The academic and social experiences of children with and without insulin-de
pendent diabetes mellitus were investigated. Measures included the Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children-III, the Peabody Individual Achievement Te
st-Revised, and a parent interview. Results indicated that children with di
abetes scored lower on some cognitive and academic measures compared to chi
ldren without diabetes, but their school and social life was not remarkably
different. Few differences were found between children with early onset an
d late onset of diabetes. The findings suggest that poorer management of di
abetes is associated with greater school absences, which in turn are associ
ated with lower grades in school.