[Follow up of early childhood schizophrenics. Progress of 6 cases over 25 years].

Around the year 1950, we observed five cases of infantile schizophrenia; these patients were personally re-examined in 1956 and 1977. Another patient, under the care of the psychiatrists of the Public Health Department was included at a later date. One case of periodic catatonia is distinguished from other cases by a normal development up to puberty. The other five cases suffer from a "systematic" catatonia with characteristic syndromes and a slowly progressing course. As early as at the age of two or five years, they were noticeable for autism and psychomotor syndromes. The diagnosis of the catatonic subform was confirmed after 25 years. Although originally able children their intellectual development came to a standstill during the progressing process as did the maturing of the personality. A causative factor of the early development can be seen in the lack of stimulation to which four only children and one child brought up in a home were exposed.