Predictors of Developmental Outcome in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Sociodemographic and biomedical predictors of development in very low birth weight (VLBW, #lt 1500 g) infants were examined in 85 VLBW infants (between the ages of 6 and 24 months) from racially and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. Development was evaluated by the Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screener (BINS), the Clinical Adaptive Test#shClinical Linguistic Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT#shCLAMS) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-ll (BSID-ll). Low Income and greater frequency of medical problems predicted developmental risk on the BSID-ll. In two-parent households, paternal education predicted developmental scores. Several individual biomedical factors (e.g., gender, IVH, and low Apgar score) distinguished infants rated as high vs. low risk on the BINS. Even In severely compromised children, both demographic and biomedical risk factors affect development Sample characteristics and instrumentation may influence results even in same data sets.