Children in classes for the severely emotionally handicapped

This report will describe the clinical findings of a collaborative program to provide appropriate neuropsychiatric skills for 60 children ages 8 to 14 (grade 3 to 8) and their teachers, comprising the entire population of two self-contained units (eight classes) for the treatment of children designated as severely emotionally handicapped but not autistic. Of the 60 children, 36 (60%) were suffering from learning disabilities. Eighteen of these had neurological signs suggestive of organic defect of the central nervous system; the remaining 18 children with learning disabilities had specific or development learning disabilities characterized by perceptual immaturity in spatial orientation and/or temporal organization, but the classical neurological examination administered to them was within normal limits. Ten additional children were classified as having an attentional deficit disorder, and 11 additional children were functioning at a borderline level of cognitive ability. Fifty-nine of the 60 children were suffering from diagnosable psychiatric disorders: 21 (35%) severely anxious, 13 (22%) clinically depressed, 12 (20%) conduct disorders, 6 (10%) oppositional, 3 (5%) schizophrenic, 2 (3%) obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 2 (3%) personality disorder. Applications of these findings are suggested.