficiently. Two factors complicate haemodialysis. First, extracorporeal circuits are large relative to a baby's blood volume, necessitating priming with fresh or modified blood. Second, blood flow from infants' access vessels is disproportionately low (Poiseuille's law), causing inadequate dialysis, or clotting within the circuit. These problems are minimised by using single lumen access, a very small circuit, and a reservoir syringe to separate the sampling and dialyser blood flow rates. Its manual operation is tedious, so we developed a computer-controlled, pressure-monitored machine to run it, including adjusting the blood withdrawal rate from poorly sampling lines. We have dialysed four babies weighing 0.8-3.4 kg, with renal failure or metabolic disorders. The circuits did not require priming. Clearances of creatinine, urea, potassium, phosphate and ammonia were mean (SD) 0.54 (0.22) ml/min using one dialyser, and 0.98 (0.22) ml/min using two in parallel. Ammonia clearance in a 2.4 kg baby had a 9 h half-life. Ultrafiltration up to 45 ml/h was achieved easily. This device provided infants with immediate, effective and convenient haemodialysis, typically delivered for prolonged periods.

Retention of primitive reflexes and delayed motor development in very low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Marquis, P J; Ruiz, N A; Lundy, M S; Dillard, R G

1984-06-01

Primitive reflexes and motor development were evaluated in 127 very low birth weight (VLBW) infants (birth weight less than 1501 grams) at four months corrected age. The asymmetrical tonic neck reflex, tonic labyrinth reflex, and Moro reflex were assessed for each child. The ability of each child to reach (obtain a red ring) and roll were observed. The child's performance on the gross motor scale of the Denver Development Screening Test was recorded. Thirty-seven term infants were administered identical evaluations at four months of age. The VLBW infants retained stronger primitive reflexes and exhibited a significantly higher incidence of motor delays than term infants. Significant correlations existed between the strength of the primitive reflexes and early motor development for VLBW infants. This study confirms a high incidence of motor delays among VLBW infants and demonstrates a clear association between retained primitive reflexes and delayed motor development in VLBW infants.

Cancer-prone syndrome of mosaic variegated aneuploidy and total premature chromatid separation: report of five infants.

PubMed

Kajii, T; Ikeuchi, T; Yang, Z Q; Nakamura, Y; Tsuji, Y; Yokomori, K; Kawamura, M; Fukuda, S; Horita, S; Asamoto, A

2001-11-15

Five infants (two girls and three boys) from four families all had severe pre- and postnatal growth retardation, profound developmental delay, microcephaly, hypoplasia of the brain with Dandy-Walker complex or other posterior fossa malformations, and developed uncontrollable clonic seizures. Four infants developed Wilms tumors, and one showed cystic lesions in bilateral kidneys. All five infants showed variegated mosaic aneuploidy in cultured lymphocytes. In two infants whose chromosomes were prepared by us, 48.5%-83.2% lymphocytes showed total premature chromatid separation (PCS). Their parents had 3.5%-41.7% of their lymphocytes in total PCS. The remaining three infants and their parents, whose chromosomes were prepared at outside laboratories, tended to show lower frequencies of total PCS. Another five infants reported with the disorder were reviewed together with the five infants we described. Together, their clinical and cytogenetic manifestations were similar enough to suggest a syndrome. Seven of the 10 infants developed proven or probable Wilms tumors. The age at diagnosis of the tumors was younger than usual at 2-16 months. The tumors were bilateral in four infants and unilateral in three infants, and cystic changes were present in six infants. Two infants developed botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma. The carriers of the syndrome are thus liable to tumorigenesis. The possible role of mitotic checkpoint defects, proven in two infants with the syndrome (Matsuura et al. [2000: Am J Hum Genet 69:483-486]), was discussed in connection with tumor development and progression. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Higher versus lower amino acid intake in parenteral nutrition for newborn infants.

PubMed

Osborn, David A; Schindler, Tim; Jones, Lisa J; Sinn, John Kh; Bolisetty, Srinivas

2018-03-05

Sick newborn and preterm infants frequently are not able to be fed enterally, necessitating parenteral fluid and nutrition. Potential benefits of higher parenteral amino acid (AA) intake for improved nitrogen balance, growth, and infant health may be outweighed by the infant's ability to utilise high intake of parenteral AA, especially in the days after birth. The primary objective is to determine whether higher versus lower intake of parenteral AA is associated with improved growth and disability-free survival in newborn infants receiving parenteral nutrition.Secondary objectives include determining whether:• higher versus lower starting or initial intake of amino acids is associated with improved growth and disability-free survival without side effects;• higher versus lower intake of amino acids at maximal intake is associated with improved growth and disability-free survival without side effects; and• increased amino acid intake should replace non-protein energy intake (glucose and lipid), should be added to non-protein energy intake, or should be provided simultaneously with non-protein energy intake.We conducted subgroup analyses to look for any differences in the effects of higher versus lower intake of amino acids according to gestational age, birth weight, age at commencement, and condition of the infant, or concomitant increases in fluid intake. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2 June 2017), MEDLINE (1966 to 2 June 2017), Embase (1980 to 2 June 2017), and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (1982 to 2 June 2017). We also searched clinical trials databases, conference proceedings, and citations of articles. Randomised controlled trials of higher versus lower intake of AAs as parenteral nutrition in newborn infants. Comparisons of higher intake at commencement, at maximal intake, and at both commencement and maximal intake were performed. Two review authors independently selected trials, assessed trial quality, and extracted data from included studies. We performed fixed-effect analyses and expressed treatment effects as mean difference (MD), risk ratio (RR), and risk difference (RD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and assessed the quality of evidence using the GRADE approach. Thirty-two studies were eligible for inclusion. Six were short-term biochemical tolerance studies, one was in infants at > 35 weeks' gestation, one in term surgical newborns, and three yielding no usable data. The 21 remaining studies reported clinical outcomes in very preterm or low birth weight infants for inclusion in meta-analysis for this review.Higher AA intake had no effect on mortality before hospital discharge (typical RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.17; participants = 1407; studies = 14; I 2 = 0%; quality of evidence: low). Evidence was insufficient to show an effect on neurodevelopment and suggest no reported benefit (quality of evidence: very low). Higher AA intake was associated with a reduction in postnatal growth failure (< 10th centile) at discharge (typical RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.97; participants = 203; studies = 3; I 2 = 22%; typical RD -0.15, 95% CI -0.27 to -0.02; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 7, 95% CI 4 to 50; quality of evidence: very low). Subgroup analyses found reduced postnatal growth failure in infants that commenced on high amino acid intake (> 2 to ≤ 3 g/kg/day); that occurred with increased amino acid and non-protein caloric intake; that commenced on intake at < 24 hours' age; and that occurred with early lipid infusion.Higher AA intake was associated with a reduction in days needed to regain birth weight (MD -1.14, 95% CI -1.73 to -0.56; participants = 950; studies = 13; I 2 = 77%). Data show varying effects on growth parameters and no consistent effects on anthropometric z-scores at any time point, as well as increased growth in head circumference at discharge (MD 0.09 cm/week, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.13; participants = 315; studies = 4; I 2 = 90%; quality of evidence: very low).Higher AA intake was not associated with effects on days to full enteral feeds, late-onset sepsis, necrotising enterocolitis, chronic lung disease, any or severe intraventricular haemorrhage, or periventricular leukomalacia. Data show a reduction in retinopathy of prematurity (typical RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.93; participants = 269; studies = 4; I 2 = 31%; quality of evidence: very low) but no difference in severe retinopathy of prematurity.Higher AA intake was associated with an increase in positive protein balance and nitrogen balance. Potential biochemical intolerances were reported, including risk of abnormal blood urea nitrogen (typical RR 2.77, 95% CI 2.13 to 3.61; participants = 688; studies = 7; I 2 = 6%; typical RD 0.26, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.32; number needed to treat for an additional harmful outcome (NNTH) 4; 95% CI 3 to 5; quality of evidence: high). Higher amino acid intake in parenteral nutrition was associated with a reduction in hyperglycaemia (> 8.3 mmol/L) (typical RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.96; participants = 505; studies = 5; I 2 = 68%), although the incidence of hyperglycaemia treated with insulin was not different. Low-quality evidence suggests that higher AA intake in parenteral nutrition does not affect mortality. Very low-quality evidence suggests that higher AA intake reduces the incidence of postnatal growth failure. Evidence was insufficient to show an effect on neurodevelopment. Very low-quality evidence suggests that higher AA intake reduces retinopathy of prematurity but not severe retinopathy of prematurity. Higher AA intake was associated with potentially adverse biochemical effects resulting from excess amino acid load, including azotaemia. Adequately powered trials in very preterm infants are required to determine the optimal intake of AA and effects of caloric balance in parenteral nutrition on the brain and on neurodevelopment.

