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Normal Birth Weight Variation and Children’s Neuropsychological Functioning: Links between Language, Executive Functioning, and Theory of Mind

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 August 2014

M. Wade ,
D.T. Browne ,
S. Madigan ,
A. Plamondon  and
J.M. Jenkins
M. Wade
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto
D.T. Browne
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto
S. Madigan
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto
A. Plamondon
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto
J.M. Jenkins*
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Jennifer M. Jenkins, Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 1V6. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The effect of low birth weight on children’s development has been documented for a range of neurocognitive outcomes. However, few previous studies have examined the effect of birth weight variability within the normal range on children’s neuropsychological development. The current study examined birth weight variation amongst children weighing ≥2500 g in relation to their language, executive functioning (EF), and theory of mind (ToM), and specified a developmental pathway in which birth weight was hypothesized to be associated with children’s EF and ToM through their intermediary language skills. The current study used a prospective community birth cohort of 468 children. Families were recruited when children were newborns and followed up every 18 months until children were age 4.5. Language was assessed at age 3 using a standardized measure of receptive vocabulary (PPVT), and EF and ToM were measured at age 4.5 using previously validated and developmentally appropriate tasks. After controlling for potential confounding variables (family income, parent education, gestational age), birth weight within the normal range was associated with language ability at age 3 (β=.17; p=.012); and the effect of birth weight on both EF (z=2.09; p=.03) and ToM (z=2.07; p=.03) at age 4.5 operated indirectly through their language ability at age 3. Our findings indicate that the effects of birth weight on child neurocognition extend into the normal range of birth weight, and specific developmental mechanisms may link these skills over time. (JINS, 2014, 20, 1–11)

Keywords

Birth weightLanguageExecutive functioningTheory of mindNeuropsychologyNeurocognitionNormal development
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 20 , Issue 9 , October 2014 , pp. 909 - 919
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2014 

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