NCJ Number
85687
Date Published
1982
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This discussion of the diagnosis of growth-developmental malfunctioning, describes aspects of normal development, causes of growth-developmental malfunctioning, and how to examine for growth-developmental malfunctioning.
Abstract
Causes of growth-developmental malfunctioning include genetic abnormalities, congenital defects, damage at birth, and damage after birth. An examination for growth-developmental malfunctioning includes taking the patient's history and a physical examination. The regular format for medical history-taking starts with conception and continues with pregnancy, birth history, developmental history (time of walking, talking, etc.), and then continues through the years reviewing illnesses, hospitalizations, and accidents. Once the history has been taken, this gives some indication of what organs should be most closely inspected in the physical examination. In the physical examination, the usual method is to start with general appearance and then to examine the top of the body and proceed part by part, organ by organ, to the toes and lastly do the neurological examination. Laboratory testing for offenders should include routine urinalysis, blood count, and tuberculin test. A blood panel will show functional deficits or normality of kidneys, liver, and other organs. The glucose tolerance test proves hypoglycemia. The relatively new hair testing should be routine for all offenders, and allergy testing or testing by using elimination diets, followed by appropriate therapy, including special diets, should be done for all allergic patients. X-ray and electroencephalography should be done as indicated. Five references are listed.