Face Preferences for Infant- and Adult-Directed Speakers in Infants of Depressed and Nondepressed Mothers: Association with Infant Cognitive Development.

PubMed

Kaplan, Peter S; Asherin, Ryan M; Vogeli, Jo M; Fekri, Shiva M; Scheyer, Kathryn E; Everhart, Kevin D

2018-01-01

Face preferences for speakers of infant-directed and adult-directed speech (IDS and ADS) were investigated in 4- to 13.5-month-old infants of depressed and non-depressed mothers. Following 1-min of exposure to an ID or AD speaker (order counterbalanced), infants had an immediate paired-comparison test with a still, silent image of the familiarized versus a novel face. In the test phase, ID face preference ratios were significantly lower in infants of depressed than non-depressed mothers. Infants' ID face preference ratios, but not AD face preference ratios, correlated with their percentile scores on the cognitive ( Cog ) scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant & Toddler Development (3 rd Edition; BSID III), assessed concurrently. Regression analyses revealed that infant ID face preferences significantly predicted infant Cog percentiles even after demographic risk factors and maternal depression had been controlled. Infants may use IDS to select social partners who are likely to support and facilitate cognitive development.

Development of the preterm infant gut microbiome: A research priority

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Groer, Maureen W.; Luciano, Angel A.; Dishaw, Larry J.

The very low birth weight (VLBW) infant is at great risk for marked dysbiosis of the gut microbiome due to multiple factors, including physiological immaturity and prenatal/postnatal influences that disrupt the development of a normal gut flora. However, little is known about the developmental succession of the microbiota in preterm infants as they grow and mature. This review provides a synthesis of our understanding of the normal development of the infant gut microbiome and contrasts this with dysbiotic development in the VLBW infant. The role of human milk in normal gut microbial development is emphasized, along with the role ofmore » the gut microbiome in immune development and gastroenteric health. Current research provides evidence that the gut microbiome interacts extensively with many physiological systems and metabolic processes in the developing infant. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are currently no studies prospectively mapping the gut microbiome of VLBW infants through early childhood. This knowledge gap must be filled to inform a healthcare system that can provide for the growth, health, and development of VLBW infants. In conclusion, the study speculates about how the VLBW infants’ gut microbiome might function through host-microbe interactions to contribute to the sequelae of preterm birth, including its influence on growth, development, and general health of the infant host.« less

Development of the preterm infant gut microbiome: A research priority

DOE PAGES

Groer, Maureen W.; Luciano, Angel A.; Dishaw, Larry J.; ...

2014-10-13

The very low birth weight (VLBW) infant is at great risk for marked dysbiosis of the gut microbiome due to multiple factors, including physiological immaturity and prenatal/postnatal influences that disrupt the development of a normal gut flora. However, little is known about the developmental succession of the microbiota in preterm infants as they grow and mature. This review provides a synthesis of our understanding of the normal development of the infant gut microbiome and contrasts this with dysbiotic development in the VLBW infant. The role of human milk in normal gut microbial development is emphasized, along with the role ofmore » the gut microbiome in immune development and gastroenteric health. Current research provides evidence that the gut microbiome interacts extensively with many physiological systems and metabolic processes in the developing infant. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are currently no studies prospectively mapping the gut microbiome of VLBW infants through early childhood. This knowledge gap must be filled to inform a healthcare system that can provide for the growth, health, and development of VLBW infants. In conclusion, the study speculates about how the VLBW infants’ gut microbiome might function through host-microbe interactions to contribute to the sequelae of preterm birth, including its influence on growth, development, and general health of the infant host.« less

Iron fortification adversely affects the gut microbiome, increases pathogen abundance and induces intestinal inflammation in Kenyan infants.

PubMed

Jaeggi, Tanja; Kortman, Guus A M; Moretti, Diego; Chassard, Christophe; Holding, Penny; Dostal, Alexandra; Boekhorst, Jos; Timmerman, Harro M; Swinkels, Dorine W; Tjalsma, Harold; Njenga, Jane; Mwangi, Alice; Kvalsvig, Jane; Lacroix, Christophe; Zimmermann, Michael B

