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Early intervention and recovery among children with failure to thrive: follow-up at age 8

Maureen M Black1, Howard Dubowitz, Ambika Krishnakumar

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 737 W Lombard St, Room 161, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. mblack@peds.umaryland.edu

Pediatrics
|July 4, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Home visiting for infants with failure to thrive improved academic performance and behavior by age 8. This early intervention program helped mitigate long-term negative effects on growth and development in vulnerable children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health Interventions

Background:

  • Infants experiencing failure to thrive (FTT) are at increased risk for adverse long-term outcomes.
  • Early identification and intervention are crucial for mitigating developmental deficits in vulnerable populations.
  • Understanding the long-term impact of interventions on growth, cognition, and behavior is essential for evidence-based practice.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the long-term effects of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of home visiting on children with FTT.
  • To assess the impact of home visiting on growth, academic/cognitive performance, and behavior at age 8.
  • To determine if home visiting can attenuate the negative consequences of early FTT.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving infants with FTT and a comparison group with adequate growth.
  • Home visiting intervention focused on maternal sensitivity, parent-infant relationships, and child development.
  • Long-term follow-up at age 8 included anthropometry, cognitive assessments (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III), academic achievement (Wide Range Achievement Test), and behavioral evaluations (Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher Report Form).

Main Results:

  • Children in the adequate-growth group were significantly taller and heavier than the clinical-intervention-only group.
  • The home-visiting group showed improvements in teacher-reported internalizing problems and work habits compared to the clinical-care-only group.
  • No significant group differences were found in IQ or reading scores, but arithmetic scores were better in the adequate-growth group.

Conclusions:

  • Early failure to thrive is associated with increased vulnerability to short stature, poor arithmetic performance, and suboptimal work habits.
  • Home visiting intervention demonstrated a positive impact, attenuating some negative effects of FTT by promoting maternal sensitivity and improving child work habits.
  • Findings support the efficacy of early intervention programs, like home visiting, for vulnerable infants to improve long-term developmental trajectories.
Abstract

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