Related Experiment Videos
Subtle speech and motor deficits of children with congenital hypothyroid treated early
B Gottschalk1, R A Richman, L Lewandowski
1Psychology Department, Syracuse University, NY 13244.
Insights
Early treatment of congenital hypothyroidism in children shows no cognitive or adaptive deficits. Some motor and speech impairments were noted, with bone age impacting outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics
- Congenital Disorders
Background:
- Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) requires early intervention to prevent developmental issues.
- Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in early-treated CH patients are crucial to assess.
- Understanding factors influencing outcomes, such as neonatal bone age, is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the cognitive, adaptive, motor, and speech functioning of children with CH treated early.
- To compare outcomes based on neonatal bone age status in children with CH.
- To assess the impact of early treatment on the neurodevelopmental trajectory of CH patients.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal follow-up of 16 children diagnosed with CH and treated neonatally.
- Assessment of cognitive and adaptive functioning using standardized tests.
- Evaluation of motor skills (e.g., Finger-tapping, Marching) and speech development.
- Comparison of outcomes between children with normal and delayed neonatal bone age.
Main Results:
- Children with early-treated CH showed no significant deficits in cognitive or adaptive functioning.
- Some isolated motor deficits were observed, but performance on specific tests did not replicate previous findings.
- Speech deficits were present in a subset of the children.
- Congenital hypothyroidism patients with delayed neonatal bone age performed worse on most measures compared to those with normal bone age.
Conclusions:
- Early treatment of congenital hypothyroidism appears to prevent major cognitive and adaptive impairments.
- Motor and speech development may still be affected in some children with CH, warranting further investigation.
- Neonatal bone age is a significant predictor of neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with congenital hypothyroidism.
Abstract:
This study surveyed the development and functioning of a group of 16 children with congenital hypothyroidism who had been followed closely since treatment was instituted at an average age of 15.6 days. This group of early-treated young children had no deficits in cognitive or adaptive functioning. Some isolated motor deficits were found, although results of the Finger-tapping and Marching subtests of the Reitan-Indiana battery did not replicate the New England Congenital Hypothyroid Collaborative (1985) finding of impaired performance. Speech deficits were documented in some. Congenitally hypothyroid children with delayed neonatal bone-age performed more poorly on most measures than those whose bone-age had been normal at birth.