Oculomotor and Postural Patterns in Schizophrenic Children

Whirling and Postural Control in Schizophrenic Children

“…The possibility that a high proportion of psychotic children may have organic impairment is currently receiving much attention. Pollack and Kreiger (1958) have suggested that schizophrenic children can be divided into at least two groups, one of which has signs of an "organic mental syndrome". On the basis of a detailed neurological examination by a neurologist, and independently, by two psychiatrists, Goldfarb was able to divide his schizophrenic group into organic and non-organic sub-clusters {consisting of 66 per cent and 34 per cent respectively of his original group of twenty-six patients).…”

“…It is interesting that although 5 of the non-schizophrenic children were 6 years of age or younger, none of them showed the maturational lag in postural responses which Bender (1953) posited. Pollack and Kreiger (1958) state that the postural abnormalities found in the psychotic group were associated with subnormal intelligence, but unfortunately they do not provide adequate details concerning this. Bender's assertion that whirling (and related postural responses) are "nearly specific for childhood schizophrenia" is not contradicted by Pollack and Kreigcr's (1958) findings.…”

“…Bender's general interpretation of whirling and related postural responses in schizophrenics is that they are manifestations of a disturbance in the maturational process. Pollack and Kreiger (1958) reported that only 4 out of 15 psychotic children whirled in response to passive head-turning. No whirling was evoked in 7 nonpsychotic, disturbed children, or in 9 normal children.…”

“…In the view of Pollack and Kreiger (1958) there is a relationship between postural abnormalities, including whirling, and intelligence. They claim, on the basis of their 15 cases, that whirling is more common in psychotic children of subnormal intelligence.…”

Normal and Pathological Maturation of Vestibular Function in the Human Child11This research was supported in part by National Eye Institute Grant No. EY-02612.

“…In an early, nonquantitative study (Pollack and Krieger, 1958), 15 schizophrenic, 7 "behavior disorder," and 9 normal children were subjected to decelerations following 10 rotations in 20 sec in a lighted environment. Minimal or absent postrotatory nystagmus was observed in the "schizophrenics" relative to the two control groups.…”