Abstract
We examined a total of 37 children referred to the Pediatric Endocrine Clinic with either congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) or idiopathic precocious puperty (IPP), utilizing educational history and selected objective testing instruments. Of the 15 patients with CAH, 6 (40%) had special educational needs. 5 of these were functioning below the normal range, and 1 was in an advanced program. Of the 24 patients referred with IPP, 11 (46%) were in remedial placements. 6 of this group had sufficiently severe cognitive deficits that they were felt to represent neurogenic, rather than idiopathic, precocity. The percentage of children in each group requiring special educational consideration is much higher than in the general population (approximately 12%). This data is in contrast to previously published studies which documented elevated mean IQ scores in both CAH and IPP. Data on the educational and socio-economic background of those patients are not described. However, there were no discernable differences in socio-economic class, or level of parental education between the various groupings in our series. While conflicting, both the previous reports and our series argue that all children in whom either CAH or IPP are entertained as a diagnosis should receive full cognitive and educational assessment.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wilson, B., Hccardle, P. SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN CHILDREN WITH ADVANCED SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 255 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00528
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00528