Early state organization and follow-up over one year

Evaluations of state organization at 36 weeks postconceptional age (PCA) were conducted in the special care nursery on 24 low birth weight preterm neonates who were subsequently assessed on three dimensions of outcome at 1 year postterm. Half the subjects (N = 12) had been cared for in an alternative supportive nursery from 32 to 36 weeks PCA; the other half had remained in the regular intermediate care nursery. Although subjects from the alternative nursery demonstrated superior state organization before nursery discharge at 36 weeks PCA (p less than .05), they were not superior on any outcome measures at 1 year postterm. Subjects demonstrating superior state organization within their nursery group were compared with subjects demonstrating inferior state organization within their nursery group. Significant differences in 1-year outcome were found between these two groups of good and poor neonatal state organizers on gross morbidity, on the Bayley motor scale, and on a measure of recovery of state organization observed in the Strange Situation (p less than .05).