Child abuse and neglect: effect on Bayley Scale scores

Compared to controls, children who were diagnosed as victims of Nonaccidental Trauma or Failure to Thrive had depressed Bayley Scale Mental Index scores, p less than .002 and p less than .0001, respectively. Failure-to-Thrive children also had depressed Bayley Scale Motor Index scores, p less than .0001. Nonaccidental-Trauma children had Mental and Motor Scale range scores, as determined by differences between basal and ceiling items on the Mental and Motor scales, that were a function of measured Mental and Motor Index Scores. Specifically, Nonaccidental-Trauma children with lower Mental Index scores had higher Mental Scale range scores than Nonaccidental-Trauma children with higher Mental Index scores, p less than .003. Control children had Mental Scale range scores that did not differ between the high-low Mental Index score conditions. On the Motor Scale, range scores of Nonaccidental-Trauma children in the high-low Motor Index score conditions did not differ. However, children with higher Motor Index scores had higher Motor Scale range scores than control children with lower Motor Index scores, p less than .02. In addition, the Infant Behavior Record of the Bayley Scales revealed behavior ratings of Nonaccidental-Trauma and Failure-to-Thrive children that differed from Mental and Motor Scale scores on several dimensions. These differences may reflect differential effects of the Nonaccidental-Trauma and Failure-to-Thrive conditions.