The development of children with congenital hypothyroidism.

Standardised motor, intellectual and behavioural tests were undertaken in a group of 56 children in the north of England. All were aged between five years and 15 years 11 months and all had congenital hypothyroidism. The results were compared with those of a control group. The mean IQ of the hypothyroid group was found to be 1 to 2 standard deviations below the population mean. In the group there was no correlation between developmental measures and age at diagnosis but in a subgroup with bone-age evidence of prenatal hypothyroidism there was a correlation between age at diagnosis and both intellectual and motor development. Intellectual development was normal among those treated before one month of age, but there was some evidence of disturbed fine motor and cerebellar functions.