2015-05-01

In-home iron fortification for infants in developing countries is recommended for control of anaemia, but low absorption typically results in >80% of the iron passing into the colon. Iron is essential for growth and virulence of many pathogenic enterobacteria. We determined the effect of high and low dose in-home iron fortification on the infant gut microbiome and intestinal inflammation. We performed two double-blind randomised controlled trials in 6-month-old Kenyan infants (n=115) consuming home-fortified maize porridge daily for 4 months. In the first, infants received a micronutrient powder (MNP) containing 2.5 mg iron as NaFeEDTA or the MNP without iron. In the second, they received a different MNP containing 12.5 mg iron as ferrous fumarate or the MNP without the iron. The primary outcome was gut microbiome composition analysed by 16S pyrosequencing and targeted real-time PCR (qPCR). Secondary outcomes included faecal calprotectin (marker of intestinal inflammation) and incidence of diarrhoea. We analysed the trials separately and combined. At baseline, 63% of the total microbial 16S rRNA could be assigned to Bifidobacteriaceae but there were high prevalences of pathogens, including Salmonella Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, and pathogenic Escherichia coli. Using pyrosequencing, +FeMNPs increased enterobacteria, particularly Escherichia/Shigella (p=0.048), the enterobacteria/bifidobacteria ratio (p=0.020), and Clostridium (p=0.030). Most of these effects were confirmed using qPCR; for example, +FeMNPs increased pathogenic E. coli strains (p=0.029). +FeMNPs also increased faecal calprotectin (p=0.002). During the trial, 27.3% of infants in +12.5 mgFeMNP required treatment for diarrhoea versus 8.3% in -12.5 mgFeMNP (p=0.092). There were no study-related serious adverse events in either group. In this setting, provision of iron-containing MNPs to weaning infants adversely affects the gut microbiome, increasing pathogen abundance and causing intestinal inflammation. NCT01111864. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Association of Rice and Rice-Product Consumption With Arsenic Exposure Early in Life

PubMed Central

Karagas, Margaret R.; Punshon, Tracy; Sayarath, Vicki; Jackson, Brian P.; Folt, Carol L.; Cottingham, Kathryn L.

2016-01-01

IMPORTANCE Rice—a typical first food and major ingredient in various infant foods—contains inorganic arsenic (As), but the extent of As exposure from these foods has not been well characterized in early childhood. OBJECTIVE To determine the types and frequency of rice and rice-containing products consumed by infants in the first year of life and the association with As biomarker concentrations. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Included were infants from singleton births of pregnant women enrolled in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study from 2011 to 2014 whose parents were interviewed during their first year of life. Enrolled women from selected clinics were aged 18 to 45 years, living in the same residence since their last menstrual period, in households served by a private water system, and had no plans to move during pregnancy. Data on infants’ intake of rice and rice products were collected from interviews with their parents at 4, 8, and 12 months’ follow-up and from a 3-day food diary at 12 months from March 2013 to August 2014. EXPOSURES Infants’ intake of rice and rice products. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Total urinary As and the sum of As species measured using inductively coupled mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled mass spectrometry. Commonly reported infant rice snacks were tested for As. RESULTS We obtained dietary data on 759 of 951 infants (79.8% participation rate). Of these, 391 infants (51.7%) were male, and the mean (SD) gestational age was 39.4 (1.7) weeks. An estimated 80% were introduced to rice cereal during their first year. At 12 months, 32.6% of infants (42 of 129) were fed rice snacks. Among infants aged 12 months who did not eat fish or seafood, the geometric mean total urinary As concentrations were higher among those who ate infant rice cereal (9.53 μg/L) or rice snacks (4.97 μg/L) compared with those who did not eat rice or rice products (2.85 μg/L; all P < .01). Infant rice snacks contained between 36 and 568 ng/g of As and 5 to 201 ng/g of inorganic As. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our findings indicate that intake of rice cereal and other rice-containing foods, such as rice snacks, contribute to infants’ As exposure and suggest that efforts should be made to reduce As exposure during this critical phase of development. PMID:27111102

Maternal verbal responses to communication of infants at low and heightened risk of autism.

PubMed

Leezenbaum, Nina B; Campbell, Susan B; Butler, Derrecka; Iverson, Jana M

2014-08-01

This study investigates mothers' responses to infant communication among infants at heightened genetic risk (high risk) of autism spectrum disorder compared to infants with no such risk (low risk). A total of 26 infants, 12 of whom had an older sibling with autism spectrum disorder, were observed during naturalistic in-home interaction and semistructured play with their mothers at 13 and 18 months of age. Results indicate that overall, mothers of low-risk and high-risk infants were highly and similarly responsive to their infants' communicative behaviors. However, examination of infant vocal and gestural communication development together with maternal verbal responses and translations (i.e. verbally labeling a gesture referent) suggests that delays in early communication development observed among high-risk infants may alter the input that these infants receive; this in turn may have cascading effects on the subsequent development of communication and language. © The Author(s) 2013.

Transient pseudohypoaldosteronism in infancy secondary to urinary tract infection.

PubMed

Abraham, Mary B; Larkins, Nicholas; Choong, Catherine S; Shetty, Vinutha B

2017-05-01

Hyponatraemia with hyperkalaemia in infancy is a typical presentation of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. In the presence of pyelonephritis, the same biochemical picture can occur with transient type 1 pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA-1) also termed type 4 renal tubular acidosis. Recognition of PHA-1 enables appropriate management thus avoiding unnecessary investigations and treatment. To improve awareness of this condition, we present a case series to highlight the clinical and biochemical features of PHA-1. A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with transient PHA-1 at a tertiary children's hospital in Western Australia was conducted. Five male infants (32 days to 6 months) with transient PHA-1 were identified. Failure to thrive was the most common symptom with hyponatraemia on presentation. Two infants had antenatally diagnosed bilateral hydronephrosis and urinary tract infection (UTI) on admission. Two infants were treated for congenital adrenal hyperplasia and received hydrocortisone. All infants had UTI and required parenteral antibiotics. The condition was transient and hyponatraemia corrected by day 4 in all infants. There was no correlation between plasma sodium and aldosterone levels. The severity of PHA-1 was independent of the underlying renal anomaly. Four infants had hydronephrosis and vesicoureteric reflux. Surgical intervention was required in two infants. PHA-1 may be precipitated by UTI or urinary tract anomalies in early infancy. Urine analysis should be performed in infants with hyponatraemia. Diagnosis of PHA-1 facilitates appropriate renal investigations to reduce long-term morbidity. © 2017 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

The potential of clofarabine in MLL-rearranged infant acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

PubMed

Stumpel, Dominique J P M; Schneider, Pauline; Pieters, Rob; Stam, Ronald W

2015-09-01

MLL-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in infants is the most difficult-to-treat type of childhood ALL, displaying a chemotherapy-resistant phenotype, and unique histone modifications, gene expression signatures and DNA methylation patterns. MLL-rearranged infant ALL responds remarkably well to nucleoside analogue drugs in vitro, such as cytarabine and cladribine, and to the demethylating agents decitabine and zebularine as measured by cytotoxicity assays. These observations led to the inclusion of cytarabine into the treatment regimens currently used for infants with ALL. However, survival chances for infants with MLL-rearranged ALL do still not exceed 30-40%. Here we explored the in vitro potential of the novel nucleoside analogue clofarabine for MLL-rearranged infant ALL. Therefore we used both cell line models as well as primary patient cells. Compared with other nucleoside analogues, clofarabine effectively targeted primary MLL-rearranged infant ALL cells at the lowest concentrations, with median LC50 values of ∼25 nM. Interestingly, clofarabine displayed synergistic cytotoxic effects in combination with cytarabine. Furthermore, at concentrations of 5-10nM clofarabine induced demethylation of the promoter region of the tumour suppressor gene FHIT (Fragile Histidine Triad), a gene typically hypermethylated in MLL-rearranged ALL. Demethylation of the FHIT promoter region was accompanied by subtle re-expression of this gene both at the mRNA and protein level. We conclude that clofarabine is an interesting candidate for further studies in MLL-rearranged ALL in infants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential effects of others' emotional cues on 18-month-olds' preferential reproduction of observed actions.

