title: Different stability of social-communication problems and negative demanding behaviour from infancy to toddlerhood in a large Dutch population sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the stability of behavioural and developmental problems as children develop from infants to toddlers in the general population. Therefore, we investigated behavioural profiles at two time points and determined whether behaviours are stable during early development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of 4,237 children completed questionnaires with 62 items about externalizing, internalizing, and social-communicative behaviour when the children were 14-15 and 36-37 months old. Factor mixture modelling identified five homogeneous profiles at both time points: three with relatively normal behaviour or with mild/moderate problems, one with clear communication and interaction problems, and another with pronounced negative and demanding behaviour.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 85% of infants with normal behaviour or mild problems at 14-15 months were reported to behave relatively typically as toddlers at 36-37 months. A similar percentage of infants with moderate communication problems outgrew their problems by the time they were toddlers. However, infants with severe problems had mild to severe problems as toddlers, and did not show completely normal behaviour. Improvement over time occurred more often in children with negative and demanding behaviour than in children with communication and interaction problems. The former showed less homotypic continuity than the latter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Negative and demanding behaviour is more often transient and a less specific predictor of problems in toddlerhood than communication and interaction problems.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen Centre for Evidence-Based Practice, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Esmé
authors: E
authors: Möricke
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen Centre for Evidence-Based Practice, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Ga Martijn
authors: GM
authors: Lappenschaar
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen Centre for Evidence-Based Practice, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Sophie Hn
authors: SH
authors: Swinkels
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen Centre for Evidence-Based Practice, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Reinier Postlaan 12, 6525 GC Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Nanda Nj
authors: NNj
authors: Rommelse
authors: Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Reinier Postlaan 12, 6525 GC Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Jan K
authors: JK
authors: Buitelaar
keywords: Behavioural and developmental profiles and problems; Continuity and stability; Factor mixture modelling; General population; Infants and toddlers