Resumen

UZCATEGUI VIELMA, Antonio José; MARTINEZ ALLEGUE, Carmen María; MENDEZ JIMENEZ, Luís Alberto  y  PANTOJA RIVAS, Jannetty Hercilia. Estudio epidemiológico de los trastornos del aprendizaje en escolares, en una consulta de neuropediatría. Arch Venez Puer Ped [online]. 2007, vol.70, n.3, pp.81-88. ISSN 0004-0649.

Introduction: Learning disorders are dysfunctions of childhood development that present mainly with learning difficulties. Therefore they are inseparable from the school, socio-cultural and family context and are frequent causes for pediatric consultation. In some cases it is possible to determine a underlying pathology or a development disorder, but in most cases their appearance and severity are conditioned by family, school and socio-cultural conditions. Objective: To identify and classify the most frequent learning dysfunctions, their distribution by gender, age, personal, academic and sociocultural history, and their clinical correlation. Methods:A descriptive, prospective and transverse study was developed to determine the association of the main personal, academic and sociocultural antecedents in children from 7 to 12 years with learning disorders. Classification was assessed with the DSM-IV method. Results: 31 children with ages 9 to 11 were studied. All cases were classified as inespecific type according to the DSM-IV method, with a high index of associated perinatal events, appropriate academic opportunities and deficient sociocultural conditions. Conclusion: Learning disorders are frequently associated with a positive family history. Perinatal events play an important role as predisposing factor. An adequate psychomotor development and a normal neurological exam does not exclude its diagnosis, they are not generally identified during preschool yeras and are frequently associated with behavioral changes.

Palabras clave : Learning disorders; family; school age; childhood development.