Motor proficiency in school-aged children with CHD.

Objectives: To evaluate the motor proficiency, identify risk factors for abnormal motor scores, and examine the relationship between motor proficiency and health-related quality of life in school-aged patients with CHD.

Study Design: Patients ≥ 4 years old referred to the cardiac neurodevelopmental program between June 2017 and April 2020 were included. Motor skills were evaluated by therapist-administered and parent-reported and questionnaires. Neuropsychological status and health-related quality of life were assessed using a battery of validated questionnaires. Demographic, clinical, and educational variables were collected from electronic medical records. General linear modelling was used for multivariable analysis.

Results: The median motor proficiency score was the 10 percentile, and the cohort ( = 272; mean age: 9.1 years) scored well below normative values on all administered neuropsychological questionnaires. In the final multivariable model, worse motor proficiency score was associated with family income, presence of a genetic syndrome, developmental delay recognised in infancy, abnormal neuroimaging, history of heart transplant, and executive dysfunction, and presence of an individualised education plan ( < 0.03 for all predictors). Worse motor proficiency correlated with reduced health-related quality of life. Parent-reported adaptive behaviour ( < 0.001) and physical functioning ( < 0.001) had a strong association with motor proficiency scores.

Conclusion: This study highlights the need for continued motor screening for school-aged patients with CHD. Clinical factors, neuropsychological screening results, and health-related quality of life were associated with worse motor proficiency.