DEVELOPMENTAL-CHANGE IN SPATIAL GROUPING ACTIVITY AMONG CHILDREN WITHEARLY FOCAL BRAIN INJURY - EVIDENCE FROM A MODELING TASK

Spatial construction skills were assessed in children with left (LH) o r right (RH) hemisphere focal brain injury and control children. Child ren copied simple and complex block models which were rated on accurac y and spatial strategy. The accuracy of simple and complex constructio ns for 4- to 5-year-old children with LPI injury was indistinguishable from 3-year-old controls. However, although they were able to produce accurate complex constructions, the processes used by children with L H injury differed from those of normal children. On both simple and co mplex constructions, 4- to 5-year-old children with RH injury showed e vidence of developmental delay. For both accuracy and process measures , children with RH injury performed at a level comparable to normal ch ildren at 3 years. A second group of children with LH and RH injury we re tested at 5 to 6 years of age. Both lesion groups were indistinguis hable from 4-year-old controls in terms of accuracy. However, both chi ldren with LH and RH injury used different spatial processes than did controls. This study emphasizes the importance of distinguishing betwe en products of behavior and the processes which underlie them. It is i n the dissociation of products and process of behavior that the subtle spatial construction deficits in this population of brain-injured sub jects is revealed. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.