SHORT NORMAL-CHILDREN AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISADVANTAGE - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF GROWTH AND COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENT FROM 4 TO 11 YEARS

The aim of this investigation was to follow up a sample of exceptional ly short but medically healthy children, and a normal comparison group , previously studied at 4 years of age. They lived in an inner-city ar ea which was, on objective criteria, seriously disadvantaged in socioe conomic terms. When first seen at 4 years, cases were significantly im paired in cognitive abilities relative to comparisons, although firstb orns were much less severely affected. Of the original 46 cases, 45 we re assessed again at 11 years. Most continued to live in the same geog raphical area. Case children remained exceptionally short, even when p arental stature was taken into account, although a degree of catch-up had occurred. One third had special educational needs, and a similar p roportion had been referred for speech therapy. Verbal and nonverbal c ognitive skills of both case and comparison children had, on the whole , changed little and group differences persisted. In conclusion, short normal children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds are at high risk of educational failure at elementary school.