PubMed

Patzwald, Christiane; Curley, Charlotte A; Hauf, Petra; Elsner, Birgit

2018-05-01

Infants use others' emotional signals to regulate their own object-directed behavior and action reproduction, and they typically produce more actions after having observed positive as compared to negative emotional cues. This study explored infants' understanding of the referential specificity of others' emotional cues when being confronted with two actions that are accompanied by different emotional displays. Selective action reproduction was measured after 18-month-olds (N = 42) had observed two actions directed at the same object, one of which was modeled with a positive emotional expression and the other with a negative emotional expression. Across four trials with different objects, infants' first actions matched the positively-emoted actions more often than the negatively-emoted actions. In comparison with baseline-level, infants' initial performance changed only for the positively-emoted actions, in that it increased during test. Latencies to first object-touch during test did not differ when infants reproduced the positively- or negatively-emoted actions, respectively, indicating that infants related the cues to the respective actions rather than to the object. During demonstration, infants looked relatively longer at the object than at the model's face, with no difference in positive or negative displays. Infants during their second year of life thus capture the action-related referential specificity of others' emotional cues and seem to follow positive signals more readily when actively selecting which of two actions to reproduce preferentially. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Infant differential behavioral responding to discrete emotions.

PubMed

Walle, Eric A; Reschke, Peter J; Camras, Linda A; Campos, Joseph J

2017-10-01

Emotional communication regulates the behaviors of social partners. Research on individuals' responding to others' emotions typically compares responses to a single negative emotion compared with responses to a neutral or positive emotion. Furthermore, coding of such responses routinely measure surface level features of the behavior (e.g., approach vs. avoidance) rather than its underlying function (e.g., the goal of the approach or avoidant behavior). This investigation examined infants' responding to others' emotional displays across 5 discrete emotions: joy, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust. Specifically, 16-, 19-, and 24-month-old infants observed an adult communicate a discrete emotion toward a stimulus during a naturalistic interaction. Infants' responses were coded to capture the function of their behaviors (e.g., exploration, prosocial behavior, and security seeking). The results revealed a number of instances indicating that infants use different functional behaviors in response to discrete emotions. Differences in behaviors across emotions were clearest in the 24-month-old infants, though younger infants also demonstrated some differential use of behaviors in response to discrete emotions. This is the first comprehensive study to identify differences in how infants respond with goal-directed behaviors to discrete emotions. Additionally, the inclusion of a function-based coding scheme and interpersonal paradigms may be informative for future emotion research with children and adults. Possible developmental accounts for the observed behaviors and the benefits of coding techniques emphasizing the function of social behavior over their form are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Effectiveness of public health spending on infant mortality in Florida, 2001-2014.

PubMed

Bernet, Patrick M; Gumus, Gulcin; Vishwasrao, Sharmila

2018-05-26

Studies investigating the effectiveness of public health spending typically face two major challenges. One is the lack of data on individual program spending, which restricts researchers to rely on aggregate expenditures. The other is the failure to address issues of endogeneity and serial correlation between health outcomes and spending. In this study, we demonstrate that the use of specific spending items as opposed to overall spending, combined with Generalized Method of Moments estimation techniques can do a far better job in revealing the effectiveness of public health services on health outcomes. As an example, we consider the effects of infant-related public health programs on infant mortality rates. Focus on programs expressly related to maternal and infant health was made possible by a unique longitudinal dataset from the Florida Department of Health containing information for all 67 Florida counties spanning 2001 through 2014. Our empirical methodology, by addressing potential endogeneity issues along with serial correlation, allows us to estimate the causal impact of specific public health investments in maternal and infant-related programs on infant mortality. We find that a 10 percent increase in targeted public health spending per infant leads to a 2.07 percent decrease in infant mortality rates. We also find that targeted spending may be more effective in reducing infant mortality among blacks than among whites. The use of targeted spending data along with the Generalized Method of Moments technique can provide stronger evidence to guide future resource allocation and policy decisions in public health. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of interactions between accommodation and vergence in human visual development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teel, Danielle F. W.

Even in early infancy accommodation and vergence interact through neural coupling such that accommodation drives vergence (AC/A ratio) and vergence drives accommodation (CA/C ratio), to assist coordination and development of clear and single binocular vision. Infants have narrow inter-pupillary distances (IPD) requiring less vergence in angular units (degrees or prism diopters), and are typically hyperopic, requiring larger accommodative responses (diopters) than adults. The relative demands also change with emmetropization (decreasing hyperopia) and head growth (increasing IPD) over time. Therefore, adult-like couplings may not be optimal during development and the couplings may play a role in abnormality such as esotropia. A range of cues can drive accommodation and vergence. In addition to blur and disparity, proximity in the form of looming, size and perceived distance has been shown to influence the interactions between accommodation and vergence in adults. The role of this cue in measures of coupling is also poorly understood and may impact key clinical AC/A estimates in young children. Utilizing principles of eccentric photorefraction and Purkinje image eye tracking, this research examines the AC/A and CA/C ratios in infants, preschoolers and adults as a function of age, refractive error and interpupillary distance, plus the role proximity, specifically looming and size cues, plays in estimating the AC/A ratio in three year olds and adults. The AC/A (PD/D) was significantly higher in adults than three-year-olds or infants but similar across age groups in MA/D units. The CA/C was higher in infants than adults or three-year-olds (D/MA and D/PD). Although, not fully reciprocally related, a significant negative relationship was found between the response AC/A and CA/C. Similarly, higher AC/As (PD/D) and lower CA/Cs (D/PD) were associated with larger IPDs and less hyperopia. Although, not statistically significant the absence of proximity resulted in a trend toward a lower AC/A than in it's presence for children. These results provide insight into methods of measuring the AC/A ratio in children and determining whether the couplings are optimized to prevent over-convergence or under-accommodation during development and growth.

Perception-action coupling and imitation in autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Nadel, Jacqueline

2015-04-01

This paper focuses on the key function of imitation in motor and social development of typically developing infants and low-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We suggest that it might also be a developmental cornerstone for other neurodevelopmental disorders. Why this suggestion? First, imitation just requires relating one's motor patterns to perceived motor patterns. This is always possible if the actions seen are not beyond the individual's motor scope; for instance, newborn infants can already imitate tongue protrusion, eye blinking, or mouth opening, because these movements are part of their foetal repertoire. Second, imitation is a 'use it or lose it' capacity: the more it is used, the more the repertoire grows (plasticity). Finally, imitation is an efficient tool for two main adaptive functions: learning and communication. Imitation-based communication is available through the use of the two facets of imitation: imitating and being imitated. The two facets afford two roles that the partners can exchange as a turn-taking while they synchronize matched activities. Neuroimaging studies of interactive imitation have shown that such communicative systems involve a coordination of bottom-up and top-down processes. In this line, imitation is a booster of development that can also be of benefit for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. © 2015 The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology © 2015 Mac Keith Press.

