Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/103128 
Year of Publication: 
2014
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 4998
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
Using a sample of sibling pairs from a nationally representative U.S. survey, we examine the effects of the fetal growth rate on a set of neurobehavioral outcomes in childhood measured by parent-reported diagnosed developmental disabilities and behavior problems. Based on models that include mother fixed effects, we find that the fetal growth rate, a marker for the fetal environment, is negatively associated with lifetime diagnosis of developmental delay. We also find that the fetal growth rate is negatively associated with disruptive behaviors among male children. These results suggest that developmental disabilities and problem behaviors may play a role in explaining the well-documented association between birth weight and human capital outcomes measured in adulthood.
Subjects: 
low birth weight
fetal growth
neurobehavioral outcomes
developmental disabilities
Behavior Problems Index (BPI)
JEL: 
I12
I20
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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