[Basic patterns of learning disability: follow-up study of very low birth weight children]

The purpose of this study was to characterize learning disability (LD) in low birth weight children (VLBW). Longitudinal mental development of VLBW without major handicap was investigated using several neuropsychological tests (ITPA, BGT, WISC-R) suitable for their ages. The tests at ages of 5-6 years demonstrated delays in visual perception and visual motor integration. In the school-age, impairments of language understanding and abstraction were suggested. The process of mental development in VLBW with LD was reported in detail on the cases requiring special education. Some cases with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) were also presented to show difference from LD.