Relating infant temperament to learning disabilities.

The role of infant temperament in the development of learning disabilities was at issue. As infants, boys with severe learning disabilities were found to be (1) lower in activity level, (2) more irregular, (3) less approaching, and (4) more negative in mood than "normal" boys. Discussion centered around conceptualizing learning disabilities as the outcome of a developmental process. Thus patterns of early parent-infant interaction are established, based in part upon the infant's temperament, that may evolve into a learning disability.