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Follow‐up of children identified with and treated for a motor delay of nonspecifiable etiology
Author(s) -
MoxleyHaegert Linda,
Ladd Herbert W.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0355(198921)10:1<45::aid-imhj2280100105>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - motor skill , etiology , competence (human resources) , motor function , psychology , developmental psychology , pediatrics , medicine , clinical psychology , audiology , psychiatry , physical medicine and rehabilitation , social psychology
Forty‐eight 7‐ to 8‐year‐old children who had been diagnosed prior to 48 months of age as being developmentally motor delayed and had received therapy for their delay were followed up and assessed for motor, intellectual, and psychological development as well as for self‐perceived competence and school achievement. These children were found to be significantly inferior on all of these variables, except for self‐competence, when compared with matched nondelayed controls. Those delayed children who had begun treatment prior to 24 months of age demonstrated significantly greater gains in motor function at follow‐up, had significantly higher IQs, performed better at school, and participated in more peer‐related activities than did the delayed children who began treatment after 24 months. This study supports the hypotheses that (1) young children diagnosed as being developmentally motor delayed demonstrate subsequent intellectual and psychological problems when in the primary grades and (2) that the age at onset of intervention therapy for the delay is significantly related to outcome (benefit of therapy).