PURPOSE:
to verify the performance of individuals with phenylketonuria diagnosed and treated early, regarding the reading and writing skills and to correlate such performance with the receptive vocabulary and the Intellectual Quotient.
Methods:
the participants were 17 individuals with chronological age between 7 and 14. All of them were attending second to seventh grade in public schools. Data was collected from medical records on diagnosis, treatment, socioeconomic status, and scores of Intellectual Quotient and these instruments were applied: the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the Academic Performance Test (writing and reading subtests). Parents also answered questions on the context of everyday school life. Statistical analysis was inferential and the Pearson Correlation Test was applied (p ≤ .05).
RESULTS:
the analysis of the medical records found that no participant was able to maintain the levels of phenylalanine in normative indexes throughout life; 29.41% were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 41.17% had sleep problems and 64.70% had irritability and negativism. In the reading and writing subtests, 23.53% had scores compatible with their level of education, at average levels or above, 41.18% were classified as below average in the assessment of receptive vocabulary by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. There was a correlation between the performance in the reading and writing tests and the Intellectual Quotient scores and the performance in the receptive vocabulary test.
CONCLUSION:
although participants obtained normative scores in Intellectual Quotient, they presented difficulties in the performance of the reading and writing subtests. Additional studies are necessary to really understand the academic needs of individuals with phenylketonuria.
Phenylketonuria; Reading; Learning; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Language
