The relationship between joint hypermobility and neurodevelopmental attributes in elementary school children

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M Davidovitch1, E Tirosh, Y Tal

  • 1Hannah Khoushy Child Development Center, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.

Journal of Child Neurology
|October 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

Joint hypermobility in children does not appear linked to neurodevelopmental issues. This study found no causal relationship between joint hypermobility and developmental delays in school-aged children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric neurology
  • Developmental pediatrics
  • Orthopedics

Background:

  • Joint hypermobility is often associated with motor developmental delays in infancy.
  • The relationship between joint hypermobility and neurodevelopmental outcomes in older children requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the association between joint hypermobility and neurodevelopmental status in school-aged children.
  • To determine if joint hypermobility is causally related to neurodevelopmental dysfunctions in children.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed 320 first- and second-grade elementary students and 110 special education students for joint hypermobility.
  • Compared neurologic status and performance on verbal and eye-hand coordination tasks with age- and sex-matched controls.

Main Results:

  • Joint hypermobility was identified in 12.4% of regular education students and 6.4% of special education students.
  • No significant differences were found in neurologic status or coordination tasks between hypermobile children and controls.

Conclusions:

  • Joint hypermobility and neurodevelopmental dysfunctions in school-aged children do not appear to be causally related.
  • The maturational trajectories of joint hypermobility and neurodevelopmental status seem distinct.

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