Evaluation of the Young Children with Neurodevelopmental Disability: A Prospective Study at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Clinics

OBJECTIVE Developmental impairment is a common problem in children health that occurs in approximately 5-10% of the childhood population. The aim of this study was to determine the etiologic yield of subspecialists' evaluation of young children with developmental disability. MATERIALS & METHODS All children aged between 2 months and 5 years referred over a 15-month period to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences subspecialty services for initial evaluation of a suspected developmental Disability, were enrolled in the present study. Diagnostic yield was determined after the completion of clinical assessments and laboratory tests requested by the evaluating physician. RESULTS A total of 198 children (129 boys and 69 girls) were eligible for our study. 108 children had global developmental delay and 90 children had isolated developmental delay. Approximately ¼ of all patients did not have any specific etiology for developmental disability. Cerebral palsy (CP) was the most common clinical syndrome in all patients (41.4%). Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (13.8%), brain dysgenesis (13%), genetic disorder (13%), and neurodegenerative diseases (11%) were determined in more than one half of all children with global developmental disability. in our study, "developmental speech delay" was the common cause of isolated speech delay. CONCLUSION Determination of an underlying etiology is an essential part of specialty evaluation of young children with developmental disability. The results of this study were similar closely to the results of other studies.