Development from birth to 3 years of age of 15 children at high risk for central nervous system dysfunction. Interim report.

The purposes of this study were to determine if a group of infants at high risk for later developmental abnormality could be selected on the basis of large numbers of serious neonatal problems, ascertain how early developmental outcome could be predicted, and document the development of the infants longitudinally during the first year of life. Fifteen infants were selected on the basis of high scores on a neonatal risk assessment scale. They were examined with a variety of developmental tests at regular intervals during their first year, at age 2 years, and at age 3 years. The results suggest that the selection process successfully identified a group of infants with developmental problems and that motor performance at 3 months was predictive of neurologic outcome at 3 years. Different patterns of neuromotor development in the first year were identified among those infants with severe cerebral palsy, those with milder neurologic problems, and those with apparently normal outcome.