Intellectual Development After Severe Malnutrition in Infancy

Intellectual performance, sensory motor abilities and social adaptation were studied in 41 subjects (2 to 21 years of age) who had severe malnutrition in infancy. A control group consisted of 41 siblings. The mean IQ of 31 parents was 108 (S.D. $$Word$$ 11.3). Socioeconomic deprivation was not present. The results of the Merrill-Palmer test for the malnourished group and the controls revealed significant differences in favor of the controls. No differences were found in the older population for whom the WISC and WAIS were used. The Lincoln-Oseretsky test of motor development and the Vineland scale of social maturity showed no significant differences. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that malnutrition in infancy can affect intellectual development in the first five years of life. Beyond this age, given adequate socioeconomic support, no significant differencces were observed.