PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

B B Mettelman

Publications and source records attributed to B B Mettelman.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Impact of family structure and stability on academic outcome in preterm children at 10 years of age.

OBJECTIVE: To compare school performance at age 10 years in a cohort of extremely preterm children and term control subjects and to examine the impact of family composition and stability on performance. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal follow-up from birth to 10 years of age of a regional cohort of children born at 24 to 31 weeks of gestational age and sociodemographically matched term control subjects. Family composition, extent of parental care giving, and family moves were tracked sequentially. At 10 years, academic achievement and school performance were ascertained for 118 of 125 (94%) preterm survivors and 119 of 125 (95%) term children. RESULTS: Term children were more likely to demonstrate optimal school outcome (appropriate grade level without additional classroom assistance) than were preterm children (odds ratio 3.4, 95% CI 1.9-6.0). Medical complications related to prematurity had little impact on school outcome. Among preterm children, optimal school outcome was significantly associated with increased parental education, child rearing by 2 parents (regardless of marital status), and stability in family composition and geographic residence over 10 years. These environmental influences were less pronounced among term control subjects. CONCLUSION: Although preterm children performed less well in school than term children, family factors were stronger predictors of school performance than were perinatal complications.

Child↗
PubMed1994

Sustained attention and grade retention.

Two studies are reported which explore the possible relationship between academic failure, as measured by grade retention, and the capacity to sustain attention on a computerized continuous performance task. In a nonreferred sample, 89 children who had been retained at some point in their academic careers showed a higher frequency of abnormal scores on an index of sustained attention than did 93 children who had never repeated a grade. In a sample of children who had been referred for an evaluation of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, children with a history of grade retention had significantly lower scores on the same measure of sustained attention. Results are discussed in terms of the possible contribution of attention deficits to over-all academic achievement, even for children who have not necessarily been referred for a clinical evaluation.

Attention↗
PubMed1993

Developmental outcome of preterm infants with transient neuromotor abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between transiently abnormal neurologic findings in preterm infants and subsequent cognitive outcome at 4 years of age. DESIGN: Prospective 4-year follow-up. SETTING: Regional perinatal center in Syracuse, NY. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty-one of 135 consecutively born infants of no more than 32 weeks of gestational age; 98% followed up from birth to 4 years of age. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Based on neuromotor evaluations performed at 6 and 15 months of age, two groups of infants were identified. One group had abnormal neurologic findings at 6 months of age that had resolved by 15 months of age (transiently abnormal group). The other group had normal neuromotor findings at both 6 and 15 months of age (normal group). The transiently abnormal group had significantly poorer scores on the Bayley Mental scale at 6 months of age (90 +/- 15 vs 108 +/- 10; P < .001), 15 months (91 +/- 21 vs 105 +/- 12; P < .001), and 24 months (91 +/- 19 vs 101 +/- 17; P < .001). However, at 4 years of age, cognitive performance on the McCarthy Scales was similar for the transiently abnormal and normal groups (General Cognitive index, 93 +/- 13 and 95 +/- 14, respectively). The incidence of poor cognitive outcome (Cognitive index < 84) decreased from 39% at 2 years of age to 18% at 4 years of age in the group with a history of transient neurologic abnormalities but remained unchanged (16% to 18%) in the normal group. CONCLUSION: Early neurologic abnormalities that are transient did not predict cognitive delays at 4 years of age in preterm infants.

Cognition Disorders↗
PubMed1992

Impact of a matched term control group on interpretation of developmental performance in preterm infants.

One hundred twenty-four children who were born at 24 to 31 weeks' gestation and 124 term children matched in social background underwent serial developmental evaluations. The Bayley Mental Developmental Index at 6, 15, and 24 months and the McCarthy General Cognitive Index at 4 years were used to classify cognitive outcome for preterm children as normal (indices higher than 1 SD below the mean), mild-moderately delayed (indices between 1 and 2 SD below the mean), or severely delayed (indices > or = 2 SD below the mean). Classifications based on norms derived from the performance of the term control group were compared with those based on published standardized test scores. The control group had substantially higher mean (+/- SD) Bayley Mental Developmental Indices at 6 (111 +/- 11), 15 (114 +/- 13), and 24 months (115 +/- 21) than the published test mean (100 +/- 16). Consequently, significantly more preterm children were classified as normal when the Bayley test mean was used than when the performance of the control group was used to define the normal range (84% vs 52% at 6 months, 82% vs 49% at 15 months, and 70% vs 47% at 24 months). Severe cognitive delays were infrequent when defined by test mean (6% to 11%) but two to three times greater when the control group scores were used. In contrast, the control group had a mean McCarthy General Cognitive Index at 4 years (102 +/- 14) that was similar to the published test mean (100 +/- 16).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Child Development↗
PubMed1988

The assessment of attention: I. Standardization and reliability of a behavior-based measure.

Data are presented on standardization and reliability of a behavior-based measure of attention and self-control. This computerized test system administers a series of continuous performance tests, as well as measures of response inhibition. The practicality and sturdiness of this approach have allowed for the development of normative data based on the protocols of 1266 children between 4 and 16 years of age. Test-retest reliability coefficients were high after short intervals (less than 45 days) and 1 year. Originally developed for use in the assessment of children referred for ADD/Hyperactivity, this system has been applied to the evaluation of children with other disorders, as well as to adolescents and adults. Findings are discussed in terms of multimodal assessment, computerization of psychological tests, and the need for cautious standardization.

Adolescent↗