Abstract
Background: While the survival of children born with Spina Bifida has improved, some may have lower cognitive, behavioural and educational performance. Currently, little is known on these outcomes for children of primary school age assessed by multi informants i.e. parents/guardians in the home environment and teachers in the school environment. Northern Ireland (NI) has the highest rate of children born with Spina Bifida in the UK and Europe.
Aim: To investigate the effect of Spina Bifida on cognitive, behavioural and educational outcomes in 5-11year olds in NI.
Method: A cross-sectional study design of children with Spina Bifida, recruited from the SHINE (Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, Information, Networking, Equality) database, and children without Spina Bifida with similar date of birth, of same gender and in the same class as the child with Spina Bifida. Data were collected from parents/guardians and teachers using BRIEF2, SDQ and TAAS.
Results: 19 parental and 13 teacher responses were received for children with Spina Bifida, and 8 parental and 7 teacher responses for children without Spina Bifida. 68% of children with Spina Bifida and 88% of children without spina bifida were female. Children in both groups performed at a similar level across subscales of BRIEF2 with the exception of Initiate and Working Memory. No group differences were found in SDQ scales as assessed by parents; teacher assessment of conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention and peer problems were higher for children with Spina Bifida. Children with Spina Bifida performed similarly in all subjects across the curriculum with the exception of English, Mathematics and History.
Conclusions: Based on this small sample, a potential need for evidence-based interventions to assist children with Spina Bifida in the cognitive areas of Initiation and Working Memory and also in English, Mathematics and History were identified. Larger longitudinal studies are required to confirm these findings.
Aim: To investigate the effect of Spina Bifida on cognitive, behavioural and educational outcomes in 5-11year olds in NI.
Method: A cross-sectional study design of children with Spina Bifida, recruited from the SHINE (Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, Information, Networking, Equality) database, and children without Spina Bifida with similar date of birth, of same gender and in the same class as the child with Spina Bifida. Data were collected from parents/guardians and teachers using BRIEF2, SDQ and TAAS.
Results: 19 parental and 13 teacher responses were received for children with Spina Bifida, and 8 parental and 7 teacher responses for children without Spina Bifida. 68% of children with Spina Bifida and 88% of children without spina bifida were female. Children in both groups performed at a similar level across subscales of BRIEF2 with the exception of Initiate and Working Memory. No group differences were found in SDQ scales as assessed by parents; teacher assessment of conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention and peer problems were higher for children with Spina Bifida. Children with Spina Bifida performed similarly in all subjects across the curriculum with the exception of English, Mathematics and History.
Conclusions: Based on this small sample, a potential need for evidence-based interventions to assist children with Spina Bifida in the cognitive areas of Initiation and Working Memory and also in English, Mathematics and History were identified. Larger longitudinal studies are required to confirm these findings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Cognitive, behavioural and educational outcomes in children aged 5-11 years with Spina Bifida in Northern Ireland |
| Publisher | 63rd Annual Meeting of Society for Research into Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida (SRHSB), La Laguna, Canarias, Spain (June 26-29, 2019, University of La Laguna) |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 28 Jun 2019 |
Keywords
- Spina Bifida, Children, Cognition, Behaviour, Education
