ABSTRACT
The nutritionist’s problem has been an over-simplified definition of causation with the expectation that poverty leads directly to learning failure by altering “cell growth” or “CNS function” of the child. With respect to school-age children, no correlation has been found between anthropometric measures and development, aptitude, and school achievement among well-nourished population of middle-class children. The data demonstrated that all anthropometric measures were significantly related to achievement scores, but the anthropometric variables correlated better with academic achievement than with measures of cognitive ability or visual-motor-perceptual ability. It is noteworthy that the anthropometric variables did not relate significantly to non-verbal measures of cognitive ability. Lead poisoning and iron deficiency each contribute independently to learning failure among children. With respect to neurodevelopmental outcome, children exposed to alcohol show multiple long-term disabilities. The more extreme the dysmorphology, the greater the disability. These children have impaired cognitive functioning.
