Research Project
2315962
The overall goal of the project is to develop and refine a method for analyzing newborn infant cries which will predict developmental outcome at age 2 1/2. In addition, this project will test two other instruments: cardio-respiratory coherence (CRC) and the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence (FTII). The objectives of the project are to: (1) demonstrate that acoustical analysis of the infant cry can be used as a non-invasive screening test for the identificaiton of infants at increased risk for mental retardation or developmental disabilities as a result of bieng small for gestational age, preterm or confined to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. (2) select 160 high risk infants from NICU's in each of two hospitals and a group of 40 healthy controls from each hospital to be tested with the cry analysis instrument. (3) assess cardio-respiratory coherence in these same infants at both hospitals. (4) administer the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 6 months corrected for gestational age to all infants at the two home sites. (5) test all subjects at age 2 1/2 (C.G.A) with the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test as well as a neurologic examination. (6) field test the infant cry analysis in a group constituted as the development samples (200 infants with the characteristics stated in (2) above).
