Postnatal psychological causes of mental retardation

Abstract

The psychological factors present in 715 suspected retarded children were studied. Social, cultural and educational deprivation accounted for 57 cases. Personality and emotional conflicts were primary etiological factors in 15 children. Functional childhood psychosis was found in 18. A group of 89 children had no obvious definitive cause for retardation, although epilepsy, mixed eye and hand dominance, visual perceptive disorders, or poor muscle tone was present in some. In the remaining 523 children, primary brain damage was evident. A sample of 142 of these brain-damaged children revealed that 38 had neurotic symptoms, 23 were antisocial, 11 were psychotic, 28 had restless, disturbed activity, and 42 had intellectual lowering only. The authors suggest that both psychological and organic factors must be taken into consideration in order that complete diagnostic and therapeutic effectiveness be achieved.