In the California Verbal Learning Test, on a scale of 0 to 80, with 80 reflecting the best memory, the healthy participants had an average score of 55.8,
whereas those with mild
cognitive impairment scored an average of 40.5.
During the prenatal and infant periods, families have been identified on the basis of socioeconomic risk (parental education, income, age8, 11) and / or other family (e.g. maternal depression) or child (e.g. prematurity and low birth weight12) risks;
whereas with preschoolers a greater emphasis has been placed on the presence of child disruptive behaviour, delays in language /
cognitive impairment and / or more pervasive developmental delays.6 With an increased emphasis on families from lower socioeconomic strata, who typically face multiple types of adversity (e.g. low parental educational attainment and work skills, poor housing, low social support, dangerous neighbourhoods), many parenting programs have incorporated components that provide support for parents» self - care (e.g. depression, birth - control planning), marital functioning and / or economic self - sufficiency (e.g. improving educational, occupational and housing resources).8, 13,14 This trend to broaden the scope of «parenting» programs mirrors recent findings on early predictors of low - income children's social and emotional skills.