Social and school competencies in children with short stature: longitudinal patterns

Longitudinal evaluation of 47 children with short stature secondary to growth hormone deficiency (GHD), constitutional delay (CD), and Turner's syndrome (TS) was undertaken approximately 3 years after initial assessment. Parent ratings of social and school competence indicated a developmental trend of poorer adjustment during early adolescence (ages 12 and 14), which was preceded (age 9) and followed (age 17) by age-appropriate functioning. Evaluation of social competence scores suggested that large organized group activities were avoided, although children had close friends with whom they interacted regularly. Children with short stature obtained age-expected scores for their involvement in solitary activities (i.e., hobbies and household chores) and tended to participate in individual sports (i.e., fishing, swimming), consistent with a pattern of withdrawal from large groups. Younger children with CD evidenced academic functioning at least 1 SD higher than children from all other groups, and this age-related effect may explain performance inconsistencies reported previously with other groups of CD children. Of the children studied, girls with TS experienced the greatest academic difficulty.