Learning disorders. Some medical aspects

The first skills are motor ones and these depend on perceptual development and the organisation of movement. If development is deviant the child will be clumsy. The clinical picture is considered, and the effects this may have in the school situation. Disorders of language development may be secondary to other factors such as deafness or brain injury, or may be a specific disability. The various grades of the latter are described. Both perceptual and language disorders can underlie reading retardation and the analysis of a particular child's difficulties is stressed. The etiology of these conditions is discussed with particular reference to the failure of integration. Intracerebral connections may not form, be destroyed, or not be used. The role of the Doctor is an important one, and this includes not only diagnosis and assessment but also helping the child in the home and school, especially when emotional and behaviour complications occur. The doctor must also act as a questioner and co-ordinator.