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Functional limitations and educational needs among children and adolescents with heart disease

Sherry L. Farr1, Karrie F. Downing1,2, Tiffany Riehle-Colarusso1, Ginnie Abarbanell1,3

1 National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
2 Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
3 Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine/St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

* Corresponding Author: Sherry L. Farr, 4770 Buford Highway, MS E-86, Atlanta, GA 30341. Email: email

Congenital Heart Disease 2018, 13(4), 633-639. https://doi.org/10.1111/chd.12621

Abstract

Objective: To examine how cognitive and motor limitations in children with heart disease are associated with education and participation in extracurricular activities.
Design: Using 2009–2010 parent-reported data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN), we examined prevalence of five functional limitations (learning/ concentration, communication, self-care, gross motor skills, and fine motor skills) by diagnosed heart disease status using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression. Among CSHCN with heart disease, we examined the associations between severity of each functional limitation and missing ≥11 days of school in the past year, receiving special education services, and interference with extracurricular activities.
Results: CSHCN with heart disease (n = 1,416), compared to CSHCN without (n = 28,385), more commonly had “a lot” of difficulty in the five functional areas (P < .01; adjusted odds ratios: 1.8- 3.3). Among CSHCN with heart disease, “a lot” of difficulty with learning/concentration was most common (35%), followed by communication (21%), self-care (14%), gross motor skills (12%), and fine motor skills (10%). Among CSHCN with heart disease, compared to those without, respectively, 27% and 15% missed ≥11 days of school, 45% and 29% received special education services, and 49% and 29% experienced interference with extracurricular activities (P< .01 for all). Level of difficulty with the five functional areas was associated with receipt of special education services and participation in extracurricular activities (P < .001).
Conclusion: These results support the American Heart Association recommendations to screen children with congenital heart disease for age-appropriate development and provide services when needed.

Keywords

congenital heart defect, congenital heart disease, intellectual disability, motor skills, school absenteeism, special education

Cite This Article

APA Style
Farr, S.L., Downing, K.F., Riehle-Colarusso, T., Abarbanell, G. (2018). Functional limitations and educational needs among children and adolescents with heart disease. Congenital Heart Disease, 13(4), 633–639. https://doi.org/10.1111/chd.12621
Vancouver Style
Farr SL, Downing KF, Riehle-Colarusso T, Abarbanell G. Functional limitations and educational needs among children and adolescents with heart disease. Congeni Heart Dis. 2018;13(4):633–639. https://doi.org/10.1111/chd.12621
IEEE Style
S.L. Farr, K.F. Downing, T. Riehle-Colarusso, and G. Abarbanell, “Functional limitations and educational needs among children and adolescents with heart disease,” Congeni. Heart Dis., vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 633–639, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1111/chd.12621



cc Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Tech Science Press.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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