Our previous research (Bogdanowicz, Jaklewicz 1982, and Bogdanowicz, Wszeborowska 1990) indicates that children with specific difficulties in reading and writing who have not undergone specific therapeutic treatment maintain disturbances in development of perceptual and motor functions. It has a negative influence on their development and their school and professional career.

In 1991-93 further research on this problem was conducted in order to examine connection between disturbances of perceptual and motor functions, and education and personality of youth with dyslexia. The research was conducted in two stages. In the first stage the results of the research from 1985 - 1990 were analysed. These were results of 251 adolescents with specific difficulties in reading and writing, who were about to finish secondary school. The documentation included results of: Intelligence Scale (Wechsler-Bellevue); visual memory (Benton Test); visual and motor co-ordination (Bender-Santucci Test); phonemic hearing, i.e. analysis, synthesis, and differentiation of phonemes (experimental trials); level of reading (Konopnicki Test); level of writing (dictation, composition); observation, and interview.

In this stage the control group consisted of 100 secondary school last year students from Gdañsk, Sopot, and Gdynia.

In the second stage we managed to get in contact with 100 students out of those 251 formerly examined. They were inquired about their school progress and professional career, as well as their interests, plans for future, reasons of their difficulties in reading and writing, and occurrence of emotional disturbances. For personality examination the 16-Factor Personality Questionnaire (16 PF, Cattell) and Adjective Check List (ACL, Gough) were used. Also phonemic hearing was tested once more (clinical trials). The control group in this stage consisted of 30 students.

The results indicate remaining disturbances of perceptual and motor functions, difficulties in spelling and, less frequently, in reading. Intelligence Scale (Wechsler-Bellevue) shows distinctly lower results on non-verbal scale, particularly in Coding test and in Digit Span test.

Difficulties in reading and writing have a negative influence on school career despite above average intelligence of examined individuals. They also have an influence on their choice of profession, interests, and plans for future. They are conducive to neurotic personality development.

Marta Bogdanowicz, Bozena Wszeborowska-Lipiñska: "Follow-up study of adolescents with specific difficulties in reading and writing". Paper presented at the First International Congress of Adolescentology, Assisi, Italy, October 22-24, 1993.

Key Words: Follow-up, Difficulties in reading and writing, Perceptual and motor functions.

Marta Bogdanowicz, Bozena Wszeborowska-Lipiñska: Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk - ul. Pomorska 68 - 80-343 GDANSK - Poland.