title: Joint Attention Development in Low-risk Very Low Birth Weight Infants at Around 18 Months of Age.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to clarify the developmental characteristics of joint attention in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with a low risk of complications. Section B of the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) was administered to 31 VLBW and 45 normal birth weight (NBW) infants aged 18-22 months, while the sessions were recorded with a video camera. A semi-structured observation scale was developed to assess infants' joint attention from the video footage, and was shown to be reliable. VLBW, compared to NBW, infants showed significantly poorer skills in 2 of 4 items on responding to joint attention, and in 6 of 10 items on initiating joint attention. VLBW infants need more clues in order to produce joint attention. The difficulty was attributed to insufficient verbal and fine motor function skills. Continuous follow-up evaluation is essential for both high-risk and low-risk VLBW infants and their parents.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University, 10-7-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ku, Kobe, 654-0142, Japan.|Correspondence Course of Nursing, Kobe Tokiwa University, 2-6-2 Otani-cho, Nagata-ku, Kobe, 653-0838, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamaoka
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University, 10-7-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ku, Kobe, 654-0142, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takada
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT); Joint attention; Low risk of complications; Very low birth weight infants