The Problem of Dyslexia in Teenage

It has been indicated that specific reading and writing difficulties occur in 1&15 per cent of all children who enter school [7] and in 2-15 per cent of all adults with a normal intelligence [lo]. It seems to be a tenable statement that, if relatively mild forms are included, 10 per cent of all children suffer from dyslexia [5]. As the main cause of this condition a hereditary disturbance of certain neurological functions has been indicated [5]. Furthermore, brain injuries may play a part [el. In an investigation performed in Czechoslovakia [8] three main etiological groups were distinguished. The largest group showed various forms of encephalopathy, the second largest group a family history of dyslexia sometimes in combination with encephalopathy. The smallest group consisted of individuals who could not be classified or who were neurotic. Dyslexia may cause problems at school and secondary neurosis [l, 61. The problem of dyslexia was subjected to study at the Outpatient Clinic for Teenagers, Samfundet Folkhiilsan, partly in order to ascertain how reading and writing difficulties influence the school situation and the psychic condition, partly in order to elucidate the etiological background. The not quite adequate term 22 672887 Acta Pzdiat S c a d 56 dyslexia is used here to denote the syndrome of specific writing difficulties. The criteria by which this syndrome was distinguished from other reading and writing difficulties will appear in the text. Material