Congenital hypothyroidism

[suemickey]

I live in London, England and my daughter was diagnosed at birth with congenital hypothyroidism.  She had negligible thyroxine levels when tested at birth and so her hypothyroidism was severe.  She has been on medication since she was 10 days old.  

She has developed well, with the exception of her speech and was recently diagnosed with verbal dyspraxia (apraxia).  She has been in speech therapy for about six months.  Her speech therapist has recently told us that she has made little progress and that she is wondering if she has a memory problem.  Her hearing is fine.

Rachel gets about 30 minutes of speech therapy a fortnight, supplemented with what we can do at home.  Accessing the right kind of help (or enough of it) is proving to be a problem.

Our 'take' on her is that she seems to us to be very bright and we have not noticed any memory problem ie: she always know what her favourite book/video is, she picks out people she rarely sees from photos.  We have got some concerns about her behaviour: although affectionate and endearing, she can be agressive and does not seem to understand the word 'no'.

We find it very difficult to access information about Rachel's thyroid condition and are not sure what outcomes are for children with her condition.  It does seem that problems with motor functions are quite common.

In your experience, could a child with this condition suffer with memory loss?  What are the types of challenges we can expect to encounter with her development?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

It is very likely that your daughter is experiencing two separate conditions, if indeed she is displaying any memory problem at all. Infact, it is probably more correct to say that the behavior problem is also a discrete entity. With the three problems of thyroid, memory and behavior, it may be beneficial to seek neuropsychological assessment to detail the various aspects of her functioning. Many insurances will cover such testing, though it usually requires pre-authorization.

[suemickey]

I should have clarified my daughter's age: she has just recently turned 3.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

With your clarification, I will not suggest the testing. I'd maintain the course you are on, be sure she is receiving a stimulating pre-school program, and obtain a consult re: behavior management. The latter should pose little problem to remediate. If you want some practical behavior management suggestions, take a look at Lynn Clark's SOS: Help for Parents. It is a valuable resource.

[qas]

My son was diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism, he has been very lucky that he has not suffered any set backs. The only problems with him is that he has mood swings and a very bad temper (would like to hear from anybody with kids that have mood swings).

My son is now 14years of age and is doing very well at school. Only problem is trying to get him to take his medication.