Mineral waters, electricity, and hemlock: devising therapeutics for children in eighteenth-century institutions.

PubMed

Mathisen, Ashley

2013-01-01

The development of paediatric medicine as a formal field of medical specialisation is usually traced to the mid-nineteenth century at the earliest. While it is true that formal specialisation in children's medicine was not, on the whole, typical for eighteenth-century medical practitioners, many displayed a deep and lasting interest in the diseases of children, and were consequently eager to develop therapeutic practices which could be targeted at infants and children. This led to a variety of attempts at innovation, many of which benefitted from the co-operation of, and opportunities afforded by, institutions. By examining the efforts of several medical practitioners at the London Foundling Hospital and at the Dispensary for the Infant Poor, this article explores how eighteenth-century medical practitioners used their affiliations with institutions to address the problems of devising or adapting therapeutic practices and treatments for children. In tailoring medical practice to suit children and, more specifically, in using institutions to do so, medical practitioners were demonstrating that child patients required special consideration, that children's diseases could be managed medically and with the benefit of new approaches and methods, and that children's health, as a whole, was the province of medical practitioners.

Infant Neurosensory Development: Considerations for Infant Child Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Jennifer

2011-01-01

Infant brain development is a dynamic process dependent upon endogenous and exogenous stimulation and a supportive environment. A critical period of brain and neurosensory development occurs during the third trimester and into the "fourth" trimester (first three months of life). Disruption, damage, or deprivation in the infant's social and…

Lexical Development during Middle Infancy: A Mutually Driven Infant-Caregiver Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunham, Philip; Dunham, Frances

1992-01-01

Mothers' utterances were measured during interactions with their 13-month-old infants and correlated with measures of infants' productive lexical development at 13 and 24 months. Correlations between maternal measures and infants' lexical development were lower for employed mothers than for mothers who were full-time caregivers. (BC)

Prenatal and Postpartum Maternal Psychological Distress and Infant Development: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingston, Dawn; Tough, Suzanne; Whitfield, Heather

2012-01-01

Infant development plays a foundational role in optimal child development and health. Some studies have demonstrated an association between maternal psychological distress and infant outcomes, although the main emphasis has been on postpartum depression and infant-maternal attachment. Prevention and early intervention strategies would benefit from…

Effects of interstimulus intervals on behavioral, heart rate, and event-related potential indices of infant engagement and sustained attention

PubMed Central

Xie, Wanze; Richards, John E.

2016-01-01

Maximizing infant attention to stimulus presentation during an EEG or ERP experiment is important for making valid inferences about the neural correlates of infant cognition. The present study examined the effects of stimulus presentation interstimulus interval (ISI) on behavioral and physiological indices of infant attention including infants’ fixation to visual presentation, the amount of heart rate (HR) change during sustained attention, and ERP components. This study compared an ISI that is typically used in infant EEG/ERP studies (e.g., 1,500–2,000 ms) with two shorter durations (400–600 ms and 600–1,000 ms). Thirty-six infants were tested cross-sectionally at 3, 4.5, and 6 months. It was found that using the short (400–600 ms) and medium (600–1,000 ms) ISIs resulted in more visually fixated trials and reduced frequency of fixation disengagement per experimental block. We also found larger HR changes during sustained attention to both of the shorter ISIs compared with the long ISI, and larger ERP responses when using the medium ISI compared to using the short and long ISIs. These data suggest that utilizing an optimal ISI (e.g., 600– 1,000 ms), which increases the presentation complexity and provides sufficient time for information processing, can promote infant engagement and sustained attention during stimulus presentation. PMID:27159263

Stability of parental care across siblings from undisturbed and challenged pregnancies: intrinsic maternal dispositions of female rhesus monkeys.

PubMed

Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A; Phan, Jenny M; Lubach, Gabriele R; Crispen, Heather R; Coe, Christopher L

2013-11-01

The concept of fetal programming is based on the idea that the developmental trajectory of infants is adjusted in response to in utero conditions. In species with extended parental care, these prenatally derived tendencies are further substantiated by behavioral attributes of the mother during the postnatal period. We investigated the stability of maternal behavioral interactions with infant monkeys and carefully varied prenatal conditions across siblings reared by the same mother. We hypothesized that effects of prenatal disturbance and the infant's susceptibility would be differentially affected by maternal attributes. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we analyzed observational data on 121 rhesus macaques reared by a total of 35 multiparous mothers. A portion of the variance in 5 dyadic behaviors was statistically driven by the infant (or was unique to a particular mother-infant pair), but stable maternal propensities and a consistent style of care across siblings also substantially influenced behavioral interactions. Moreover, the magnitude and direction of the prenatal effects were contingent on a female's intrinsic dispositions. When mothers typically exhibited high levels of a corresponding behavior, responsiveness to infants was enhanced as a consequence of prenatal disturbance. The opposite was true for less expressive females. Challenges to the well-being of pregnancy thus served to accentuate maternal predispositions and served to magnify the range of variation in mother-infant behavior across the whole population.

Nutritional adequacy of goat milk infant formulas for term infants: a double-blind randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Zhou, Shao J; Sullivan, Thomas; Gibson, Robert A; Lönnerdal, Bo; Prosser, Colin G; Lowry, Dianne J; Makrides, Maria

2014-05-01

The safety and nutritional adequacy of goat milk infant formulas have been questioned. The primary aim of the present study was to compare the growth and nutritional status of infants fed a goat milk infant formula with those of infants fed a typical whey-based cow milk infant formula. The secondary aim was to examine a range of health- and allergy-related outcomes. A double-blind, randomised controlled trial with 200 formula-fed term infants randomly assigned to receive either goat or cow milk formula from 2 weeks to at least 4 months of age was conducted. A cohort of 101 breast-fed infants was included for comparison. Weight, length and head circumference were measured at 2 weeks and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 months of age. Nutritional status was assessed from serum albumin, urea, creatinine, Hb, ferritin, and folate and plasma amino acid concentrations at 4 months. Z-scores for weight, length, head circumference and weight for length were not different between the two formula-fed groups. There were differences in the values of some amino acids and blood biomarkers between the formula-fed groups, but the mean values for biomarkers were within the normal reference range. There were no differences in the occurrence of serious adverse events, general health, and incidence of dermatitis or medically diagnosed food allergy. The incidence of parentally reported blood-stained stools was higher in the goat milk formula-fed group, although this was a secondary outcome and its importance is unclear. Goat milk formula provided growth and nutritional outcomes in infants that did not differ from those provided by a standard whey-based cow milk formula.

Infant sleep development from 3 to 6 months postpartum: links with maternal sleep and paternal involvement.

