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Hemophilia morbidity, cognitive functioning, and academic achievement
D W Usner1, S M Donfield, P A Sirois
1Department of Statistics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon; USA.
Insights
Children with hemophilia and coordination/gait (CG) issues show lower academic achievement. This suggests that the severity of hemophilia impacts learning and cognitive function in affected children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hematology
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Hemophilia is a genetic bleeding disorder.
- Coordination and gait (CG) abnormalities are common complications in hemophilia.
- The impact of hemophilia morbidity on cognitive function and academic achievement requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association between hemophilia morbidity, specifically coordination and gait (CG) abnormalities, and intellectual ability and academic achievement.
- To determine if CG abnormalities in children with hemophilia correlate with differences in academic performance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Hemophilia Growth and Development Study (HGDS) with 333 participants.
- Assessed coordination and gait (CG) abnormalities as a measure of hemophilia morbidity.
- Measured intellectual ability and academic achievement using standardized tests, including the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R).
Main Results:
- CG abnormalities were primarily linked to hemophilia-related morbidity.
- Participants with hemophilia performed within the average range for intellectual ability.
- A significant difference was observed in academic achievement, with participants without CG abnormalities scoring higher in Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic compared to those with CG abnormalities.
Conclusions:
- Lowered academic achievement in children with hemophilia is associated with the presence of coordination and gait (CG) abnormalities.
- The functional severity of hemophilia, as indicated by CG issues, appears to negatively impact academic performance.
- These findings highlight the importance of addressing hemophilia-related morbidity to support educational outcomes in affected children.
Abstract:
Data from the Hemophilia Growth and Development Study (HGDS) were used to evaluate the association between hemophilia morbidity, measured by abnormalities in coordination and gait (CG), and intellectual ability and academic achievement. The CG abnormalities observed in the HGDS participants (n = 333) were primarily due to hemophilia-related morbidity. Although HGDS participants performed within the average range for age on measures of intellectual ability, there were meaningful differences between CG outcomes at baseline and throughout the 4 years of study. Participants without CG abnormalities consistently achieved higher scores than those with CG abnormalities on Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised. Our findings suggest that lowered achievement is related to the functional severity of hemophilia.