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Children with minor neurodevelopmental disorders. III: Neurological and neurodevelopmental problems at age 10
Insights
Children diagnosed with minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), motor perception dysfunction (MPD), or attention deficit disorder (ADD) often outgrow neurological issues by age 10. However, behavioral and academic challenges persist, indicating a poor long-term prognosis for these areas.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Pediatric neurology
- Child psychology
Background:
- Previous studies tracked behavioral and educational outcomes for children diagnosed with minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), motor perception dysfunction (MPD), or attention deficit disorder (ADD).
- This paper focuses on the neurological and neurodevelopmental status of these children at age 10.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the neurological and neurodevelopmental problems in children with MBD, MPD, and ADD at age 10.
- To compare the long-term neurological prognosis with the persistence of behavioral and academic issues.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal follow-up study of children diagnosed at age seven.
- Neurological and neurodevelopmental assessments conducted at age 10.
- Comparison between diagnostic groups (MBD, MPD, ADD) and a normal control group.
Main Results:
- A significant percentage of children with MBD (severe and mild/moderate) and MPD who had neurological problems at age seven showed no demonstrable neurological deficit at age 10.
- The neurological status of children with ADD was comparable to that of control children.
- High rates of severe behavioral and/or school-achievement problems persisted in the MBD group.
Conclusions:
- The three-year prognosis for neurological dysfunction in children with MBD and MPD is relatively good.
- Prognosis remains poor for behavioral and school-achievement problems in children with MBD.
- Early diagnosis and intervention for MBD, MPD, and ADD are crucial for addressing persistent developmental challenges.
Abstract:
Two previous papers have presented the results of behavioural and educational follow-up at age 10 of children diagnosed at age seven having minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), motor perception dysfunction (MPD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD), and normal control children. The present paper is concerned with the neurological and neurodevelopmental problems of these groups of children at age 10. 25 per cent of the children with severe MBD and almost 55 per cent with mild to moderate MBD had had neurological problems at age seven, but no longer had any demonstrable neurological deficit at age 10. The findings were similar in the MPD group, and the neurological status of the ADD group was similar to that of the controls. These findings are in contrast to the high rates of severe behavioural and/or school-achievement problems among the children in the MBD group, and indicate that the three-year prognosis with regard to neurological dysfunction is fairly good, but is gloomy as far as behavioural and school-achievement problems are concerned.