Dr. Stefan Dombrowski

Dr. Stefan Dombrowski, associate professor of graduate education and coordinator of the school psychology program at Rider University, served as lead editor this past year for a special issue of the “School Psychology Quarterly,” a leading journal in the field of school psychology published by the American Psychological Association (APA). The issue focuses on the effect of prenatal and perinatal factors on child development, and will be released during winter 2007.

Dombrowski’s own research focuses on factors that adversely impact the development of children. Seeking collaborative input, Dombrowski invited Dr. Jose Cordero, US assistant surgeon general and director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Dr. Donald Lollar, a senior scientist and acting director of extramural research at the National Center for Environmental Health at the CDC, to share their insights, along with other experts in the fields of medicine, neuropsychology and school psychology.

“Their contributions mark recognition of the topic’s growing value and relevance to the common interests of public health, medicine and school psychology,” said Dombrowski. “Each article discusses the longer term educational and behavior effects of a pre- or perinatal exposure, as well as implications for school psychology prevention, assessment and intervention. The general consensus is that prevention is essential and early assessment is clearly desirable. Further research is necessary.”

The special issue provides a representative cross-section of research on pre- and perinatal factors. One of Dombrowski’s articles, co-authored with Dr. Kelly Noonan, associate professor of economics at Rider, addresses one of the more prevalent pre- and perinatal abnormalities – low birth weight.

Up until now, most child development research has focused attention on genetic factors, social/cultural explanations and characteristics of the caregiver/child relationship. Dombrowski’s research and those of others in the issue contend that the pre- and perinatal environment is another pathway associated with psychological, behavioral and learning disabilities.

“Low birth weight, maternal stress during pregnancy, maternal infection during pregnancy and complications during the perinatal period can have adverse consequences,” said Dombrowski, who has a forthcoming book on these issues due out in the fall of 2007. “Although children may escape the more harmful physical effects, they are still vulnerable to more subtle psychological, behavioral and educational outcomes. Many of these outcomes remain clinically silent and undetected until later periods like school age when the cognitive, social and language tasks become more complex and demanding.

“The findings in this issue may not be regarded as a ‘cure for cancer,’ but they contribute significantly to understanding the less tangible environmental factors that influence a child’s development,” said Dombrowski. “This cutting edge topic has never been examined so comprehensively in one volume of literature.”

Dombrowski, who teaches school psychology courses, credits the University for being supportive of his teaching and research. “Rider is a great place to work,” he said. “The environment is exceptionally professional, yet collegial. I feel really fortunate to be here.”

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