PubMed

Tikotzky, Liat; Sadeh, Avi; Volkovich, Ella; Manber, Rachel; Meiri, Gal; Shahar, Golan

2015-03-01

The aims of this longitudinal study were to examine (a) development of infant sleep and maternal sleep from 3 to 6 months postpartum; (b) concomitant and prospective links between maternal sleep and infant sleep; and (c) triadic links between paternal involvement in infant caregiving and maternal and infant sleep. The study included 57 families that were recruited during pregnancy. Maternal and infant sleep was assessed using actigraphy and sleep diaries for 5 nights. Both fathers and mothers completed a questionnaire assessing the involvement of fathers relative to mothers in infant caregiving. The results demonstrated moderate improvement in infant and maternal sleep percent between 3 and 6 months. Maternal sleep percent at 3 months significantly predicted infant sleep percent at 6 months. Greater paternal involvement in infant daytime and nighttime caregiving at 3 months significantly predicted more consolidated maternal and infant sleep at 6 months. These findings suggest that maternal sleep is an important predictor of infant sleep and that increased involvement of fathers in infant caregiving responsibilities may contribute to improvements in both maternal and infant sleep during the first 6 months postpartum. © 2015 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Population pharmacokinetics and maximum a posteriori probability Bayesian estimator of abacavir: application of individualized therapy in HIV-infected infants and toddlers.

PubMed

Zhao, Wei; Cella, Massimo; Della Pasqua, Oscar; Burger, David; Jacqz-Aigrain, Evelyne

2012-04-01

Abacavir is used to treat HIV infection in both adults and children. The recommended paediatric dose is 8 mg kg(-1) twice daily up to a maximum of 300 mg twice daily. Weight was identified as the central covariate influencing pharmacokinetics of abacavir in children. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed to describe both once and twice daily pharmacokinetic profiles of abacavir in infants and toddlers. Standard dosage regimen is associated with large interindividual variability in abacavir concentrations. A maximum a posteriori probability Bayesian estimator of AUC(0-) (t) based on three time points (0, 1 or 2, and 3 h) is proposed to support area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) targeted individualized therapy in infants and toddlers. To develop a population pharmacokinetic model for abacavir in HIV-infected infants and toddlers, which will be used to describe both once and twice daily pharmacokinetic profiles, identify covariates that explain variability and propose optimal time points to optimize the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) targeted dosage and individualize therapy. The pharmacokinetics of abacavir was described with plasma concentrations from 23 patients using nonlinear mixed-effects modelling (NONMEM) software. A two-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination was developed. The final model was validated using bootstrap, visual predictive check and normalized prediction distribution errors. The Bayesian estimator was validated using the cross-validation and simulation-estimation method. The typical population pharmacokinetic parameters and relative standard errors (RSE) were apparent systemic clearance (CL) 13.4 () h−1 (RSE 6.3%), apparent central volume of distribution 4.94 () (RSE 28.7%), apparent peripheral volume of distribution 8.12 () (RSE14.2%), apparent intercompartment clearance 1.25 () h−1 (RSE 16.9%) and absorption rate constant 0.758 h−1 (RSE 5.8%). The covariate analysis identified weight as the individual factor influencing the apparent oral clearance: CL = 13.4 × (weight/12)1.14. The maximum a posteriori probability Bayesian estimator, based on three concentrations measured at 0, 1 or 2, and 3 h after drug intake allowed predicting individual AUC0–t. The population pharmacokinetic model developed for abacavir in HIV-infected infants and toddlers accurately described both once and twice daily pharmacokinetic profiles. The maximum a posteriori probability Bayesian estimator of AUC(0-) (t) was developed from the final model and can be used routinely to optimize individual dosing. © 2011 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology © 2011 The British Pharmacological Society.

Unusually long survival after autografting in second partial remission of translocation t(4;11) acute infant leukemia.

PubMed

Emminger, W; Emminger-Schmidmeier, W; Ambros, P; Haas, O A; Höcker, P; Köller, U; Gadner, H

1991-10-01

About 70% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia may be cured by conventional chemotherapy. The prognosis is considerably worse in infant leukemia with a translocation t(4;11). We report an infant with a diagnosis of cytochemically undifferentiated acute hybrid leukemia (pre pre B-ALL coexpressing one myelomonocytic marker) and t(4;11). Initial clinical presentation and the course of the disease were typical for t(4;11) acute leukemia. After an early hematologic relapse intensive chemotherapy resulted only in a second partial remission 7 months after initial diagnosis. Subsequent bone marrow transplantation with 16 mg/kg busulfan and 200 mg/kg cyclophosphamide followed by the infusion of autologous purged bone marrow resulted in a continuous second remission which has lasted 46 months so far.

Digestive tract absorption of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls in a nursing infant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McLachlan, M.S.

The digestive tract absorption of environmental contaminants is an important but poorly understood parameter in contaminant is an important but poorly understood parameter in contaminant risk assessments. The net absorption of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls in a nursing infant was measured under natural conditions over 12 days. The levels of the substances in the mother's milk were typical for Germany. It was found that for almost all congeners over 90% of the ingested compound was absorbed. This indicates that the common assumption of 100% absorption in nursing infants is reasonable. No firm conclusions could be drawn regarding the absorptionmore » of Cl7- and Cl8DD/F due to high blank levels in the cotton diapers used.« less

The Infant Microbiome: Implications for Infant Health and Neurocognitive Development

PubMed Central

Yang, Irene; Corwin, Elizabeth J.; Brennan, Patricia A.; Jordan, Sheila; Murphy, Jordan R.; Dunlop, Anne

2015-01-01

Background Beginning at birth, the microbes in the gut perform essential duties related to the digestion and metabolism of food, the development and activation of the immune system, and the production of neurotransmitters that affect behavior and cognitive function. Objectives The objectives of this review are to: (a) provide a brief overview of the microbiome and the “microbiome-gut-brain axis”; (b) discuss factors known to affect the composition of the infant microbiome: mode of delivery, antibiotic exposure, and infant feeding patterns; and (c) present research priorities for nursing science, and clinical implications for infant health and neurocognitive development. Discussion The gut microbiome influences immunological, endocrine, and neural pathways and plays an important role in infant development. Several factors influence colonization of the infant gut microbiome. Different microbial colonization patterns are associated with vaginal versus surgical birth, exposure to antibiotics, and infant feeding patterns. Because of extensive physiological influence, infant microbial colonization patterns have the potential to impact physical and neurocognitive development and life course disease risk. Understanding these influences will inform newborn care and parental education. PMID:26657483

Kangaroo mother care may help oral growth and development in premature infants.

PubMed

Zhang, Feng; Liu, Shoutao

2012-08-01

Premature infants have a shorter prenatal development period and are prone to many serious medical problems during neonatal period. This may impact the development of oral tissues, as manifested by enamel hypoplasia, palatal distortion, malocclusion, or delay in tooth eruption and maturation. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a standardized and protocol-based care system for premature infants, based on skin-to-skin contact between the infant and their mother. Kangaroo mother care has been demonstrated to greatly improve the nurturing of premature infants and comparatively reduce the risk factors of oral defects. We hypothesize that KMC also facilitates oral growth and development in premature infants.

