MCH Research Program

December 2001 - Monograph Presents Results of 10-Year Investigation of Child Development and Family Well-Being

"The same processes appear to be central to the development of all children," state the authors of a monograph recently published in Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. The monograph presents the results of the Early Intervention Collaborative Study (EICS), a longitudinal investigation of the cognitive and adaptive behavior development of children with Down syndrome, motor impairment, or developmental delay, from infancy through middle childhood, and the adaptation of their parents. EICS represents the largest and longest-running study of children with a range of disabilities and their parents ever undertaken in the United States.

Data were collected from a sample of 183 children and their families. The children were assessed at five points in time, from entry into an early intervention program as infants or 1-year-olds, through their 10th birthday. The authors found the following:

Although the type of disability predicted some features of development, children's motivation and the quality of their relationships with their mothers and among family members were consistent predictors of the development of cognitive, social, communication, and daily living skills.
Both mothers and fathers reported increasing levels of stress as their children grew older.
Children's behavior problems were a consistent predictor of increases in parental stress levels, but parents' abilities to solve problems and garner support were ameliorating factors.

The authors conclude that 1) changes in policies and practices can improve the outcomes for children with disabilities and their parents and 2) the study of children with developmental disabilities and their families can enhance the overall science of child development.

Hauser-Cram P, Warfield ME, Shonkoff JP, Krauss MW, Sayer A, Upshur CC. 2001. Children with disabilities: a longitudinal study of child development and parent well-being. In WF Overton, ed., Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development (Serial No. 266, Vol. 66, No. 3). Boston, MA: Blackwell Publishers.

(Source: MCH Alert, 12/14/01)

For more information about the MCH Research Program, contact Kishena Wadhwani, c/o Maternal and Child Health Bureau, 5600 Fishers Lane, Parklawn Building Room 18A-55, Rockville, Maryland 20857; phone: (301) 4443-2927; e-mail: kwadhwan@hrsa.gov.