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Biomedical subjects

R H Largo

Publications and source records attributed to R H Largo.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Developmental progression in play behavior of children between nine and thirty months. I: Spontaneous play and imitation.

The developmental progression of play behavior was studied cross-sectionally in 85 children at eight age-levels between nine and 30 months. In a structured play situation, three major play patterns were distinguished: (1) exploratory play (at the end of the first year); (2) functional play (beginning of second year); and (3) representational play (after 15 months). Sequential play first occurred at 21 months. Play behavior with spatial characteristics was also observed: relational and container play between nine and 15 months, and understanding of spatial relationships, stacking and grouping between 18 and 24 months. There was a significant relationship between spontaneous and imitative play behavior; the greatest affect was displayed when the demonstrated behaviors matched the child's developmental level of play.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1979

Developmental progression in play behavior of children between nine and thirty months: II: Spontaneous play and language development.

The relationship between play behavior displayed in a structured play situation and language development was studied cross-sectionally in 85 children at eight age--evels between nine and 30 months. There were no correlations between types of play behavior, in particular functional play (appropriate use of objects on the child's own body), representational play (appropriate use of objects on a doll or another person), or symbolic play (substitution of present objects for absent ones) and speech measures such as total number of words and of vocalizations, number of different words and different vocalizations, and number of sentences. Identification of objects upon verbal request was not related to any type of play behavior, but comprehension of verbal requests for functional or representational play was postively correlated with the display of functional or representational play. The children did not respond to verbal requests for functional or representational play unless these types of play behavior were part of their spontaneous play repertoire. Understanding of prepositions seemed to be related to spatial concepts expressed in play behavior, such as container play or arranging chairs around a table and setting the table.

Child Development↗
PubMed1979

[The crying infant].

The different types of crying which can be observed in the healthy and in the sick infant are described. Recent findings on behavioral and electrophysiological research are reviewed which led to a better understanding of the characteristics and possible causes of the different crying behaviors as well as of the effectiveness of therapeutical interventions.

Crying↗
PubMed1978

[Development of intestinal and bladder control from birth until the 18th year of age. Longitudial study].

The development of bowel and bladder control from 0 to 18 years of age in 321 Swiss children of the Zurich Longitudinal Study (1955-1976) is described. 3% of the children had started toilet training by the age of 1 month and 96% by 12 months. Bowel control was completed in 32% at age one, in 75% at age two and in 97% at age three. Complete bladder control by day and at night was established in none of the children at age one, in 20% at ages two and three and in 90% at age five. About one quarter of the boys and one tenth of the girls had a period of incomplete bowel or bladder control between 6 and 18 years. During the prepubertal period, the annual incidence of enuresis was 7-15% in boys and 7-10% in girls, and that of encopresis 2-4% and 1-2% respectively. Some combination of enuresis diurna, enuresis nocturna and encopresis were found in 7% of all children, although in most children, these events did not occur simultaneously. With the exception of primary diurnal enuresis, the different types of enuresis and encopresis were more frequent in males than in females. By the onset of puberty, encopresis resolved in all children and enuresis persisted in only a few children. The role of toilet training and the etiologies and pathogenesis of enuresis and encopresis are discussed from a development point of view.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Analysis of the adolescent growth spurt using smoothing spline functions.

Height growth velocity curves between 4.5 and 17.75 years were estimated, using smoothing spline functions, for 112 boys and 110 girls from the Zurich Longitudinal Study (1955--1976). Parameters characterizing the growth process, such as peak height velocity and age at peak height velocity, were calculated directly from the estimated curves. The variability of parameters describing the adolescent growth spurt is large, both between and within sexes. Peak height, defined as increase of height velocity during the growth spurt, and age at peak height velocity both characterize the sex difference in growth in a highly significant manner. Peak height of at least 4 cm/year is found in 70% of the boys, but in only 11% of the girls. The age at peak height velocity averages 12.2 years in girls and 13.9 years in boys and has a wide range of 5.7 years and 3.8 years respectively. The sex difference in adult height of 12.6 cm is composed of the following 4 factors: +1.6 cm caused by more prepubertal growth in boys, +6.4 cm by the boys' delay in spurt, +6.0 cm by the more extensive spurt in boys and -1.4 cm by more post-spurt growth in girls. Correlations between parameters indicate that the adult height depends neither on the duration of growth, nor on the duration and height of the peak. Minimal pre-spurt height velocity and peak height velocity, but not peak height, are age- and height-dependent. Partial correlations given adult height reveal two compensating mechanisms between growth in the prepubertal and in the pubertal period. Small prepubertal height and low height velocity with respect to adult height are followed by a late adolescent spurt and vice versa. Small height at the onset of the spurt with respect to adult height is followed by a longer lasting, but not higher spurt and vice versa.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Longitudinal study of bowel and bladder control by day and at night in the first six years of life. I: Epidemiology and interrelations between bowel and bladder control.

The development of bowel and bladder control by day and at night during the first six years of life in 320 Swiss children in the Zurich longitudinal study (1955--1976) is described in detail. A scoring system was used which included intermediate stages of control. With toilet-training started in 96 per cent of the children during the first year of life, bowel control was completed in 32 per cent at age one, in 75 per cent at age two and in 97 per cent at age three. Complete bladder control by day and at night were established in none of the children at age one, in 20 per cent at ages two and three and in 90 per cent at age four. Complete bowel control and complete bladder control by day and at night were found in 5 per cent at age two, in 11 per cent at age three, in 77 per cent at age four and in 91 per cent at age six. The significant relationships between bowel control, bladder control during the day and bladder control at night (p less than 0-001) demonstrate that the same developmental process acts in bowel and bladder control. Highly correlated to each other, first bowel control develops, then bladder control by day and finally bladder control at night. The relevance of these interrelations for toilet-training and for the management of enuretic and encopretic children is discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1977

Longitudinal study of bowel and bladder control by day and at night in the first six years of life. II: The rôle of potty training and the child's initiative.

The rôle of potty training and the child's own initiative to use the pot were evaluated in 320 Swiss children in the Zurich longitudinal study (1955--1976). Initiating potty training in the first months of life has a short-term effect on bowel control, but no effect on bladder control by day or at night. Frequent daily prompting to use the pot results in a higher percentage of completely bowel-trained children, and of children partially but not completely dry during the day. It has no influence on bladder control at night. Asking for the pot is part of the maturation process of bladder control. A child who does not ask for the pot may not soil himself but is unlikely to be dry by day nor, especially, by night. The child's asking for the pot cannot be induced by frequent prompting.

Child↗