Examination of the Child with Minor Neurological Dysfunction

Book excerpt: This highly practical book brings the examination of minor neurological dysfunction developed by Bert Touwen and his colleagues in Groningen right up to date, which is timely in view of the increasing interest in and use of this approach. The approach is a detailed and extensive neurological examination with the aim of detecting a possible neurobiological basis for learning, behavioural and motor coordination problems in a child and thus informing decision-making and management. It provides a refined, sensitive and age-appropriate technique, designed to take into account the developmental aspects of the child’s rapidly changing nervous system. This third edition of Bert Touwen’s classic handbook has been updated by Mijna Hadders-Algra to reflect contemporary clinical practice. A new chapter assesses the reliability and validity of the methodology, and the book now includes norms for comparison, as well as practical management guidelines based on current clinical practice. Entirely new photographs and diagrams illustrate the assessment techniques clearly. The accompanying CD-ROM contains videos illustrating typical and atypical performance and also provides an electronic assessment form. Readership Paediatric neurologists, physicians working in neuropaediatrics, developmental paediatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, and paediatric rehabilitation.