PREVENTION OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES - EARLY INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENT

This paper presents a conceptual framework that has guided three rando mized, controlled early intervention trials designed to improve cognit ive development and social competence in high-risk young children from birth to 3 years of age. Two of the projects (Abecedarian and CARE) e nrolled infants from economically and socially low-resource families a nd the other project (IHDP) was an eight-site randomized controlled tr ial with 985 low birth-weight and premature infants and their families . IHDP families varied widely in their economic and social resources. Results consistently indicated positive effects of the intervention on child IQ during the first 3 years of life. Children from the lowest r esource families consistently benefited the most from the early interv ention. (C) 1998 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.