Physical growth during adolescence in mentally retarded children

Abstract

Abstract Background and aims : Growth in children with mental retardation differs from that of normal children, but majority of studies have been performed in western countries and have focused on the early years of life. The purpose of this study therefore was to evaluate the growth pattern of male mentally retarded adolescents from North India and compare it with that of normal male children. Materials and methods : Two hundred institutionalized intellectually disabled (I.Q. less than 70) and two hundred normal male children between 10-20 years of age from North India were selected and the physical growth parameters i.e. height and weight were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated in all subjects. The mentally retarded and normal groups of boys were categorized separately on the basis of their age into one-year age groups. The data was then compared between the two groups using 2 sample't' test. Results : The results indicated that the mean height and weight of mentally retarded boys during adolescence was significantly retarded as compared to normal subjects. However, the intellectually disabled and the normal group do not show any significant difference in their body fat during adolescence. The mean height and weight gain of mentally retarded children during adolescence (11-20 years) however did not vary from that of normal children. Conclusions : Thus, the physical growth retardation in children with intellectual disabilities occurs during early childhood i.e. before 11 years of age.