Weight outcomes in children with developmental disabilities from a multidisciplinary clinic.
Byron Alexander Foster, Kimberly Reynolds, Alicia Callejo-Black and 2 others
PMID 33220529WHAT IT FOUND
Children under 12 with developmental disabilities had better weight outcomes in a multidisciplinary clinic than typically developing peers, with 54% achieving significant improvement at 12 months.
Adolescents with disabilities did not show this benefit. Family-led structure appears key for younger children.
Key findings
01At 12 months, 54% of pre-adolescents with developmental disabilities achieved a clinically significant reduction in BMI percentile, compared to 25% of typically developing peers.
02Adolescents with developmental disabilities showed poor outcomes, with only 8% achieving significant weight reduction at 6 months, compared to 23% of typically developing adolescents.
03Blood pressure did not improve at 6 months for any group, and adolescents with disabilities showed a relative increase in blood pressure measurements at 12 months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is retrospective and relies on ICD-10 codes, which may underestimate the prevalence of developmental disabilities by missing children with suspected but unconfirmed diagnoses. The sample was drawn from a single urban region and one tertiary care setting, limiting generalizability to primary care or rural populations. The analysis did not separate specific types of developmental disabilities (e.g., intellectual disability vs. autism spectrum disorder), so it is unclear if certain subgroups drove the results. Parental factors such as self-efficacy, BMI, and health behaviors were not collected, despite being critical drivers in family-based interventions. The number of adolescents with disabilities who achieved the primary outcome was very small (2 of 26 at 6 months), making the negative findings in this group less stable.
Declared interests
None of the authors reported financial or other disclosures.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume multidisciplinary weight management works equally well across ages. The benefit seen in younger children with disabilities did not extend to adolescents, who showed worse weight outcomes and no blood pressure improvement. Interventions must be developmentally tailored, with higher caregiver involvement for younger children and potentially different strategies for adolescents.