Neuropsychological and psychosocial correlates of endocrine and metabolic disorders--a review.

With advances in medical knowledge, many paediatric metabolic and endocrine disorders can now be treated effectively. The focus of clinical management has shifted from survival to quality of outcome for survivors. This paper refers to three conditions, congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria and type 1 diabetes mellitus, to illustrate the effects of metabolic disturbances on the developing brain. Neuropsychological and psychosocial correlates of these disorders are reviewed. Current knowledge about illness-related predictors of outcome is also discussed.