Peer-reviewed article
Home stimulation is associated with cognitive ability, working memory, and school readiness in preschool-age children with sickle cell disease.
Carlson EJ, Heitzer AM, Pan H, Yuan X, Cai Z et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how the home environment affects cognitive development and school readiness in preschool-age children with sickle cell disease. Researchers measured cognitive abilities, working memory, and school readiness in 29 children with an average age of 4.4 years, and assessed their home environment using the HOME inventory. The study found that overall home stimulation, particularly learning materials, modeling, and variety of activities, were associated with better cognitive outcomes and school readiness in children with sickle cell disease.
Key points
- Total HOME inventory score was associated with overall IQ, working memory, and school readiness
- Home subscales for Learning Materials, Modeling, and Variety were associated with cognitive and academic outcomes
- Results were significant after controlling for genotype
- Study population was 29 children with sickle cell disease, average age 4.4 years
- Home environment factors may be modifiable to improve cognitive development in children with sickle cell disease
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional with a small sample size (n=29), so it cannot establish causation or determine whether home stimulation leads to better outcomes or if higher-functioning children receive more stimulation. The findings may not generalize beyond the study population or geographic location.
Abstract
Objectives Research has indicated that many medical and psychosocial factors contribute to cognitive deficits in sickle cell disease (SCD). Some studies of SCD in early childhood found cognitive functioning to be associated with socioeconomic status but not disease severity. The current study examined how the home environment is associated with cognitive functioning and school readiness in children with SCD. Methods Young children (n = 29; M age = 4.4 years SD = 0.3) with SCD underwent an evaluation of cognitive and academic skills. Subsequently, researchers and caregivers completed the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), an in-home measure of cognitive stimulation. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between each of the HOME subscales and cognitive and academic measures while controlling for genotype. Results The total score from the HOME inventory was associated with overall IQ, working memory, and school readiness. Among the subscales of the HOME inventory, Learning Materials, Modeling, and Variety were associated with cognitive and academic outcomes. Conclusions Stimulation in a child's home may affect cognitive and academic development in young children with SCD. Future research should examine the benefits of increasing learning materials and the variety of activities in the homes of young SCD patients.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Home cognitive stimulation through learning materials, modeling, and variety of activities
- Population
- 29 preschool-age children (M age = 4.4 years) with sickle cell disease
Key finding
Total HOME inventory score was associated with overall IQ, working memory, and school readiness