Early social-emotional development in blind infants.

PubMed

Tröster, H; Brambring, M

1992-01-01

In order to study the impact of blindness on social and emotional development during the first year of life, the level of social-emotional development was compared in blind and sighted 9- and 12-month-old infants. The five 9-month-old and the 17 12-month-old blind infants were completely blind from birth and exhibited no further serious disabilities. Social-emotional development was assessed with a scale from the Bielefeld Developmental Test for Blind Infants and Preschoolers containing three subscales on emotions, social interaction and impulse control. Compared to non-disabled infants, blind infants exhibited a more limited repertoire of facial expressions and less responsiveness. They less frequently attempted to initiate contact with their mothers (self-initiated interactions) or comply with simple requests and prohibitions than sighted infants. These differences in the social-emotional development of blind and sighted infants are traced back to the effects of blindness on the mother-child interaction. The lack of visual perception appears to impede particularly the acquisition of a dialogue concept.

Motor development of preterm infants assessed by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale: systematic review article.

PubMed

Fuentefria, Rubia do N; Silveira, Rita C; Procianoy, Renato S

Premature newborns are considered at risk for motor development deficits, leading to the need for monitoring in early life. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature about gross motor development of preterm infants, assessed by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) to identify the main outcomes in development. Systematic review of studies published from 2006 to 2015, indexed in Pubmed, Scielo, Lilacs, and Medline databases in English and Portuguese. The search strategy included the keywords: Alberta Infant Motor Scale, prematurity, preterm, motor development, postural control, and follow-up. A total of 101 articles were identified and 23 were selected, according to the inclusion criteria. The ages of the children assessed in the studies varied, including the first 6 months up to 15 or 18 months of corrected age. The percentage variation in motor delay was identified in the motor outcome descriptions of ten studies, ranging from 4% to 53%, depending on the age when the infant was assessed. The studies show significant differences in the motor development of preterm and full-term infants, with a description of lower gross scores in the AIMS results of preterm infants. It is essential that the follow-up services of at-risk infants have assessment strategies and monitoring of gross motor development of preterm infants; AIMS is an assessment tool indicated to identify atypical motor development in this population. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda.

Evaluation of motor and cognitive development among infants exposed to HIV.

PubMed

da Silva, Kaitiana Martins; de Sá, Cristina Dos Santos Cardoso; Carvalho, Raquel

2017-02-01

This study of a prospective and cross-sectional nature compared the motor and cognitive development of HIV-exposed and unexposed infants in their first 18months of age. 40 infants exposed to HIV and antiretroviral therapy (Experimental Group - EG) and 40 unexposed infants (Control Group - CG) participated in the study. They were divided into four age groups of 4, 8, 12 and 18months old, with 10 infants from EG and 10 from CG in each group. The infants were evaluated once on motor and cognitive development by the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development. Performance category grading and comparisons among scaled score, composite score and percentile rank were held. There was significant group effect for scores in motor and cognitive domains showing lower scores for EG regardless of age. In comparison to the CG, the EG presented lower scores for cognitive domain at 8 and 18months. In the performance categories, all infants were classified at or above the average for motor and cognitive development, except of one EG-18month old infant classified as borderline for motor development. Infants exposed to HIV and antiretroviral therapy own adequate cognitive and motor development in the first 18months. However, the lower scores found, particularly on the 8th and 18th month for cognitive development, may indicate future problems, highlighting the need for systematic follow-up of this population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A prelinguistic gestural universal of human communication.

PubMed

Liszkowski, Ulf; Brown, Penny; Callaghan, Tara; Takada, Akira; de Vos, Conny

2012-01-01

Several cognitive accounts of human communication argue for a language-independent, prelinguistic basis of human communication and language. The current study provides evidence for the universality of a prelinguistic gestural basis for human communication. We used a standardized, semi-natural elicitation procedure in seven very different cultures around the world to test for the existence of preverbal pointing in infants and their caregivers. Results were that by 10-14 months of age, infants and their caregivers pointed in all cultures in the same basic situation with similar frequencies and the same proto-typical morphology of the extended index finger. Infants' pointing was best predicted by age and caregiver pointing, but not by cultural group. Further analyses revealed a strong relation between the temporal unfolding of caregivers' and infants' pointing events, uncovering a structure of early prelinguistic gestural conversation. Findings support the existence of a gestural, language-independent universal of human communication that forms a culturally shared, prelinguistic basis for diversified linguistic communication. Copyright © 2012 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Risk status for dropping out of developmental followup for very low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Catlett, A T; Thompson, R J; Johndrow, D A; Boshkoff, M R

1993-01-01

Not keeping scheduled visits for medical care is a major health care issue. Little research has addressed how the interaction of demographic and biomedical parameters with psychosocial processes has an impact on appointment keeping. Typical factors are stress of daily living, methods of coping, social support, and instrumental support (that is, tangible assistance). In this study, the authors examine the role of these parameters and processes in the risk status for dropping out of a developmental followup program for very low birth weight infants. The findings suggest that the stress of daily living is a significant predictor for the mother's return when the infant is 6 months of age (corrected for prematurity). The predictors for return at 24 months corrected age include marital status, race, gestational age of the infant, maternal intelligence, and efficacy expectations. Providing transportation was found to be a successful intervention strategy for a subgroup at very high risk for dropping out due to a constellation of biomedical, demographic, and psychosocial factors.

Risk status for dropping out of developmental followup for very low birth weight infants.

PubMed Central

Catlett, A T; Thompson, R J; Johndrow, D A; Boshkoff, M R

1993-01-01

Not keeping scheduled visits for medical care is a major health care issue. Little research has addressed how the interaction of demographic and biomedical parameters with psychosocial processes has an impact on appointment keeping. Typical factors are stress of daily living, methods of coping, social support, and instrumental support (that is, tangible assistance). In this study, the authors examine the role of these parameters and processes in the risk status for dropping out of a developmental followup program for very low birth weight infants. The findings suggest that the stress of daily living is a significant predictor for the mother's return when the infant is 6 months of age (corrected for prematurity). The predictors for return at 24 months corrected age include marital status, race, gestational age of the infant, maternal intelligence, and efficacy expectations. Providing transportation was found to be a successful intervention strategy for a subgroup at very high risk for dropping out due to a constellation of biomedical, demographic, and psychosocial factors. PMID:8210257

Performance on a stage IV object-permanence task with standard and nonstandard covers.

PubMed

Rader, N; Spiro, D J; Firestone, P B

1979-09-01

Piaget's description of object concept development is based on success in performing a series of search tasks. However, failure to perform successfully may result from undeveloped aspects of the cognitive or motor system unrelated to a concept of objects. This study examined the role of perceptual-motor development in a typical Stage IV task by comparing performance given a standard cloth cover or a small card cover. Subjects were 10 infants 147--187 days old (median age = 160 days). A pass was defined as the retrieval of the toy within 30 sec on 2 out of 3 trials. The difference in performance between the 2 cover conditions was significant (p = .032). These results advise caution in interpreting Stage IV performance in terms of a developing object concept.

