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There are a number of children, estimated at from 5 to 15 per cent of the American grade school population, boys outnumbering girls three to one, who, without any demonstrable evidence of structural damage to the central or peripheral nervous systems, have difficulty in dealing with stimuli on a symbolic level. These children are suffering from developmental language disorders (Brain, 1961; Chess, 1944), variously described as congenital language disorders or lags (Head, 1927), specific language disorders (Silver and Hagin, 1960), developmental aphasias or dysphasias, dyslexias, dysgraphias, and dyspraxias (Bender, 1958; Money, 1962), congenital auditory imperception (Weisenberg and McBride, 1935; Worster-Drought and Allen, 1929a, b), congenitally word-deaf (Weisenberg and McBride, 1935) or wordblind children (Hallgren, 1950; Morgan, 1896), strephosymbolic (Orton, 1937) or sinlingualism (Peacher, 1950). These children have certain characteristics in common: 1. There is a strong family history of language disturbance (Hallgren, 1950). 2. All have evidence that the neurophysiological organization, corresponding to cerebral dominance, is not fully established (Silver and Hagin, 1960). 3. All have specific perceptual problems in more than one perceptual area. These specific perceptual problems are characterized by difficulty in orientation in space and in time, so that there are errors in right-left orientation; disturbance in body image relative to orien

The paper discusses the individual childhood speech disorders: articulation, phonation, and rhythm disorders as well as the dysfunction of speech. In addition to the causes of retarded speech development, the authors discuss especially childhood aphasias. As an all-important characteristic feature of childhood aphasia they give emphasis to the rapid regression of speech disorders as well as to the absence of a dependence upon the localization of the lesion. They also discuss the existing nomenclature. Also discussed were the congenital speech disorders for which they suggest the term "congenital abnormality of speech reception and expression".

Many disorders may result in delay of language development. There is on the one hand a large group of children with bilateral peripheral deafness, most of whom will be amenable to appropriate treatment, and on the other a group, possibly more numerous, who have a variety of disorders of speech and language, varying from lack of speech associated with severe mental retardation to more specific defects, such as congenital dyslexia and developmental articulatory dyspraxia. These disorders are probably due to a defect of cerebral function at the highest level and in these children no-one will have suspected deafness or have suggested that there is an abnormal response to auditory stimuli. Some children will start life with such an abnormal response but as they grow older will cease to show the characteristics of deafness. This group is analysed and it is suggested that some may be diagnosed as suffering from central deafness. The E. E. G./Audiogram is useful in the differenciation of these children from those with perpheral deafness, especially at an early age when co-operation is limited, or when these are severe emotional disturbances or infantile psychoses. This technique will be briefly discusses. Children with central deafness may be included among those with disorders of language development, but it is possible that this disability may sometimes result from a failure of integration at a cortical level. The reason for suggesting this diagnostic category is to stress that these children do initially behave in a similar way to those who are perpherally deaf.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Brain-injured children, their ages ranging between 3 and 18 years, with neuromuscular and mental disorders, were treated with geriocain. A detailed test examination was carried out before and after the treatment in order to assess the motor activity and coordination. No complications occurred in the course of the treatment. The intelligence of the children remained at the previous level, a certain improvement was found, however, in the psychomotoric activity (improved motor activity and diminished disorders of speech). It seems that the described method deserves to be more widely used in the practice.