CONCLUSIONS
DDs in children with CHD are common
and should be expected. Both subjects
with 1V anatomy and those with 2V
anatomy are at risk. The presence of
feeding difficulty, poor growth, medical
comorbidities, genetic abnormalities,
and more complex treatment increases
risk for DD. These data confirm that
longitudinal surveillance throughout
childhood and into adulthood is necessary
for children with CHD because exposure
to risk and prevalence of DD
change over time. Systematic developmental
screening and surveillance
can identify subtle emerging problems
and facilitate access to early intervention
services to prevent or reduce longterm
problems. Primary and specialty
care providers for children with CHD
should anticipate these problems and
encourage developmental follow-up. Additional
research is needed to evaluate
the long-term impact of routine developmental
follow-up and early intervention
in this population.