Dynamics and complexity of body temperature in preterm infants nursed in incubators

PubMed Central

Jost, Kerstin; Pramana, Isabelle; Delgado-Eckert, Edgar; Kumar, Nitin; Datta, Alexandre N.; Frey, Urs; Schulzke, Sven M.

2017-01-01

Background Poor control of body temperature is associated with mortality and major morbidity in preterm infants. We aimed to quantify its dynamics and complexity to evaluate whether indices from fluctuation analyses of temperature time series obtained within the first five days of life are associated with gestational age (GA) and body size at birth, and presence and severity of typical comorbidities of preterm birth. Methods We recorded 3h-time series of body temperature using a skin electrode in incubator-nursed preterm infants. We calculated mean and coefficient of variation of body temperature, scaling exponent alpha (Talpha) derived from detrended fluctuation analysis, and sample entropy (TSampEn) of temperature fluctuations. Data were analysed by multilevel multivariable linear regression. Results Data of satisfactory technical quality were obtained from 285/357 measurements (80%) in 73/90 infants (81%) with a mean (range) GA of 30.1 (24.0–34.0) weeks. We found a positive association of Talpha with increasing levels of respiratory support after adjusting for GA and birth weight z-score (p<0.001; R2 = 0.38). Conclusion Dynamics and complexity of body temperature in incubator-nursed preterm infants show considerable associations with GA and respiratory morbidity. Talpha may be a useful marker of autonomic maturity and severity of disease in preterm infants. PMID:28448569

Infant Responsiveness, Alertness, Hemoglobin and Growth in Rural Sidama, Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Aubuchon-Endsley, Nicki L.; Grant, Stephanie L.; Thomas, David G.; Kennedy, Tay S.; Berhanu, Getenesh; Stoecker, Barbara J.; Hubbs-Tait, Laura; Hambidge, K. Michael

2011-01-01

Several recent studies have supported relations between infant behavior (alertness and responsiveness) and nutrition (e.g. Dempsey 2008, Wachs et al 2005) in addition to investigating infant behavior within the context of changes in iron status over time (e.g. Black et al. 2004, Murray-Kolb & Beard 2009). Existing research is typically limited to investigation of the effects of a single vitamin or mineral and no studies have been found that examined the influence that early alertness and responsiveness have on growth in early infancy, despite the fact that relations between behavior and nutritional status may be bidirectional (Hulthén 2003). The current study used a sample of Ethiopian infants and investigated anthropometrics, hemoglobin, the frequency of alertness, and the frequency of responsiveness at 6 and 9 months of age. Six-month weight-for-age predicted 9-month frequency of alertness, while 6-month hemoglobin predicted 9-month frequency of responsiveness. Compared to responsive infants, non-responsive infants at 6 months remained more non-responsive at 9 months, though weight-for-age for both groups converged at 9 months. Results support relations between nutrition and behavior (alertness and responsiveness) and provide evidence of a potentially useful tool (the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery [Lab-TAB]) that was adapted to evaluate these relations in Ethiopia. PMID:22233352

Dynamics and complexity of body temperature in preterm infants nursed in incubators.

PubMed

Jost, Kerstin; Pramana, Isabelle; Delgado-Eckert, Edgar; Kumar, Nitin; Datta, Alexandre N; Frey, Urs; Schulzke, Sven M

2017-01-01

Poor control of body temperature is associated with mortality and major morbidity in preterm infants. We aimed to quantify its dynamics and complexity to evaluate whether indices from fluctuation analyses of temperature time series obtained within the first five days of life are associated with gestational age (GA) and body size at birth, and presence and severity of typical comorbidities of preterm birth. We recorded 3h-time series of body temperature using a skin electrode in incubator-nursed preterm infants. We calculated mean and coefficient of variation of body temperature, scaling exponent alpha (Talpha) derived from detrended fluctuation analysis, and sample entropy (TSampEn) of temperature fluctuations. Data were analysed by multilevel multivariable linear regression. Data of satisfactory technical quality were obtained from 285/357 measurements (80%) in 73/90 infants (81%) with a mean (range) GA of 30.1 (24.0-34.0) weeks. We found a positive association of Talpha with increasing levels of respiratory support after adjusting for GA and birth weight z-score (p<0.001; R2 = 0.38). Dynamics and complexity of body temperature in incubator-nursed preterm infants show considerable associations with GA and respiratory morbidity. Talpha may be a useful marker of autonomic maturity and severity of disease in preterm infants.

Beriberi (Thiamine Deficiency) and High Infant Mortality in Northern Laos

PubMed Central

Barennes, Hubert; Sengkhamyong, Khouanheuan; René, Jean Pascal; Phimmasane, Maniphet

2015-01-01

Background Infantile beriberi (thiamine deficiency) occurs mainly in infants breastfed by mothers with inadequate intake of thiamine, typically among vulnerable populations. We describe possible and probable cases of infantile thiamine deficiency in northern Laos. Methodology/Principal Findings Three surveys were conducted in Luang Namtha Province. First, we performed a retrospective survey of all infants with a diagnosis of thiamine deficiency admitted to the 5 hospitals in the province (2007–2009). Second, we prospectively recorded all infants with cardiac failure at Luang Namtha Hospital. Third, we further investigated all mothers with infants (1–6 months) living in 22 villages of the thiamine deficiency patients’ origin. We performed a cross-sectional survey of all mothers and infants using a pre-tested questionnaire, physical examination and squat test. Infant mortality was estimated by verbal autopsy. From March to June 2010, four suspected infants with thiamine deficiency were admitted to Luang Namtha Provincial hospital. All recovered after parenteral thiamine injection. Between 2007 and 2009, 54 infants with possible/probable thiamine deficiency were diagnosed with acute severe cardiac failure, 49 (90.2%) were cured after parenteral thiamine; three died (5.6%). In the 22 villages, of 468 live born infants, 50 (10.6%, 95% CI: 8.0–13.8) died during the first year. A peak of mortality (36 deaths) was reported between 1 and 3 months. Verbal autopsy suggested that 17 deaths (3.6%) were due to suspected infantile thiamine deficiency. Of 127 mothers, 60 (47.2%) reported edema and paresthesia as well as a positive squat test during pregnancy; 125 (98.4%) respected post-partum food avoidance and all ate polished rice. Of 127 infants, 2 (1.6%) had probable thiamine deficiency, and 8 (6.8%) possible thiamine deficiency. Conclusion Thiamine deficiency may be a major cause of infant mortality among ethnic groups in northern Laos. Mothers’ and children’s symptoms are compatible with thiamine deficiency. The severity of this nutritional situation requires urgent attention in Laos. PMID:25781926