Evaluation of the social skills of low birthweight infants using the Interaction Rating Scale.
Yuko Sawada, Noritsugu Honda, Makiko Narumiya and 1 others
PMID 36213188WHAT IT FOUND
Low birthweight infants who showed specific social behaviors at 18 months, such as not being startled by caregiver movements, had higher developmental scores at 3 years.
The Interaction Rating Scale may help identify children at risk for developmental delays during follow-up visits.
Key findings
01Children who were not startled by caregiver movements or facial expression changes at 18 months had significantly higher developmental index scores at 18 months (104.0 vs 68.0) and at 36 months (94.0 vs 63.5).
02Children who gave, showed, or pointed to task material to share emotion with their caregiver had higher developmental index scores at 36 months (98.0 vs 83.5) compared to those who did not.
03Children who stopped displaying distress cues without caregiver soothing attempts had higher developmental index scores at 36 months (94.0 vs 63.5) compared to those who did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small, with only 23 participants. The observation period was short, and the study did not follow children into school age where social deficits typically become more apparent. The study was conducted in a single center in Japan, limiting generalizability.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest. The work was funded by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 19K14186.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the Interaction Rating Scale is a diagnostic tool for autism or developmental disorders. The study shows associations between specific social behaviors and developmental scores in a very small sample, but it does not validate the scale's sensitivity or specificity for diagnosis in broader populations.