Educational outcomes in school age children with a history of isolated Hirschsprung disease are equivalent to their peers | Retrospective review | Single institution | From 1992 to 2017 | >4 years old | With Isolated Hirschsprung disease (HD) | 75 patients | Evaluated: Educational Outcomes | Compared with: 10:1 matched control cohort | Results: Patients with HD | Risk of failing in early developmental instrument | Risk of failing as their peers in grade 3, 7 & 8 assessments | Grade 9 & 12 completion | Conclusion: Though patients with HD seemed to struggle in pre-school neurodevelopmental performance, they easily catch up and achieve similar scores & high school graduation rates. | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.12.040 | Source: Keijzer R et.al. | @gigenace @EmTombash | Cincinnati Children's | @StayCurrentMD | Journal of Pediatric Surgery | Departments of Surgery and Pediatrics & Child Health, Division of Pediatric Surgery and Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Canada
Educational outcomes in school age children with a history of isolated Hirschsprung disease are equivalent to their peers
Infographic · Aug 2022 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Retrospective cohort study of 75 Hirschsprung disease patients shows they perform equivalently to peers on standardized testing and high school graduation despite early developmental delays. Findings challenge assumptions that these patients require special education accommodations beyond preschool age.
- Children with isolated Hirschsprung disease show equivalent academic performance to peers once they enter elementary school.
- Pre-school developmental screening may show delays, but these do not predict long-term educational outcomes in Hirschsprung patients.
- Hirschsprung patients have similar rates of Grade 9 completion and high school graduation compared to age-matched controls.
- Routine special education placement may be unnecessary and potentially harmful for most children with Hirschsprung disease history.
- Real-world educational data provides reassuring evidence for families regarding neurodevelopmental prognosis after Hirschsprung treatment.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the infographic.
The infographic uses a teal and yellow color scheme with icons including a clipboard, medical cross checkmark, and arrow symbols. The layout flows from top to bottom with study design details, patient numbers in large text, results with visual indicators (upward arrows for increased risk, wavy lines for equivalent outcomes), and a yellow conclusion box at the bottom.
Infographic from Cecilia Gigena and Em Tombash
"Educational outcomes in school age children with a history of isolated Hirschsprung disease are equivalent to their peers" Cowap, Michael et.al.
Full Article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.12.040
Authors: Michael Cowap, Gabrielle Derraugh, Anna C. Shawyer, Rob Balshaw, Suyin A. Lum Min, Richard Keijzer
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to assess real-world educational outcomes and developmental disorders in patients with a history of Hirschsprung disease compared to an age-matched control group.
Methods
With ethics approval (H2016:014) a retrospective cohort study of all children diagnosed with Hirschsprung disease at a single centre from 1992 to 2017 was performed. A 10:1 date-of-birth matched control cohort was constructed from a population-based directory. The educational outcomes were compared using the following measures: Early Developmental Instrument, Grades 3, 7, and 8 assessments, Grade 9 completion, Grade 9 performance, and high school graduation. Fisher's exact tests were used to compare the odds of failure between cases to controls. Only children who reached 4 years of age were included.
Results
A total of 75 cases with Hirschsprung disease patients were identified. Patients with Hirschsprung disease were at increased risk of failing to meet expectations on the Early Development Instrument. After entering elementary school, Hirschsprung patients were at no greater risk than their peers of failing to meet expectations on standardized testing or failing to graduate from high school.
Conclusion
Using real-world measures of academic success as a surrogate for neurodevelopmental status, our study demonstrates that patients with a history of Hirschsprung disease demonstrated poor neurodevelopmental performance in pre-school, but the educational achievements of patients did not differ from controls once they started school. These promising data can be used to mitigate preconceived notions that patients with Hirschsprung disease require special education, which may be isolating and psychosocially damaging.