Abstract

By school age, a relationship exists between children's cognitive and behavioural problems that can further minimize their probability of academic success. Children from the Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project were examined in the years prior to and following grade l. A subsection of these children were at risk for developmental delay based on low birth-weight, low early IQ and diagnosed developmental delay. These children were compared to a group of children from the same sample who were normally developing. The current study focused on the relationship between cognitive and behavioural problems before grade 1 entry, after grade 1 entry, and how the relationship between cognitive and behavioural problems changed between these two times. The results indicate that prior to grade 1, there was a relationship between cognitive performance and observed behavioural style in children at risk for developmental delay, but not for normally developing children. After grade 1, school related success and behaviour problems were related in all of the children, but only as reported by the teacher. IQ prior to grade 1 predicted internalizing and total scores on the Child Behaviour Checklist following grade 1. Children with the most extreme behaviour problems at time 1 were found to have later problems in limited areas of school functioning. The findings indicate the value of using several measures of child behaviour, especially in the examination of children at risk for developmental delay.