Should Infants Born Small-For-Gestational-Age Be Targeted For Early Head Start?

Abstract

Key findings from research conducted in the United States are reviewed that suggest that being born small-for-gestational age (SGA) places a child at considerably higher risk for long term developmental difficulty, particularly in the area of cognitive development. Findings from the Kauai Langitudinal Study are reviewed which show that within a multiethnic cohort of children, those born full-term SGA were more likely to exhibit developmental difficulty as compared to their peers who were normally grown at birth, especially children born full-term SGA and into low socioeconomic groups. Research targeting this sub-population for early intervention services is reviewed and suggestions are made for identifying the SGA infant and for implementing intervention by Early Head Start.