Trends in the Prevalence of Autism on the Basis of Special Education Data

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Recombinant human growth hormone (GH) is approved for treatment of children with idiopathic short stature, and endocrinologists often depend on algorithms to predict adult height. Because algorithm performance often is included in treatment decisions, we sought to evaluate agreement among height prediction formulas. METHODS: We identified 3 commonly used algorithms for height prediction, the Bayley-Pinneau, Roche-Wainer-Thissen, and Khamis-Roche methods. We constructed simulated samples of children with typical distributions of ages, heights, weights, bone ages, and parental heights seen in patients with idiopathic short stature, and we applied the algorithms to the simulated sample to determine whether predicted adult height was RESULTS: We found substantial disagreement among algorithms in the proportions of simulated cases with predicted adult heights of CONCLUSIONS: Wide variation exists among formulas used to predict adult heights. Because these algorithms may be used in decisions regarding whether to initiate GH treatment and assessment of the efficacy of GH in research trials, it is important for parents, pediatricians, and investigators to recognize the considerable variation involved in height predictions.

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