Brief report: Relationship between HIV infection and WPPSI-R performance in preschool-age children

Objective: To determine the neurodevelopmental effects of perinatally acquired HIV infection on children of preschool age. Methods: Participants included 40 children infected with HIV between the ages of three and five and an equal number of noninfected controls individually matched according to ethnicity, age, sex, and prenatal drug exposure. Participants were administered the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R), upon which an analysis of subtest distribution was conducted. Results: Whereas both groups evidenced mean IQ and subtest scores significantly below published norms, an effect for HIV group status was not found when a factor combining Performance IQ (PIQ) and Verbal IQ (VIQ) was analyzed. However, the group infected with HIV scored significantly lower than controls on the Block Design subtest. Conclusions: Gross cognitive deficits are not evident among preschool children infected with HIV relative to matched controls. However, this study does provides some evidence for more focal deficits. Further investigation with older children should be conducted.