Behavioural and cognitive outcomes in young children of mothers with intellectual impairments.
Preschoolers of mothers with ID show lower cognitive and behavioral scores, especially when family income is below 200 % FPL.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tracked the same urban birth-cohort from 9 months to 3 years.
They compared preschoolers whose mothers have intellectual disability with peers whose mothers do not.
The team looked at cognitive scores, language, and behavior problems.
What they found
At age three, children of mothers with ID scored lower on thinking and language tests.
These children also showed more hitting, biting, and defiance.
Low family income made the aggression gap even wider.
How this fits with other research
Little et al. (2015) saw no delays at 9 months in this same cohort. The new data show problems emerge by preschool.
Eussen et al. (2016) found no health differences once poverty was held steady. Here, cognitive and behavior gaps remain even after controls, pointing to different risk paths for health versus development.
Eldevik et al. (2010) proved 10 hours a week of behavioral intervention can raise IQ and daily-living scores in preschoolers with ID. The current study maps who needs that help most.
Why it matters
You now have a clear red-flag list: mom with ID plus poverty equals higher odds of language delay and aggression by age three.
Refer these families early for Part C services and parent coaching.
Pair the referral with poverty supports such as WIC, subsidized childcare, and home-visiting programs.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite an increase in international studies examining the experiences of parents with intellectual impairments and their children, few have utilised population-based data. This study investigated the behavioural and cognitive outcomes of 3-year-old US children of mothers with intellectual impairments compared with children of mothers without intellectual impairments. METHODS: This study employed a secondary analysis of the Fragile Families Child and Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal birth cohort study in the US. Our analytic sample included mothers with intellectual impairments (n = 263) and a comparison group of mothers without intellectual impairments (n = 1298), as well as each sampled mother's focal child. When weighted, Fragile Families is representative of all births in US cities with populations over 200 000. RESULTS: Children of mothers with intellectual impairments had poorer behavioural and cognitive outcomes in comparison to same-age children of mothers without intellectual impairments. Notably, however, children of mothers with intellectual impairments were not at increased risk of being aggressive unless their family income was below 200% of the federal poverty level. Further, families headed by mothers with intellectual impairments experienced multiple hardships related to socioeconomic factors, limited social supports and poor self-reported health. CONCLUSION: Appropriate policies and programmes must be developed and implemented to effectively support these families, such as increased financial benefits.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2017 · doi:10.1111/jir.12308