Citation

Stacks AM, Beeghly M, Partridge T, Dexter C. Child Maltreat. 2011; 16(4): 287-299.

Affiliation

Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077559511427957

PMID

22146859

Abstract

This study describes the developmental trajectories of language skills in infants with substantiated maltreatment histories over a 5-year period and evaluates the effect of three different custodial placements on their language trajectories over time: in-home (remaining in the care of the biological parent/parents), nonkin foster care, and nonparental kinship care. Participants included 963 infants reported to child protective services prior to their first birthday and whose maltreatment was substantiated. Results from covariate-controlled growth modeling revealed no significant placement effects. Across all groups, children's auditory and expressive communication scores decreased significantly from Wave 1 (intake) in the infants' first year to Wave 4, when children were about 3.5 years of age, then improved to baseline levels by Wave 5, when children were about 6 years old. Despite these fluctuations, children's average language scores in each placement group remained below the population mean at each wave of the study.

Language: en