Synchrony (Measured by Cross-Correlation) in Children with Cognitive Impairments

Abstract

Neuropsyehiatrists specializing in children’s disturbances are often confronted with the problem of differential diagnosis in the field of performance disorders concerning schoolchildren. At present there is no accepted system of diseases or syndromes in this field. Various descriptions of syndromes have been published. In principle, from a clinical point of view, a distinction is made between the hyperkinetic-inattention syndrome and the group of specific learning disabilities, e.g. dyslexia. Various synonyms and partly overlapping terms, such as minimal brain damage (MBD) and minimal cerebral dysfunction (MCD), are used to denote children with disorders in conduct and performance. As far as the hyperkinetic-inattention syndrome is concerned, guidelines are given in ICD-9 (WHO 1978) and in DSM-III (Spitzer et al. 1982). Relevant symptoms are hyperactivity, inattention, distractability, lack of concentration, irritability, and low frustration threshold. These are often the underlying reasons for problems in school and abnormal social relations (e.g., Steinhausen 1985); however, there are also a large number of children whose learning disabilities are not observed in conjunction with hyperkinesis.