Otoneurologic evaluation in children with school difficulties complaints : a vestibular function study / Avaliação otoneurologica em crianças com queixa de dificuldades escolares : estudo da função vestibular

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

Alterations in the learning process and/or delay in the acquisition of language account for complaints in children?s pediatric, neurological, neuropsychological and phonoadiological clinic. Moreover, high rates of school failure in first cycle students have called the attention of specialists who assist children in school age. Amongst the basic factors for learning there are posture, equilibrium and motor coordination. Together with the central nervous system, the function of the vestibular system is to control the body position, eyes movements and space perception, this system is today taken to be one of the responsible for children?s development. This research aimed to evaluate vestibular function in children with complaints of school difficulties as well as their complaints regarding the vestibular system. Was carried through in two important stages; initially 50 children were studied and later 88 children, all between age 7 and 12, which frequented public schools of the city of Piracicaba from 2004 to 2006. The procedures used were: anamnesis; otorhinolaryngological examination; audiologic examination and vestibular evaluation. In the initial results we noticed that 38.0% reported had school difficulties. When we increased the sample data we noticed that 49.0% of children referring school difficulties. In the study of the most common complaints reported, we could observe that the complaint reported of "stunnedness" had a statistically significant relation in children with school difficulties complaints compared to children without school difficulties complaints and later the complaint reported of "giddiness" was added. When considering the percentages of the most common symptoms reported in the school environment among the studied children we could notice that at first the symptom reported of "nauseas" presented a statistically significant relation among children with school difficulties complaints and that later, with the extended sample, the ?vomit" symptom reported was added. Both samples demonstrate with no discrepancies a great discomfort in playful activities that demand integrity of vestibular function and its interconnections: to rope jumping; to ride a bicycle and to play in the turning wheel presenting a statistically significant difference regarding children with and without school difficulties complaints. As concerns o school difficulties complaints linked to school performance, we verified that "reading" and "copying" difficulties had a statistically significant relation in children with school difficulties complaints in both samples and there was an expressive similarity. Data collected by the research on vestibular function in its initial phase were confirmed in the final study: a high rate of normal vestibular function in children without school difficulties complaints was found and a low rate of normality in children with school difficulties complaints. All vestibular alterations found had peripheral irritative origin, both unilateral and bilateral, showing a vestibular dysfunction linked to labyrinth excitement provoking vestibular hyperactivity. Data had a statistically significant relation in children with school difficulties complaints compared to children without school difficulties complaints

ASSUNTO(S)

vertigo vertigem labirynth diseases learning aprendizagem doenças do labirinto

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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