[Performance of literacy and cortical brain functions in a sample of first grade students of Porto Alegre, Brazil].
Cortical brain functions are the basis of the learning process and evolutionary neurological examination (ENE) provides the level of development of the brain. The purpose of this work was to study by means of the ENE the brain functions in a representative sample of first grade students of Porto Alegre, to investigate the learning performance. An observation, analytical and transversal delineated study was performed. The random sample had 484 children. It was observed: sex, age, race, weight, height, neurological examination, ENE, performance in the number sub-tests, completing figures and codes from WISC scale and literacy learning. The items of ENE were below the expected for the age in 11.4% and 38.2% of the children: the most affected ones were the sensitivity activity and gnosias (38.2%) and the least one was motor persistence (11.4%). In psychometric tests, 40.5% of the subjects had their development in numbers below the espected, 39.0% in accomplishing figures, 71.5% in codes. Concerning literacy, 94.4% of the children learned to read and write. The neuropsychological dysfunction and malestablished laterality were a risk factor for the learning process.
Departamento de Neurologia, Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre (FFFCMPA), Brasil.
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Guardiola
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Ferreira
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Rotta
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011597:Psychomotor Performance