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Postnatal growth and mental development: evidence for a "sensitive period"

D Skuse1, A Pickles, D Wolke

  • 1Behavioural Sciences Unit, Institute of Child Health, London.

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|March 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

Early childhood growth faltering significantly impacts infant mental and psychomotor development. The first few postnatal months are a critical "sensitive period" for this relationship.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Health
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Long-standing suspicion links impaired early somatic growth to later cognitive deficits.
  • Prospective studies are needed to validate the growth-mental development hypothesis in infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between early postnatal growth faltering and subsequent mental and psychomotor abilities.
  • To identify sensitive periods in early development where growth impacts cognitive function.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 1558 full-term singletons in South London.
  • Recruitment of 47 infants with serious growth faltering in the first year.
  • Assessment of mental and psychomotor abilities at 15 months, with measurement of confounding psychosocial variables.

Main Results:

  • A statistical model explained up to 37% of the variance in cognitive and psychomotor outcomes at 15 months.
  • Timing, duration, and severity of growth faltering were significant predictors.
  • The early postnatal months emerged as a critical "sensitive period" for growth-mental development linkage.

Conclusions:

  • Severe early postnatal growth faltering is a significant predictor of impaired mental and psychomotor development.
  • Interventions targeting growth in the first few postnatal months may be crucial for optimizing cognitive outcomes.

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