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Identifying Infants and Toddlers at High Risk for Persistent Delays

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Abstract

Objectives Little is known about the extent to which a developmental delay identified in infancy persists into early childhood. This study examined the persistence of developmental delays in a large nationally representative sample of infants and toddlers who did not receive early intervention. Methods In a sample (n ≈ 8700) derived from the early childhood longitudinal study, birth cohort, we examined developmental changes between 9 and 24 months. Motor and cognitive delays were categorized as none, mild, and moderate/severe. Adjusted ordinal logistic regression models estimated the likelihood of worse developmental delay at 24 months. Results About 24 % of children had a cognitive delay and 27 % had a motor delay at either 9- or 24-months. About 77 % of children with mild and 70 % of children with moderate/severe cognitive or motor developmental delay at 9-months had no delay at 24-months. Children with mild cognitive delay at 9-months had 2.4 times the odds of having worse cognitive function at 24-months compared to children with no cognitive delay at 9 months. Children with moderate/severe cognitive delay at 9-months had three times the odds of having worse cognitive abilities at 24-months than children who had no cognitive delay at 9-months. Similar results were found for motor skills. Conclusions Developmental delays in infants are changeable, often resolving without treatment. This work provides knowledge about baseline trajectories of infants without and without cognitive and motor delays. It documents the proportion of children’s delays that are likely to be outgrown without EI and the rate at which typically-developing infants are likely to display developmental delays at 2-years of age.

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Abbreviations

ECLS-B:

Early childhood longitudinal study, birth cohort

EI:

Early intervention

BSF-R:

Bayley short form-research edition

BSID-II:

Bayley scales of infant development, second edition

IRT:

Item response theory

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by grants awarded to JFK Partners, University of Colorado School of Medicine from the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Grant 90DD0699, and the Maternal Child Health Bureau, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Grant T73MC11044 .

Author Contributions

Beth M. McManus: Dr. McManus conceptualized the study, conducted analyses, and wrote and revised manuscript drafts. Steven Rosenberg: Dr. Rosenberg conceptualized the study and wrote and revised manuscript drafts. Cordelia Robinson: Dr. Robison oversaw the analytic approach and reviewed and revised manuscript drafts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Systems, Management and Policy, Colorado School of Public Health, Children’s Outcomes Research Group, Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13001 E. 17th Place, MS B117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Beth M. McManus

  2. JFK Partners, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Cordelia C. Robinson

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Steven A. Rosenberg

Authors
  1. Beth M. McManus
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  2. Cordelia C. Robinson
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  3. Steven A. Rosenberg
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Correspondence to Beth M. McManus.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose, financial or otherwise. All authors listed on the manuscript have seen and approved the submission of this version of the manuscript and take full responsibility for the manuscript.

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McManus, B.M., Robinson, C.C. & Rosenberg, S.A. Identifying Infants and Toddlers at High Risk for Persistent Delays. Matern Child Health J 20, 639–645 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1863-2

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