P POSITIONAL PLAGIOCEPHALY X REDUCED COGNTV OUTCOMES

Cognitive Outcomes and Positional Plagiocephaly

RESULTS: Children with PPB scored lower than controls on most scales of the Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition (standardized effect sizes [ESs] = −0.38 to −0.20) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition (ESs = −0.22 to −0.17). Analyses by PPB severity revealed meaningful differences among children with moderate to severe PPB (ESs = −0.47 to −0.23 for 8 of 9 outcomes), but few differences in children with mild PPB (ESs = −0.28 to 0.14).

CONCLUSIONS: School-aged children with moderate to severe PPB scored lower than controls on cognitive and academic measures; associations were negligible among children with mild PPB. The findings do not necessarily imply that these associations are causal; rather, PPB may serve as a marker of developmental risk. Our findings suggest a role for assessing PPB severity in clinical practice: providing developmental assessment and intervention for infants with more severe deformation and reassurance and anticipatory guidance for patients with mild deformation.