The developmentalist and the study of biological risk: a view of the past with an eye toward the future

This paper has 2 goals: to review the history of the developmental study of infants and children at biological risk and to appraise the current state of the art. The scope of the review is from 1920 to the present and emphasizes the role of developmentalists. 4 research phases are identified, each reflecting aspects of the social, political, health, and psychological zeitgeist. First, from 1920 to World War II, research was primarily "catalog" and had diverse themes; however, several issues were raised that continue to have relevance. Second, during the postwar years, research often focused on the cognitive and emotional residuals of handicaps, particularly cerebral palsy and poliomyelitis. Third, the 1960s marked the funding of major seminal longitudinal investigations of perinatal risk factors, and studies of very young infants "at risk." And fourth, in the last and current period, technological advances of the 1970s first applied to research with normally developing children were then extended to at-risk groups and revolutionized the methods of studying risk. Finally, we suggest that, although a considerable amount of information has been obtained about developmental phenomena subsequent to biological risk, our research literature is fragmented and difficult to synthesize. We conclude by offering strategies to foster research and the integration of knowledge.