Brief Report: Intellectual and Academic Functioning in Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease

Objective Examine the intellectual and academic functioning in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods Using a cross-sectional design, children with CKD (n 30) were compared to matched controls (n 41) on measures of intelligence, achievement, and rates of learning disabilities (LD) variously defined. Results Children with CKD were at higher risk for grade retention (p<.001) and absenteeism (p<.01), and evidenced mild impairments on measures of intelligence (p<.001), math (p<.01), reading (p<.05), and satisfied criteria for a low achievement definition of LD (p<.01) more frequently than control group participants. Renal function was a significant predictor (p<.02) of intellectual and academic scores in the CKD group. Conclusions Educational and psychosocial supports are critical for children with CKD, and it may be important to monitor their cognitive functioning and academic progress over time. Key words chronic renal insufficiency; cognition; end-stage renal disease; intelligence; learning. Despite recent advances in pediatric nephrology, children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at continued risk for neurocognitive impairment. High rates of developmental delays and lower IQ scores have been reported for children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), including dialysis an