Abstract
M.A. (Psychology)
Minimal brain dysfunction as a diagnostic category with specific manifestations in terms of decreased scholastic ability, deficits in perseptual-motor and attentional functioning, has received a great deal of attention over the past ten years. However, the precise nature of this condition is still unclear, especially with regards to children diagnosed as having minimal brain dysfunction's response to remedial treatment and medication. From a literature survey it was concluded that there are two groups of children with minimal brain dysfunction. These groups comply with the definitions made by Kenny, (1980) of a hiperkinotaxic group and a pseudohiperkinotaxic group where the former appear to be a group of children who do not respond to any form of training or treatment without the addition of stimulant medication. The pseudohiperkinotaxic group respond to educational remedial and psychological treatment without stimulant medication, where
stimulant medication may even decrease their functional ability. It was hypothesized that because of certain neuro-chemical factors hiperkinotaxic children are less conditionable without stimulant medication, than the pseudohiperkintoxic chirdren. In order to investigate this hypothesis three groups of children were isolated, a control group with no sign of minimal. brain dysfunction, an experimental group with minimal brain
dysfunction who responded psychological and educational treatment only with the addition of stimulant medication...