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Very-low-birth-weight infants are those born at less than 1,500 grams (3.3 pounds). The mental and physical development of these infants has been studied by assessing the incidence of serious abnormalities, such as cerebral palsy and mental retardation, which are readily detected in infancy and early childhood. However, few studies have investigated the development of very-low-birth-weight infants who do not exhibit these relatively rare and serious developmental disabilities. It was hypothesized that they would have more subtle, but still significant, developmental deficits. A study was conducted to evaluate their mental and motor performance at one year of age. Sixty-one very-low-birth-weight babies with no major mental, motor, or sensory deficits were compared with 28 infants born at full term. One third of the very-low-birth-weight babies exhibited significant delays (at least eight weeks) in fine motor control and language development. Factors linked to these deficits included lower birth weight, more days spent in the hospital after birth, and medical complications, such as intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain). The results demonstrate that global (general) developmental testing is not adequate for this high-risk group; instead they should be thoroughly evaluated for all types of behavior. More research is needed to assess whether these developmental delays persist and affect learning in school. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Abstract. The effect of maternal heroin and methadone use on head growth and neurodevelopmental performance was studied in preschool children of untreated heroin addicts (n = 25), women receiving methadone therapy (n = 26), and a drug-free comparison group (n = 41) who had been followed from birth. The mean birth head circumference of both groups of drug-exposed infants was significantly below that of the comparison group; however, the only factors determined by multiple regression analysis as associated with head size at birth were maternal nutritional status and birth weight. By preschool age, head size did not differ significantly among groups. The factors associated with postnatal head growth were birth weight, intrapartum risk score, and race. Data show an increased incidence of low-average and mildly retarded intellectual performance in the drugexposed children. Regression analyses demonstrated that amount of prenatal care, prenatal risk score, and home environment were most predictive of intellectual performance and that the degree of maternal narcotic use was not a significant factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Disturbances of growth and behavior in infants and toddlers of women addicted to heroin during pregnancy have been reported in uncontrolled studies. In this study, 3-to 6-year-old children of heroin-addicted mothers were compared to three other groups matched for age, race, sex, birth weight, and socioeconomic status. Heroin-exposed children weighed less and were shorter than those in the comparison groups; 14% had a head circumference below the third percentile. Heroin-exposed children were rated by parents as less well adjusted than control children and they differed significantly in perceptual measures and on subtests of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities and McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities relating to the process of organization. These findings suggest that chronic intrauterine exposure to heroin may affect growth and behavior as well as perceptual and learning processes in preschool children. Pediatrics 63:135-141, 1979, heroin, behavioral teratology, growth, development, abstinence syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]