Predictors of Toddler Behaviors from Infant Attention Measures

Abstract

We investigated the percentage of sustained attention and/or attention termination found in infant HR measures that could be predictive of scores on the Child-Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) that pointed towards attention problems in toddlers. Thirty-three infants/toddlers and their mothers participated in this longitudinal study.  The data collection for the first round of testing was during infancy where they were tested on visual habituation in response to a stimulus while an electrocardiogram (EKG) recorded their heart rate response; infants were tested at 3, 6, and 9 months of age. The next testing phase was as toddlers. We gave each parent a self-report to fill out addressing any internalizing/externalizing behavioral problems in their child.  This instrument, the CBCL, is used to clinically diagnose ADHD. Our findings suggest that ADHD in younger populations manifest as aggressive behaviors instead of strictly inattentiveness which is manifested in older populations. This is thought to be because the environment used to clinically diagnose ADHD during the school aged years is different than the environment before school is introduced; therefore, ADHD may express itself differently between the two different age groups.