Reflex Dyskinesia in Children

Abstract

the diagnostician and the therapeutist. The various sources of overactive behavior in childhood have recently been surveyed by Schneider.1 Their proper differentiation is a goal that will still require much concerted effort on the part of all workers dealing with this problem.The basic understanding of overactivity in children, although remarkably advanced by progress in psychologic testing and analysis, is often handicapped by incompleteness of examination, by lack of awareness of the various organic factors involved and by failure to appreciate their importance. The neurologic testing of children presenting overactive behavior is no doubt an indispensable requisite for the objective evaluation of the etiologic possibilities. Moreover, it remains doubtful whether the time-honored technic of simple observation will permit a final judgment as to the nature of abnormal behavior patterns unless aided by special investigations which the individual case may require. The need for a study of the postural reactions has been emphasized by Teicher.2 Assistance rendered by electroencephalographic, cinemato¬ graphic and other laboratory procedures is frequently unavailable. Fa¬ miliarity with the aspects of neuromuscular maturation and with methods of calculating various grades of motor development, however indispen¬ sable, will become, it is hoped, a more readily available tool of the ex¬ aminer's clinical equipment.3At the present stage of events, the experienced clinician will not light-heartedly forego the benefits to be derived from the elementary neurologic approach and from testing of the ordinary reflexes, which is From the