EFFECT OF EARLY EDUCATION ON INFANT’S INTELLECTUAL
DEVELOPMENT IN FANG ZHUANG COMMUNITY
Bao X-L1 , Li L-X2, Gu Y2
1 Peking Union Medical Hospital, Beijing, China
2 Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Objective: To study the effect of
early education on infant’s intellectual development in urban communities.
Methods: Seventy-seven normal
newborn infants born in Fang Zhuang Community from July 1997 to Jan. 1998
were set as the early education group. Ninety-four healthy infants with
conventional care who were born in the same community from July to Dec.
1996 were set as the control group. Parents were taught to carry out the
early educational program beginning from the newborn period, which included
motor, cognitive, speech development and social behavior. At the age of two, all infants in
the two groups received CDCC tests (Bayley Scale modified by the Child
Development Center of China).
Results: There were no
significant differences in physical development, cultural and social
factors among the two groups. The average mental development index (MDI)
and psychomotor mental development index (PDI) in the early educational
group were 14.4 and 23.7 higher than those in the control group
respectively. There were 50 infants (64.9%) with MDI ≥120 (excellent and
superexcellent) in the early educational group while 5 infants (5.3%) in
the control group.
Conclusions: Early education
beginning from newborn infants is effective and feasible in urban
communities.