title: Joint attention in term and preterm infants at 12 months corrected age: the significance of gender and intervention based on a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: This study tested the effects of optimized neonatal mother-infant transactions on joint attention performance at 12 months. Surviving infants <2000g from a geographically defined area were randomly assigned to a preterm intervention (n=71) or preterm control group (n=69). Comparisons were made between preterm groups, secondary with a term group (n=75). Joint attention was measured using the Early Social Communication Scales. Preterm intervention infants scored significantly higher than preterm control infants on elements Initiating Joint Attention (p<0.05), Initiating Object Requests (p<0.05), and Responding to Social Interaction (p<0.0005). Intervention was not associated with performance on elements Responding to Joint Attention, or on Responding to Requests. ELBW infants scored significantly lower than VLBW and LBW infants on imperative functions. Girls outperformed boys on all communication elements. An intervention implemented during the neonatal period can be of advantage for certain aspects of joint attention performance in preterm infants.
authors.affiliation: Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway. Kare.Olafsen@fagmed.uit.no <Kare.Olafsen@fagmed.uit.no>
authors.forename: Kåre S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Olafsen
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rønning
authors.forename: Per Ivar
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Kaaresen
authors.forename: Stein Erik
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Ulvund
authors.forename: Bjørn Helge
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Handegård
authors.forename: Lauritz Bredrup
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Dahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics