title: Early exposure to otitis media: a preliminary investigation of behavioral outcome.
abstract: Factors that contribute to developmental vulnerability were examined in a 4-year follow-up of 31 children who, as infants, had participated in an investigation of the relationship between recurrent otitis media and developmental status. The children in this inner-city sample experienced significant decline in their language and developmental status regardless of their history with otitis media. Findings support a threshold model of risk, suggesting that otitis media does not necessarily pose an additional stress to the language and cognitive development of low-income, inner-city children. In keeping with theoretical models by Vygotsky and Rutter, maternal cognitive growth fostering facilitated children's language development by serving as a compensatory factor, counteracting the potential impact of recurrent otitis media.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sonnenschein
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002663:Child Language; D002668:Child Rearing; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010290:Parents; D012008:Recurrence; D014505:Urban Population