More babies of very young mothers (under age 16) die, are medically at risk, and have developmental and educational difficulties than children of older, but still relatively young mothers. Because of the etiology of adolescent pregnancy, the young mother is unlikely to seek comprehensive prenatal care at the first realization of pregnancy. In…

A review of research on the effects of alcohol consumption by pregnant women supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's warning about the possible negative effects (learning disabilities, hyperactivity, short attention span, and emotional liability) of children. (Author/CL)

At least 30 percent of newborn children of alcoholic mothers are affected severely by the fetal alcohol syndrome and 40-45 percent show some stigmata. Risks to offspring of mothers who drink occasionally or binge drink are not clear, but the danger is probably greatest in the first trimester of pregnancy. (CMG)

The autistic syndrome is considered in the context of a disorder of brain development. The authors conclude that disruption of developmental loci most probably occurs in the end stages of neuronal development, after migrating neurons have reached their final place in the brain and are elaborating communicative processes. (Author)

Administered the Simple Adjective Test to 35 black South-African women in early pregnancy to explore association of maternal dominance and male births. Responses revealed that above-average dominance in mothers may be linked to higher number of male births. (LBT)

Since the identification of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) over 35 years ago, mounting evidence about the impact of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy has prompted increased attention to the link between prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and a constellation of developmental disabilities that are characterized by physical, cognitive, and…

In planning interventions it is essential to understand how adverse risk factors in early childhood are associated with child mental health problems, whether some types of problems can be better explained by the specific risk factors, and whether early risk factors are differently related to different types of child behavior problems. A community…

While Gottlieb recognized the significance of biological factors for behavioral development, the system of psychology he developed did not cast the discipline as a purely biological science. Rather, genes, brains, hormones were understood by him as participating, rather than causal factors in behavioral origins. He worked from two basic principles…

To test the hypothesis that social rearing may induce malleability, socially reared and socially isolated mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos, embryos and hatchlings were exposed to the maternal call of a chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus, until 48 h after hatching. The hatchlings were then tested with the chicken call versus the mallard maternal…

These three separate pamphlets provide background information, brief discussions of research findings, and guidelines and recommendations concerning selected aspects of diet. The first pamphlet discusses food additives and hyperactivity, focusing on both the Feingold theory and controlled experiments which do not support Feingold's clinical…

Paper presented at the Merrill-Palmer Conference on Research and Teaching of Infant Development, February 13-15, 1970. (JE)

Physical patterns of fifty children (6-17 years old) with learning disabilities were examined. An increase in variations that arose later than the first three months of prenatal developmental was statistically significant. Findings suggested that the developmental disturbances resulting in morphological variants may act later in prenatal…

The last decades, an increasing literature on prenatal influences on child behaviour, including temperament, has emerged. This review will give an overview of animal and human studies that have focused specifically on the relation between prenatal stress exposure and offspring behaviour or temperament in early life. The concept and assessment of…

Objectives: Substance exposed infants present a major challenge to child welfare and public health systems. Prenatal substance exposure and continued substance abuse in the home are associated with a wide range of adverse social, emotional, and developmental outcomes. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the use of recovery coaches in…