A neurological and behavioral study of children with learning disorders

Abstract
The implications of the findings from this study of relationships between neurological status and learning disorders in children can be summarized as follows (1) Neurological integrity, as revealed by the clinical examination, is more closely related to behavior than has been assumed. Minimal brain dysfunctions are related to problems in learning, albeit in a rather complex, if not subtle, manner. (2) Inasmuch as Social Maturity, Auditory Blending, and Spelling most frequently showed a trend relationship with neurological status, it appears that techniques of this type would be useful in further exploring the implications of neurological disturbances. (3) When we find no differences in mean scores on behavioral functions for children classified neurologically, we cannot automatically conclude that there are no significant relationships between the two. The groups can be equal in abilities quantitatively but be highly different in their psychological organization and thereby be attuned to reality in quite different ways. The concomitant implication is that the means and processes by which they learn most effectively are different from group to group as well as from the normal. (4) If the findings from this study stand the test of time and if they are further validated, there are important implications for educational and remedial training. We could no longer assume that neurological status is unrelated to learning because it is precisely in this connection that the neurological findings were found to be significant. The child with positive neurological findings attains the same levels of achievement but at the price of "shifts" in his psychological structure. His perceptual awareness and the process whereby he learns and whereby experience becomes meaningful differ from those found to be negative neurologically. On this basis, in order to assist these children most beneficially, we must be aware of the far-reaching implications of minimal neurological disturbances.