A high incidence of social, behavioral and learning problems have recently been reported in school age children born at very low birth weight (VLBW). However, the basis of these problems is unclear. In their ongoing longitudinal studies of VLBW children's development, the investigators have identified deficits in the development of self-regulation and executive processing skills (SR/EP skills) which they have hypothesized may be an important contributing factor to these later difficulties. These deficits have been identified for a large cohort of tri-ethnic, socially disadvantaged, medically high risk and low risk VLBW children compared with demographically similar full-term controls followed from 6 months through 4 years of age. Objectives for this continuation study include continued evaluation of growth in SR/EP skills across four age points (3,4,6, and 8 years) and their influence on later social, behavioral, and learning outcomes at 8 years. At 3 and 4 years of age, the children were evaluated for growth in four areas related to SR/EP abilities (i.e. delayed search skills, independent goal-directed play, social initiative, social responsiveness. The investigators propose to continue study of these same areas of ability at 6 and 8 years of age. Four age points will allow the investigators to evaluate complex patterns of growth like those which proved significant in earlier studies of this sample. Both groups of VLBW children are expected to display slower rates of development of SR/EP skills based on findings that at 3 and 4 years. This slower rate of development is expected to predict lower scores on social, behavioral, and learning outcomes at 8 years of age that also place demands on children's regulation and organization of their behavior and flexibility in problem solving, including the presence of learning and attentional problems. The 8 year outcomes include peer competency, impulse control, and cognitive flexibility in social and nonsocial situations as well as measures of intelligence, adaptive behavior, academic and attentional skills. Measures of children's biological risk, neuromotor, cognitive-linguistic, and joint attention development and mothers' behavior collected in the first 24 months of life, will also be used in this study to examine the early precursors to the development of SR/EP skills. This study offers an opportunity to investigate whether there is a direct link between problems in the early development of SR/EP skills and the social, behavioral, and learning problems reported for VLBW children by 8 years. Empirical information on the developmental origins of these later school age problems would have important theoretical implications as few studies have examined this question.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD025128-08
Application #
2673575
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG2-BEM (03))
Project Start
1994-09-06
Project End
2001-08-31
Budget Start
1998-09-01
Budget End
1999-08-31
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77225
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Frye, Richard E; Hasan, Khader; Malmberg, Benjamin et al. (2010) Superior longitudinal fasciculus and cognitive dysfunction in adolescents born preterm and at term. Dev Med Child Neurol 52:760-6
Frye, Richard E; Malmberg, Benjamin; Desouza, Laura et al. (2009) Increased prefrontal activation in adolescents born prematurely at high risk during a reading task. Brain Res 1303:111-9
Frye, Richard E; Landry, Susan H; Swank, Paul R et al. (2009) Executive dysfunction in poor readers born prematurely at high risk. Dev Neuropsychol 34:254-71
Landry, Susan H; Smith, Karen E; Swank, Paul R (2009) New directions in evaluating social problem solving in childhood: early precursors and links to adolescent social competence. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2009:51-68
Smith, Karen E; Keeney, Susan; Zhang, Lifang et al. (2008) The association of early blood oxygenation with child development in preterm infants with acute respiratory disorders. Int J Dev Neurosci 26:125-31
Smith, Karen E; Landry, Susan H; Swank, Paul R (2006) The role of early maternal responsiveness in supporting school-aged cognitive development for children who vary in birth status. Pediatrics 117:1608-17
Smith, Karen E; Landry, Susan H; Swank, Paul R (2005) The influence of decreased parental resources on the efficacy of a responsive parenting intervention. J Consult Clin Psychol 73:711-20
Assel, M A; Landry, S H; Swank, P R et al. (2002) How do mothers' childrearing histories, stress and parenting affect children's behavioural outcomes? Child Care Health Dev 28:359-68

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