INDIVIDUAL PAPER AND INDIVIDUAL POSTER: ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM (C)
XIIth European Conference on Developmental Psychology Submission
Deadline: December 1, 2004
Please indicate what type of abstract you are submitting by putting an “X” on the appropriate line
either _x_ Individual Paper
_x_ Individual Poster
Max. 200 words. Font: Times New Roman, 12 points. Please send your abstract by e-mail or regular mail.
Title of the individual Paper/ Poster: Differences
in Developmental Trajectories as a Function of
Age and Weight at Birth in Premature Infants
M. Gardner1,2, Bernard Z. Karmel1,2, Anthony Barone2, Anantham Harin2, &
Michael J. Flory1
Name(s): Judith
Address of Institution(s): 1NYS
Institute for Basic Research, 1050 Forest Hill Rd., Staten
Island, NY 10314, and 2St. Vincents Catholic Medical Centers of NY, St. Vincent's Staten
Island, 355 Bard Ave., Staten Island, NY 10310 USA
Tel: +1-718-494-5178
Fax: +1-718-494-4806
E-mail: karmelgardner@si.rr.com
Major advances in pre- and postnatal care have produced a growing number of infants
with shorter gestations, lower birth weight (BW), and the products of multiple birth.
However, long-term outcome is poorly understood. We will report on early medical
indices used for predicting neurofunctional outcome over the first two years in 318
surviving infants born ≤ 32 weeks gestational age (GA) weighing ≤ 1500 g, who were
part of a developmental follow-up study of at-risk infants from birth to 5 years (21%
were ≤ 26 weeks and 17% were ≤ 750 g). Bayley Scales of Infant Development were
administered every three months from 4-25 months. Multiple regression indicated no
significant differences in GA or BW due to gender, ethnicity, or maternal education.
Hierarchical regression indicated as GA or BW decreased, there were different functions
across the Mental Development Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Development Index
(PDI). PDI tended to be lower and decreased more rapidly, the lower the GA or BW
over age at test. Increased severity of CNS injury also predicted lower MDI and PDI
across age. Severity of CNS injury combined with degree of immaturity predicted
developmental trajectories best, increasing multiple R from .40 to .50