Working Memory and School Readiness in Preschool-Aged Children With Sickle Cell Disease

Completed

Conditions studied: Sickle Cell Disease

In brief

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurobehavioral problems because of the impact the disease can have on the central nervous system. Specific impairments in working memory are particularly prevalent in school-aged children with SCD. Working memory is more strongly associated with school readiness and academic success than intellectual ability in the general population. The adverse effects of low socioeconomic status (SES) and poverty on cognition and neurodevelopment emerge early, before children have entered formal education. In addition, they affect language and executive function skills (e.g., working memory) more than other skills. SES is a proxy variable for other risk factors. Higher SES is associated with less parental stress, more supportive parenting practices, and better cognitive stimulation based on the availability of books, computers, and outings. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: * To examine working memory and school readiness in young children with sickle cell disease in comparison to demographically matched control children without sickle cell disease. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: * To examine the relationships of family/environmental factors (caregiver stress, parental responsiveness, and cognitive stimulation in the home) and disease severity to working memory and school readiness skills in preschool-aged children with SCD.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02227472

Run by

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

People needed

84

Starts

2014-09-08

Expected to finish

2018-08-20

Last updated by the study team

2018-09-12

Who can join

Age: 4 and older, up to 6. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH) with a primary diagnosis of sickle cell disease
• 48-68 months of age at time of enrollment
• English as primary language

You may not qualify if…

• Sensory or motor impairment that would preclude valid testing (e.g., blindness, paresis)
• Treatment with non-stimulant psychotropic medication
• Enrollment in kindergarten at time of assessment

Where it is running

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital — Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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