ABSTRACT
The major diagnostic device used by the Institutes is the Glenn Doman-Carl Delacato Development Profile. This chapter shows the developmental sequence described by the instrument in the light of other independent literature on child development. The assessment of mobility functions is a very important aspect of the diagnostic process given Delacato's belief of a strong link between poor mobility and higher intellectual functions such as speech and reading. The problem of retarded reading, poor spelling, handwriting and reading ability below mathematical ability are all supposed to be organised at a higher level of neurological organisation than problems with stuttering. The sensory functions evaluated by the Profile include visual competence, auditory competence and tactile competence. As with the motor functions, each sensory function is considered in the Profile in its hierarchy of developmental stages and levels. The chapter concludes that the Profile is inaccurate, lacks validity, and gives rise to a distorted measure of child ability called 'neurological age'.
