Multisite study of infants with single-suture craniosynostosis: preliminary report of presurgery development.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cognitive and language development of untreated infants with a single suture craniosynostosis at time of diagnosis. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The study presents time 1 assessments on the first 100 infants with a single suture craniosynostosis (sagittal, metopic, unilateral coronal, and lambdoid) referred to the Infant Learning Project, a prospective, multisite, longitudinal study evaluating neurocognitive development. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Infants were assessed with the mental (Mental Development Index [MDI]) and motor scales (Psychomotor Developmental Index [PDI]) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Preschool Language Scale receptive (PLS-AC) and expressive (PLS-EC) language scales. Mothers completed the Parenting Stress Inventory, a brief measure of intelligence (maternal IQ [MAT-IQ]), and provided information regarding family socioeconomic status (SES).
RESULTS: As a group, infants scored significantly lower than the normative data on the MDI (91.9), PDI (83.5), PLS-AC (90.4), and PLS-EC (95.8), and the distribution of scores differed significantly from the expected distribution. MAT-IQ and SES were significantly correlated (.47, p < .01) with mothers of higher IQ coming from higher SES groups. Both MAT-IQ and SES were significantly negatively correlated with life stress events; however, neither MAT-IQ nor SES was correlated with any of the infant development scores.
CONCLUSIONS: There may be a greater developmental risk for infants with a single suture craniosynostosis than previously believed. However, control group data will be necessary to confirm findings.