Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2013 May;34(5):1721-30.
doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.02.010. Epub 2013 Mar 15.

Assessment and stability of early learning abilities in preterm and full-term infants across the first two years of life

Michele A Lobo  1 , James C Galloway
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Assessment and stability of early learning abilities in preterm and full-term infants across the first two years of life

Michele A Lobo et al. Res Dev Disabil. 2013 May.

Abstract

Infants born preterm have increased risk for learning disabilities yet we lack assessments to successfully detect these disabilities in early life. We followed 23 full-term and 29 preterm infants from birth through 24 months to assess for differences in and stability of learning abilities across time. Measures included the Bayley-III cognitive subscale, the mobile paradigm assessment, and a means-end learning assessment. Preterm infants had poorer performance on measures of cognition and learning across the first two years of life. Learning performance at 3-4 months was consistent with learning performance at 12-24 months of age. At 3-4 months, the mobile paradigm had better sensitivity and predictive values for predicting 24-month cognitive delays on the Bayley-III than did the Bayley-III itself. At 12-18 months, the means-end learning assessment had better sensitivity than the Bayley-III for identifying 24-month cognitive delays on the Bayley-III. The results suggest that: (1) infants born preterm may demonstrate learning differences as early as the first few months of life, (2) learning differences identified in the first months of life are likely to persist throughout the second year of life, and (3) learning assessments that measure how infants and toddlers use their typical behaviors to problem-solve to control external events may be more effective than traditional standardized assessment tools for detecting early learning delays.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
In the mobile paradigm assessment, we determined if infants 3 to 4 months of age could learn that kicks of their tethered leg would result in movement of an overhead mobile. We used infants’ cribs when they were available and fit the mobile apparatus (A). We used supports made of plastic piping in other instances (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2
In the means-end learning assessment, we determined if infants 12 to 24 months of age could learn to activate lights and sound on a distant toy by simultaneously pressing down two proximal switches with their hands.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bayley N. Bayley Scales of Infant Development. 3rd edition ed. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation; 2006.
    1. Crnic KA, Ragozin AS, Greenberg MT, Robinson NM, Basham RB. Social interaction and developmental competence of preterm and full-term infants during the 1st year of life. Child Development. 1983;54(5):1199–1210. - PubMed
    1. Disabilities, C. o. C. W. Identifying infants and young children with developmental disorders in the medical home: An algorith for developmental surveillance and screening. Pediatrics. 2006;118(1):405–420. - PubMed
    1. Dutta T. Evaluation of the Kinect (TM) sensor for 3-D kinematic measurement in the workplace. Applied Ergonomics. 2012;43(4):645–649. - PubMed
    1. Flynn JR. Massive IQ gains in 14 nations: What IQ tests really measure. Psychological Bulletin. 1987;101:171–191.

Publication types

MeSH terms