title: Special schooling in children with congenital heart disease: a risk factor for being disadvantaged in the world of employment.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate type of schooling in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) who were inpatients at a tertiary pediatric cardiology center. This retrospective cohort study included 227 consecutive children with CHD (male, 125; female, 102) who had been inpatients from 1996 to 2005. Data on type of schooling had been documented by the in-hospital teacher at the time of admission. Medical data were obtained by reviewing medical charts. The primary endpoint was the percentage of children requiring special schooling, which was related to the respective percentage in the Austrian pediatric background population. Furthermore, the influence of clinical and demographic covariables was assessed. Fifteen percent (vs. 3.6% in the background population) of the study cohort required special schooling; 86% of them had a history of cardiac surgery. Cardiopulmonary bypass surgery in the first year of life showed a trend for an association with an increased frequency of special schooling. There were no significant associations with the Aristotle Basic Score (a measure for procedure complexity in CHD), gender, or first language. In conclusion, the need for special schooling is increased in children with CHD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mlczoch
authors.forename: Sulaima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Albinni
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kitzmueller
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hanslik
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jalowetz
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Male
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Salzer-Muhar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001317:Austria; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult