Relationships Between Neurological Findings and Classroom Behavior

Five hundred seventy-five children from low-income urban neighborhoods who were between 10 and 12 years of age were examined by pediatricians for certain neurological signs. Classroom teachers ranked each child according to types of behavior. Data on neurological signs found in more than 15 children and on types of classroom behavior clinically expected to be related to central nervous system defects were studied statistically. Significant positive associations were found between nystagmus and hyperactivity, mixed dominance and hyperactivity, and mixed dominance and variable day-to-day performance. Errors in moving parts of the body on verbal command were associated with distractibility and underachievement. Head circumference greater than the 90th percentile for age was associated with unvarying behavior and clumsiness; tactile agnosia with unvarying behavior; asymmetry of the eyes with hyperactivity; and asymmetrical position of the child's head with underachievement. A negative association was found between nystagmus and musical ability.