Minor neurological dysfunction and IQ in 9‐year‐old children born at term

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the severity and type of minor neurological dysfunction (MND) and IQ in 9‐year‐old children born at term.Method Three hundred and forty‐one children (177 males, 164 females; mean age 9y, SD 3mo, range 8y 10mo–9y 7mo) who were born at term were neurologically assessed according to Touwen. Children with perinatal risk or with a congenital disorder were excluded. Special attention was paid to the severity and type of MND. Eight domains of dysfunction were distinguished, including fine manipulative ability and coordination. On the basis of the number of dysfunctional domains, the severity of dysfunction was expressed as simple MND (sMND) or complex MND (cMND). Verbal, Performance, and Full‐scale IQ (FSIQ) were assessed with the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed.Results Neurologically normal children had higher IQ scores than those with sMND and cMND (mean FSIQ 104 [95% confidence interval (CI) 102–106] to 100 [95% CI 97–102] and 95 [95% CI 91–98] respectively). Multivariate statistics confirmed that the IQ scores of children with sMND and cMND did not differ. Fine manipulative disability and coordination problems were associated with lower IQ scores but other dysfunctions were not.Interpretation The type of MND rather than the severity is associated with lower IQ in children born at term.