Dyslexia and the Concept of Specificity from a Pediatric Psychiatric Perspective. A study concerning 80 Children Who Have Been Treated at the Centre referent des troubles due langage de Poitiers

The medical records of 80 children were studied at the Centre referent des troubles du langage de Poitiers where children are referred for problems of dyslexia & specific language impairment for written language. Whereas 60% of these patients fall within these categories as they are currently defined, 40% of these children present personality disorders which are masked by learning disabilities that have been treated by ineffective therapies. The present study of these two populations yields distinctive profiles where one can identify, particularly in those children with psychopathologies, symptoms that extend well beyond those of dyslexia. Thus, an evaluation of a severe impairment of written language can benefit from a psychiatric evaluation. [Copyright Elsevier SAS.]