Interaction Pattern and Developmental Outcome of Infants with Severe Asphyxia

Seven full-term infants with severe encephalopathy following perinatal asphyxia were followed longitudinally to 2 years of age to determine health and developmental outcome and to investigate mother-infant interaction patterns over time. Infants received either ongoing or follow-up intervention that differed in terms of intensity and focus of intervention procedures. Developmental assessment scores at 12 and 24 months of age indicated that all infants except one demonstrated varying degrees of delayed development. Five infants were diagnosed with cerebral palsy at or before their 12-month follow-up clinic visit. One was diagnosed with and one remained without evidence of cerebral palsy at the 24-month visit. Mother-infant interactions differentiated among degree of infant disability at outcome where medical signs alone were unreliable predictors of later developmental outcome. Interactions between mothers and their infants upon discharge from the hospital differentiated babies with severe disability from those with moderate, minimal, or no disability. At 6 months, interaction patterns were different for all levels of disability, and these differences remained at 12 months.