Abstract
A high incidence of minor physical anomalies in a childhood schizophrenic population has been previously reported by Goldfarb. In the present study, 108 boys from four different clinical populations were examined, utilizing a standardized anomaly scoring system for which a high interrater reliability was obtained. The patient populations were: general pediatric ward patients (n=31), psychoneurotic outpatients at a university child guidance clinic (n =26), learning disabled children (n=23), and autistic, borderline, and atypical children (n=28) from two residential treatment centers. Both the learning disabled and residential treatment populations had higher mean anomaly scores than did the first two groups, but did not differ significantly from each other. There was a trend for patients with multiple anomalies to have had more frequent history of prenatal insults or paternal psychopathology. These results indicate that the development of these minor anatomical anomalies which are formed in the first three months of fetal development may parallel early developmental deviation of the central nervous system. The finding of high anomalies in the residential treatment groups supports the idea that some of these patients share a common etiology with the other early developmental deviations, such as speech delay or mental retardation, for which high anomaly scores have also been reported.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chess, S., Korn, S., & Fernandez, P. B.Psychiatrie disorders of children with congenital rubella. New York: Brunner Mazel, 1971.
Durfee, K. E. Crooked ears and the bad boy syndrome: Asymmetry as an indicator of minimal brain dysfunction.Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 1974,38, 305–316.
Goldfarb, W. Factors in the development of schizophrenic children: An approach to subclassification. In J. Romano (Ed.),The origins of schizophrenia. New York: Excerpta Medica Foundation, 1967. Pp. 70–91.
Goldfarb, W., & Botstein, A. Physical stigmata in schizophrenic children. Henry Ittleson Center for Child Research, Brooklyn, New York, 1956. Unpublished manuscript.
Goodwin, W., & Erickson, M. Developmental problems and dental morphology.American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 1973,78, 199–204.
Halverson, C. F., & Victor, J. B. Minor physical anomalies and problem behavior in elementary school children.Child Development, 1975, in press.
Knobloch, H., & Pasamanick, B. Some etiologic and prognostic factors in early infantile autism and psychosis.Pediatrics, 1975,55, 182–191.
Quinn, P. O., & Rapoport, J. L. Minor physical anomalies and neurologic status in hyperactive boys.Pediatrics, 1974,53, 742–747.
Rapoport, J. L., & Quinn, P. Minor physical anomalies and early developmental deviation.International Journal of Mental Health, 1975,4, 29–44.
Rosenberg, J. B., & Weller, G. M. Minor physical anomalies and academic performance in young school-children.Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 1973,13, 131–135.
Rutter, M. The description and classification of infantile autism. In D. W. Churchill, G. D. Alpern, and M. K. Myers (Eds.),Infantile autism. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C Thomas, 1971. Pp. 8–29.
Shapiro, T. Hand morphology in some severely impaired schizophrenic children.American Journal of Psychiatry, 1965,122, 432–435.
Smith, D. Recognizable patterns of human malformation. In A. J. Schaffer (Ed.),Major problems in clinical pediatrics (Vol. 7). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, 1970.
Smith, D. W., & Bostian, K. E. Congenital anomalies associated with idiopathic mental retardation.Journal of Pediatrics, 1964,65, 189–196.
Torrey, E. F., Hersh, S. P., & McCabe, K. D. Early childhood psychosis and bleeding during pregnancy.Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1975,5, 287–297.
Waldrop, M., & Bell, R. A. Minor physical anomalies and inhibited behavior in elementary school girls.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1975, in press.
Waldrop, M., & Halverson, C. E. Minor physical anomalies and hyperactive behavior in young children. In J. Hellmuth (Ed.),The exceptional infant (Vol. 2). New York: Brunner Mazel, 1971. Pp. 343–381.
Waldrop, M., Pedersen, F. A., & Bell, R. Q. Minor physical anomalies and behavior in preschool children.Child Development, 1968,39, 391–400.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Work discussed in this paper was done at Georgetown University School of Medicine, Supported by Grant #MH 20802 Psychopharmacology Branch, NIMH.
The authors would like to thank the directors and staff of the Christ Church Child Center, Bethesda, Maryland, the Christ Child Institute, Rockville, Maryland, and Linwood Children's Center, Ellicott City, Maryland, for their help with this project.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Steg, J.P., Rapoport, J.L. Minor physical anomalies in normal, neurotic, learning disabled, and severely disturbed children. J Autism Dev Disord 5, 299–307 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540677
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540677