The author, a neurologist, looks at the nature of reading disabilities. He suggests that many reading disabilities are the result of normal constitutional differences and that the term "minimal brain dysfunction" is rarely appropriate and does not help the remediation process. Noted are various theories which relate neurology and reading ability.…

Examined with 23 children (7-10 years old) with minimal brain dysfunction was the relation of handedness functions to early and diffuse brain damage. Ss and a group of 25 controls were given the Harris Tests for Lateral Dominance and the Halstead Finger Oscillation test. Results indicated a lowered performance level for both right and left hands…

Examined with over 28,000 7-year-old children whose mothers registered for prenatal care was the relationship between perinatal complications and such characteristics as poor school achievement, hyperactivity, and neurological soft signs associated with the diagnosis of minimal brain dysfunction (MBD). Ten perinatal antecedents were studied:…

Six children (mean age 10 years) with minimal brain dysfunction learned to regulate their behavior for themselves and showed less disturbed behavior, increased on-task behavior and better mathematics performance under conditions of self control. (CL)

Early-treated phenylketonuria (PKU) children and unaffected peers were evaluated on four executive function (EF) tasks and one nonexecutive task. The PKU children scored lower than unaffected children on EF tasks, but not on the nonexecutive task. The PKU children's composite EF score was correlated with concurrent and mean lifetime phenylalanine…

Two studies explore the late outcome of minimal brain dysfunction in 73 patients in relation to their initial presentation and predictive factors. Both studies followed the patients for a period of 10 to 20 years. Findings from the first study of initial presentation in relation to adult outcome showed that there was a strong positive correlation…

A follow-up study of 135 4-to-12-year-old boys, all of whom displayed symptomatology associated with the hyperkinetic minimal brain dysfunction syndrome, was undertaken in an attempt to specify those factors which predict delinquent behavior. The follow-up interviews queried norm-violating and delinquent behaviors. The Ss' answers were compared…

This paper deals with future research needs and problems in learning disabilities, and is divided into the following two broad categories: (1) supporting conditions, which involve necessary prerequisites to the research effort; and (2) procedural considerations, which deal with methodological concerns. First, the problems posed by supporting…

Seventy-three patients, diagnosed in childhood as having either maturational lag or organic brain syndrome, were followed for an average of 12 years into late adolescence and early adult life for the purpose of discovering the outcome with respect to ultimate psychiatric status, educational attainment, social adjustment, and global adjustment. At…

There is a relationship between maternal anxiety and lead levels in children. Data were collected from the mothers of 15 children with "normal" lead levels and 15 children with elevated blood levels. Anxiety was measured by the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. All families lived in areas with poor housing. Treatment of lead poisoning tends…

The paper presents a discussion of human mental processes as they relate to learning disabilities. Pathognomonic symptoms associated with disturbances to brain areas or functional systems are discussed, as well as treatment procedures. This brain behavior relationship is offered as a basis for a classification system that is seen to more clearly…

Early identification of Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD) is now easier, partly as a result of a series of 3 studies made in rural Vermont over a period of 15 years. MBD victims exhibit different behaviors at different ages. "Fidgetiness", a "nuisance" factor, and poor learning are all strong predictors of MBD for children at the…

This paper reviews the history and current status of services to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Finland. It notes the availability of free or almost free health services in Finland and the resulting very low infant mortality rate. The history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), termed "minimal brain…

This report presents a cumulative risk score system designed to identify high-risk infants through multiple assessments over an extended period of time. The system scores prenatal, natal, and neonatal biological events and neonatal behavioral performance in an additive fashion. Infants are assessed in the first month of life to distinguish those…