A simple neurological test revealed that poor performance in children aged 7-11 correlates with behavioral issues and developmental problems. This suggests subtle neurological dysfunction, alongside social factors, contributes to childhood behavior disorders.
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Assessing neurological function in children is crucial for understanding developmental trajectories.
Subtle neurological impairments, not indicative of overt disease, may impact behavior.
Existing methods for assessing neurological function in children can be complex and difficult to score.
Purpose of the Study:
To develop a simple, scorable test for evaluating neurological function in children.
To investigate the relationship between defined neurological impairments and psychiatric disorders in children without obvious central nervous system disease.
To explore the influence of social circumstances on the association between neurological function and behavior problems.
Main Methods:
A standardized neurological test, adapted from the Fogs' test, was administered to 138 children aged 7-11 years from four schools.
Children's performance on the neurological test was correlated with the presence of behavior problems, motor coordination, and perinatal events.
Statistical analyses examined the association between neurological impairment and behavior problems, considering social factors like school location (suburban vs. inner-city).
Main Results:
Children with poor performance on the neurological test exhibited a higher frequency of behavior problems, motor incoordination, and adverse perinatal events.
Children with any behavior problem performed worse on the test compared to those without.
Hyperactive children showed poorer performance than antisocial children, and neurological impairment was more prevalent in behavior-problem children from suburban schools.
The association between behavior problems and neurological impairment varied based on children's social circumstances.
Conclusions:
A degree of neurological dysfunction, falling between significant brain damage and normal variation, increases children's risk for developing behavior problems.
Subtle neurological dysfunction, combined with psychosocial disadvantage, may play a significant role in the etiology of childhood behavior disorders.
The developed neurological test provides a simple, scorable measure for identifying children at risk for behavioral and developmental issues.
