ABSTRACT
The diagnosis of a developmental deviation may be obvious, as in the case of a hyperactive child, or it may be subtle, as in impairment of working memory in an adult. This chapter examines the diagnostic procedures according to age: infancy and , childhood, and adulthood. It discusses the subject of risk factors for developmental irregularity. The most common reason for failing to diagnose a developmental problem is being misled by a seemingly obvious explanation for the child’s difficulties. Some patients may be aware of an ego regulatory dysfunction, such as failures of impulse control or memory impairment, but they hardly ever attribute the problem to an innate developmental disability. An important source of information leading to a diagnosis of a developmental idiosyncrasy contributing to a patient’s disorder is the treatment itself, provided it is psychoanalysis or analytical psychotherapy.
