Developmental output failure: a study of low productivity in school-aged children

Children with low academic productivity in late elementary and junior high school present a vexing problem to parents and schools. A subgroup of these youngsters may have underlying subtle handicaps that result in reduced productivity and chronic underachievement. Such children may be clinically characterized as exhibiting "developmental output failure." Using parent and teacher questionnaires, educational achievement tests, and pediatric neurodevelopmental assessments, a group of 26 children was selected according to predetermined criteria from among the clinic population seen in The School Function Program at The Children's Hospital Medical Center. Common findings among the group included problems with expressive language, fine motor tasks, finger agnosia, attention, and retrieval memory. It is suggested that clinicians be aware of the possibility that a child in this age group with low academic work output may have underlying developmental dysfunctions, whose manifestations may not have been evident earlier in life.