title: Assessment of Sexual Maturation Among Girls With Special Needs in Tehran, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is limited data on sexual maturation among girls with intellectual, sensory, or physical disabilities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the sexual maturation of girls with these disabilities in special schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the onset and progression of sexual maturation in 642 six to 18-year-old girls with intellectual, sensory, or physical disabilities from special schools in Tehran. The participants were selected by multi-stage random sampling. Pubertal stages were assessed by visual inspection and palpation based on the rating scales of Tanner. Stage two (breast budding and pubic hair growth) and stage five were considered the onset and end of puberty, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ages of onset of puberty indicated by breast budding (B2 stage) and by pubic hair growth (P2 stage) were 10.8 ± 1.48 and 10.79 ± 1.64 years, respectively. The process of puberty based on breast budding and pubic hair growth was completed at 15.58 ± 1.85 and 15.59 ± 1.8 years, respectively. The average height at the onset of puberty (stage B2) among participants was 128 ± 28.79 cm and the average weight was 8.31 ± 36.47 kg.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among our patients, the mean ages of onset of puberty indicated by breast budding (B2 stage) and by pubic hair growth (P2 stage) were 10.8 ± 1.48 and 10.79 ± 1.64 years, respectively. Compared to the data from healthy Iranian girls, our findings indicate that the mean age of pubertal onset among schoolgirls with disabilities is slightly higher than that of their healthy counterparts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Bahrami Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hosein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shabani Mirzaee
authors.affiliation: Imam Hossein Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Asieh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mosallanejad
authors.affiliation: Growth and Development Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabbani
authors.affiliation: Growth and Development Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Aria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Setoodeh
authors.affiliation: Growth and Development Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Farzaneh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.affiliation: Growth and Development Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sayarifard
authors.affiliation: Sports Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Amir Hosein
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Memari
keywords: Girls, Neurodevelopmental Disability; Iran; Sexual Maturation