Biomedical subjects

T Gaussen

Publications and source records attributed to T Gaussen.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Outcome at 5-6 years of prematurely born children who received morphine as neonates.

AIM: To assess outcome at 5-6 years in a cohort of very preterm infants (< 34 weeks of gestation) who had been randomly allocated within a controlled clinical trial to receive morphine or non-morphine treatment in the neonatal period. METHODS: Assessments were made on 87 children at 5-6 years who had been recruited in the neonatal period to two sequential controlled studies (1989-92). Infants requiring mechanical ventilation had been randomly allocated to receive either morphine (n = 62) or other (n = 33) solutions starting on the first day of life. Each child was seen by a single experienced observer and assessed at 5-6 years using the WPPSI-R, Movement ABC, and the Child Behaviour Checklist. The performance of children exposed to morphine was compared with that of those in the non-morphine group. Blood samples for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) measurement were obtained from children whose parents gave consent. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in any of the three test scales between infants in the two groups, but there was a trend towards better performance in all three tests in the morphine group. Assessment of TSH values in a subgroup of the survivors showed no difference in thyroid function between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Exposure to morphine in the neonatal period to facilitate mechanical ventilation does not seem to have any adverse effects on intelligence, motor function, or behaviour when these children are assessed at 5-6 years of age.

Anesthesia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Analysing parent-child interactions in clinical practice: the development of a procedure and method of reporting.

Research in child developmental psychology is concerning itself increasingly with the fine-grain study of infant-caregiver interactions and as a result awareness of the importance of early interaction patterns in the development of children has grown very rapidly. The research has been based on an observational approach made possible by the use of video-recording and the development of sophisticated methods of interaction analysis. The methods employed and the research findings have important implications for those working clinically with young handicapped children and their parents, but as yet the research methods have been too complex and time-consuming to be used directly in practice. This paper describes the development of a procedure which can be used to observe and analyse the interactions of pre-school handicapped children with their caregivers in a clinical setting, using modifications of existing research methods and based on current findings. Examples of the coding procedure, transcript sheet and reporting methods are given in the context of a pilot application. It is suggested that the approach is valuable as a conceptual framework which the observer can use to improve his observational skills, provides a sound base for assessment and remediation work and can incorporate new research findings as they become available.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Developmental milestones or conceptual millstones? Some practical and theoretical limitations in infant assessment procedures.

There is a wide gap between recent research models of infant development and available clinical procedures. This paper considers the limitations of current assessment instruments, with special reference to motor-impaired infants. It also examines the theoretical and conceptual limitations imposed on our understanding of the developmental process by the models of development and measurement on which the instruments are based. These limitations are especially important for assessment and intervention strategies with impaired infants (0-30 months). It is suggested that new assessment methods are needed to tap the processes underlying developmental change and more accurately reflect the complexity of factors affecting development.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Beyond the milestone model--a systems framework for alternative infant assessment procedures.

Recent theoretical and methodological advances in developmental psychology offer new possibilities in the assessment of developmentally disordered infants which carry significant advantages over current procedures. It is argued that infant competence is not solely a quality inherent within the individual, but is a function of a particular individual within a particular environment. The understanding of early developmental processes as being based upon infant-environment transactions, requires an assessment methodology which can take account of complex and changing relationships, and can recognize the role of the infant in determining characteristics of the caregiving environment. It is proposed that systems theory offers a useful framework on which to construct new assessment procedures. Different levels of the infant environment system are identified, and examples of the ways in which recently developed procedures may be incorporated into the model are described.

Adaptation, Psychological↗