Zhurba L T, Mastiukova E M, Aĭngorn E D
Zh Nevropatol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 1980;80(10):1475-9.
Many-year observations of 1680 children with retarded psychomotor development during the first year of life suggest that qualitative and quantitative differentiation of the development retardation should be made. Two variants of psychomotor development retardation in children of the first year of life are distinguished: a benign nonspecific, and a specific one. In the former case, the retardation is not due to a specific damage to the brain or its dysfunction, i. e. at the basis of this retardation there lie a delayed maturation of the brain structures and a slower development of their functions without qualitative changes in the nervous system. The specific retardation is always due to a damage to the brain structures and their functions. In this variant there is a dysfunction of the brain which manifests in various neurological syndromes. The authors explain the peculiarities of the nonspecific and specific retardation at various age periods, give examples of the differentiation of the specific retardation with regard to its gravity, and describe the principal neurological syndromes characterizing this retardation.
