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Updated: Aug 1, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Newborn minor physical anomalies and prediction of infant behavior
Insights
A newborn
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Minor physical anomalies (MPAs) in newborns may indicate developmental variations.
- Understanding early indicators of behavioral development is crucial for timely interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive value of newborn minor physical anomalies (MPAs) on behavioral outcomes at ages 1 and 2.
- To assess the relationship between high and low MPA scores and temperament.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study following 63 high anomaly and 78 low anomaly infants from an initial screening of 933.
- Examiners were blinded to newborn anomaly scores during follow-up assessments at ages 1 and 2.
- Behavioral assessments included parent interviews and direct observations.
Main Results:
- Infants with high MPA scores were more likely to exhibit difficult temperaments.
- A small subgroup of persistently irritable infants at ages 1 and 2 were all from the high anomaly group.
- Behavioral ratings showed limited consistency across situations and time; no newborn or 1-year measures predicted age 2 behavior problems.
Conclusions:
- The newborn MPA score alone is not a reliable predictor of preschool behavior problems in the general population.
- Further research is needed to explore the utility of MPA scores in high-risk infant populations.
Abstract:
The relationship between a newborn score of minor physical anomalies (MPAs) and behavior at ages 1 and 2 was examined. From an initial screening population of 933, 63 high anomaly and 78 low anomaly infants were followed until age 2 by examiners blind for the newborn anomaly score. High anomaly infants were more likely to be temperamentally difficult as rated by parent interview and direct observation. A subgroup of six infants who were considered irritable at both ages 1 and 2 were all from the high anomaly group. However, there was little agreement between behavioral ratings across situations and over time, and there were no significant predictors of behavior problems at age 2 based on any newborn or 1-year measure. These results indicate that the newborn anomaly score by itself is unlikely to prove clinically useful in predicting preschool behavior problems for an unselected population. The usefulness of this measure for other, "high-risk," populations remains to be explored.
