Child Development

Hospital workers tend to a premature infant in a neonatal unit. High risk infants can include babies

who are born prematurely or with a disease such as phenylketonuria (PKU). (Annie Griffiths

Belt/Corbis)

couragement of active parental participation. No sin-
gle intervention model meets the needs of all children
at risk; therefore, an individualized approach to
providing services is necessary. Early intervention
programs also work in conjunction with other services
that assist families in functioning. These other ser-
vices could include drug counseling programs, home
health aides, transportation to medical evaluations,
parenting classes, and support groups. At age three,
children transition to preschool programs that con-
tinue to provide intervention and therapeutic services
until age five, when the child transitions into the pub-
lic school system.

Only a small proportion of at-risk infants go on
to have developmental delay. Early intervention ser-
vices are expensive and time-consuming. Generally,
these services are reserved for children with known
developmental delay, while a tracking system moni-
tors high-risk infants and identifies developmental
delays. Each state determines if at-risk infants will be
automatically eligible or monitored for developmen-
tal delays and then referred for services.

Early identification of infants at high risk permits
parent counseling and planning for the child’s future.
Early intervention with quality, long-term services can
significantly improve the quality of life, minimize sec-
ondary complications, and improve cognitive func-
tion. But frequently early intervention does not
prevent a developmental disability from occurring if
the biological risk is high. Additionally, intervention

services often help parents through a particularly dif-

ficult time.

See also: BIRTH DEFECTS; BIRTHWEIGHT;

PREMATURE INFANTS

Bibliography

Allen, Marilee C. ‘‘The High-Risk Infant,’’ Pediatric Clinics of North

America 40 (1993):479–490.

Aylward, Glen P. ‘‘The Relationship between Environmental Risk

and Developmental Outcome,’’ Developmental and Behavioral

Pediatrics 13 (1992):222–229.

‘‘Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.’’ In the U. S. Depart-

ment of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabili-

tative Services [web site]. Available from http://www.ed.gov/

offices/OSERS/IDEA; INTERNET.

Kruskal, Maureen, Michael C. Thomasgard, and Jack P. Shonkoff.

‘‘Early Intervention for Vulnerable Infants and Their Fami-

lies: An Emerging Agenda,’’ Seminars in Perinatology 13

(1989):506–512.

Ostrosky, Michaelene M. ‘‘Early Education for Children with Spe-

cial Needs.’’ In the National Parent Information Network—

Parent News [web site]. University of Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, 1997. Available from http://

npin.org/pnews/1997/pnew997/pnew997b.html; INTERNET.

Kristi L. Milowic

HISPANIC CHILDREN

The term ‘‘Hispanic’’ incorporates a diverse group of

people comprised of individuals from a variety of

countries and representing great diversity in socio-

188 HISPANIC CHILDREN