[Auditory reaction time, a maturation index in the athletic child?].

Auditive reaction time (A.R.T.) measured with a chronoscope, is a simple way of estimating sensorimotor qualities. It is one of the tests we use to evaluate the physical aptitude of sportsmen. It has been shown that A.R.T. decreases with chronological age up to the end of puberty. In the present study, regular check ups were realized in control children and in different groups of children practising sports. A.R.T. was plotted against the chronological age to obtain curves similar to the height curves and weight curves used in pediatrics. We confirmed the above mentioned relation. A.R.T. curves were not linear but decreasing asymptotic. Some groups of children (gymnasts, ice-skaters) presented a delay in skeletal maturation as compared with the chronological age. This delay was sometimes considerable. Therefore, we sought for a correlation between A.R.T. and bone age. A better correlation than that obtained between A.R.T. and chronological age would allow a more accurate evaluation of the physical aptitudes of such children, since a delayed maturation can lead to an erroneous estimation of their sports qualities. If correlated, A.R.T. could become an index to be used in the evaluation of the maturation and of the somatic development in children. Our results show that A.R.T., a reflection of central nervous system maturation, was in fact more related to chronological age - i.e. to lifespan and psychomotor experience - than to bone age - i.e. to biological and endocrine maturation. This shows, once more, that maturation is not a homogeneous process.