Verbal memory and learning in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)

Verbal memory and learning skills of children with diabetes and matched controls were assessed on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) at initial and 4-year follow-up testing. Of interest was whether specific demographic and disease variables would be associated with performance. Results indicated no differences between children with diabetes as a group and controls. However, specific subgroups of children with diabetes were at greater risk for disrupted or atypical performance. Lower SES was a significant risk factor for both lower total recall and learning performance. Higher SES children made no developmental gains in performance over a 4-year interval. This finding held for both boys and girls from the higher SES group. Boys from the lower SES group also failed to make significant developmental gains. At follow-up testing, disease variables that predicted lower recall included earlier disease onset, poorer metabolic control and the absence of severe hypoglycemic episodes.