School achievement in treated PKU children

Phenylketonuric children who were treated early and maintained a pherestricted diet through age 10 were compared with those who discontinued the diet after age 6 on a standardized test of intelligence, school achievement, language and perceptual skills. Mean IQ, reading and spelling test scores improved between ages 6 and 10 for the on-diet children in comparison to those who were off-diet. However, mean scores on arithmetic, language and perceptual skills declined at a uniform rate for both groups. Children with PKU scored significantly lower than did their non-PKU siblings on tests of visual perception and visual-motor skills. Because the school years, particularly, the early teens, pose increased stress in affected PKU individuals, it is recommended that dietary restriction at least through the high school years is prudent for their optimal physical, mental, emotional and educational growth.