Hair Mineral Content as a Predictor of Learning Disabilities

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Abstract
Recent research has discovered childhood learning disabilities are related to the presence in the body of above--normal levels of certain mineral elements, especially lead. This study investigated the relationships between hair mineral elements and childhood learning disabilities and determined which minerals, if any, separated a group of learning disabled children with a normal control group. The learning disabled group had significantly raised hair--lead concentrations. There were also differences in the mean levels of ten other minerals. Discriminant function analysis revealed by using lead, calcium, silicon, aluminum, vanadium, mercury, and zinc, subjects could be correctly classified as normal controls or learning disabled with 91.7% and 76.1% accuracy, respectively. It is concluded continuing research is needed to study the relationships between hair mineral element patterns and childhood learning disabilities.