[Visual discrimination conditions in infants with increased risk for cerebral damage]

Infants judged at birth to be at risk for cerebral damage show at 2 to 4 months of age significant differences compared to normal controls with respect to visual behavior at presentation of geometric patterns: Children of the risk group discriminated less consistently between a striped pattern and a homogenous gray surface. Their average time of fixation is significantly longer, and they show increased variance within the test parameters. It was therefore concluded that parameters of visual fixation and discrimination could probably allow for more reliable prognoses for future cognitive development in an infant. A longitudinal study to test this hypothesis is already in execution.