engleski

Social cognition in children with perinatal brain lesions

Clinical population of children with perinatal brain lesions is today in focus of numerous interdisciplinary research ; a huge part of data is oriented on their cognitive and language development and possible relations with lesions. There is evidence in literature of their excessive irritability and problems with regulation of behavior in everyday life. Average cognitive abilities and early language delay or average language abilities have been documented in this population. On the other side, there is little or no evidence about the pattern of their socio-cognitive development. It is well known that socio-cognitive development is one of the necessary prerequisites for language development. Delay in the area of social cognition (for example joint attention skills) can seriously affect many language and social aspects of development. The longitudinal follow-up of twenty children with early brain lesions was realized within the project “ Development of communication and language in children with early brain lesions” . For the purpose of this work, the assessment of their communication, cognition and social-cognition was analyzed in the period of six months until their first year. Their cognitive development was determined by Bayley Scales of Infant Development, communication is followed on the basis of Rossetti Infant Toddler Language Scale. The emphasis was put on the pattern of development of joint attention skills (understanding and use of pointing gesture, imitative learning and social referencing) in relation to cognitive and early language parameters. The preliminary data show that children with perinatal brain lesions have regular but delayed pattern of social cognition development. These findings can be elaborated in terms of prolonged period of prelingustic communication (early language delay) due to delay in social cognition.

perinatal brain lesions; early cognitive and language development; joint attention skills

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