Neurodevelopmental outcomes in children and adults with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder: A contribution from the ConcePTION project

Abstract

Aim: To describe the neurodevelopmental phenotype of older children and adults with a diagnosis of Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder (FVSD). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 90 caregivers were recruited and completed a series of questionnaires regarding the neurodevelopmental outcomes of 146 individuals aged 7–37 years (M = 18.1), including individuals with a formal diagnosis of FVSD (n = 99), individuals exposed to Valproate but without an FVSD diagnosis (n = 24), and individuals not exposed to Valproate (N = 23). The mean dose of valproate exposure for individuals with an FVSD diagnosis was 1470 mg/day. Results: Individuals with a diagnosis of FVSD showed significantly higher levels of moderate (43.4%) and severe (14.4%) cognitive impairment than other groups (p = 0.003), high levels of required formal educational support (77.6%), and poorer academic competence than individuals not exposed to Valproate (p = 0.001). Overall psychosocial problems (p = 0.02), internalising problems (p = 0.05) and attention problems (p = 0.001), but not externalising problems, were elevated in individuals with a diagnosis of FVSD. Rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autistic spectrum disorders (62.9%) and sensory problems (80.6%) are particularly central to the FVSD phenotype. There was no evidence of a statistical dose-dependent effect, possibly due to the high mean dose of exposure having a uniformly negative impact across the sample. Individuals with FVSD had required a significant number of health and child development services. Interpretation: Children and young adults with a diagnosis of FVSD are at an increased risk of a range of altered neurodevelopmental outcomes, highlighting the need for a multidisciplinary approach to clinical management across the lifespan.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2023.107292
Divisions: College of Health & Life Sciences > School of Psychology
Additional Information: © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Uncontrolled Keywords: Cognition,Epilepsy,Teratology,Neurodevelopment,Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder,Sodium Valproate
Publication ISSN: 1872-9738
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2024 07:52
Date Deposited: 18 Sep 2023 09:54
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://www.sci ... 1423?via%3Dihub (Publisher URL)
http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2023-11-01
Published Online Date: 2023-09-04
Accepted Date: 2023-09-01
Submitted Date: 2023-04-12
Authors: Bluett-Duncan, M
Astill, D
Charbak, R
Clayton-Smith, J
Cole, S
Cook, P A
Cozens, J
Keely, K
Morris, J
Mukherjee, R
Murphy, E
Turnpenny, P
Williams, J
Wood, A G (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-1537-6858)
Yates, L M
Bromley, R L

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