Neuropsychological functioning of hydrocephalic children.

A group of 30 five- to eight-year-old hydrocephalic children was administered a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. As a group, they displayed a pattern of lower PIQ than VIQ. Their performance was within the average range of many neuropsychological tests, but they performed poorly on some measures of complex visuospatial functioning. It is concluded that hydrocephalic children at this early age exhibit relatively reduced efficiency in processing complex or novel nonverbal stimuli. The possibility of dysfunction in the posterior regions of the right cerebral hemisphere is discussed.