Neurodevelopment in Pediatric HIV Infection

Abstract

Pediatric neuro-AIDS may be the first clinical manifestation of HIV infection in children born to HIV infected mothers. As part of the neurodevelopmental examination of children, the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) was investigated as a tool for pediatricians to use to monitor the development of children at risk for HIV infection. The CAT/CLAMS was found to detect neurodevelopmental differences between HIV-infected and uninfected children at 12 and 18 months of age. Good correlations were found between the CAT/CLAMS and concurrently administered Bayley Scales of Infant Development. These findings suggest that the CAT/CLAMS should be considered as a part of the neurodevelopmental examination of children at risk for pediatric neuro-AIDS.