Describes a nutrition education packet for natural childbirth (Lamaze) classes. The packet consists of four 15- to 20-minute lessons, each containing goal, objectives, questions (with answers), activities, and pamphlets. List of goals and sample activities are included. (JN)

The study of the relationship between physical characteristics and behavior is placed in historical context. Current research concerned with the implications of minor physical anomalies is reviewed. Anomalies, measurement considerations, relationship between anomalies and selected characteristics, methodological issues, and underlying assumptions…

Lamaze childbirth training was found to have no significant effects on attitudes towards spouse or child. It did have a significant anxiety-reducing effect with respect to childbirth. Parents using the Lamaze method had a more positive attitude about having a baby. (Author/CS)

Investigated the ontogeny of fetal autonomic, motoric, state, and interactive functioning in 31 healthy fetuses from 20 weeks through term. Found that male fetuses were more active than female fetuses, and that greater maternal stress appraisal was associated with reduced fetal heart rate variability. Found that an apparent period of…

Examined consistency in behavioral state organization for 30 fetuses and neonates. Assessed heart rate pattern and presence or absence of eye and gross body movements during sleep, finding quiet sleep (QS), active sleep (AS), and indeterminate states in nearly identical proportions. Duration of enclosed QS epochs provided only stable measure of…

Examination of 1,000 Finnish patients with mental retardation indicated that infectious diseases were the only cause of mental retardation in 11.1 percent and a contributory cause in a further 1.5 percent. Among the former group of 111 patients, the causative infectious disease operated prenatally in 18 percent and perinatally/postnatally in 82…

Prenatally drug-exposed and not drug-exposed children adopted as infants and older children were compared four years after adoption on a range of outcome indicators. Drug-exposed and not drug-exposed children were alike on most outcome indicators, and parental satisfaction with the adoption was high and equivalent for parents of both groups. (TJQ)

Examines the hypothesis that prenatal estrogens contribute to the development of human sexual orientation. Several groups of women with a history of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) were compared with several samples of control women. Findings showed that more DES-exposed women than controls were rated as bisexual or homosexual,…

Examined the instrumental responses and facial expressions during learning and extinction in a group of 36 cocaine-exposed infants ages 4 to 8 months and an equal number of control subjects. Findings indicated that cocaine-exposed infants expressed less interest and joy during learning and less anger and sadness during extinction than infants who…

Pregnancy and delivery complications in the birth of 23 high-functioning autistic females and 23 high-functioning autistic males of similar intelligence quotient and age were compared with those of 54 normally developing siblings. Findings suggest that these factors may be less significant in high-functioning individuals than in severely retarded…

Presents information on prenatal brain development, detailing the functions controlled by the medulla, pons, and midbrain, and the implications for cognitive development. Concludes that fetal cognitive motor activity, including auditory discrimination, orienting, the wake-sleep cycle, fetal heart rate accelerations, and defensive reactions,…