This thesis deals with a) The investigation of the problem of clumsiness resulting from developmental apraxia and agnosia ; b) the development of effective screening tests particularly suitable for employment by medical practitioners and specialist schoolteachers for the identification of these children. Chapter 2 reports the detailed initial investigation in Great Britain of 21 such clumsy children who had been referred for diagnosis and management. This study in turn stimulated a clinical survey of developmental clumsiness in Western Australian schoolchildren described and analysed in Chapters 3 and 4. It was anticipated that this survey would yield information regarding the magnitude of the problem and would provide normative data regarding motor performance in children. Subsequently these data were to be the basis of a set of standardized tests of motor proficiency in children (Chapter 4). In order to obtain information efficiently and to develop these tests it seemed most rational to commence with a pilot study of a relatively small number of children, when after statistical analysis it would become evident which tests were the most reliable, effective and convenient (Chapter 3). A comprehensive review of the subject of developmental apraxia and agnosia constitutes the final chapter of this thesis (Chapter 5).

The purpose of the present study was to compare feature retention patterns between children developing speech typically (TD) and children with phonological impairment (PI) and to discuss these findings in terms of characteristics, severity, and implication for the identification of developmental apraxia of speech (DAS). A second purpose was to determine if a relationship exists between phonological knowledge and feature retention. This study consisted of a PI group and a TD group of children, ages four to six. A 245-item speech sample was collected from each subject. Feature retention percentages as well as percent correct underlying representation (PCUR) were calculated for each child. Both PI and TD groups retained place the least, voice the most, with manner falling in between. These patterns corresponded with what past researchers found in studies of children with phonological impairment and children diagnosed with DAS. No significant correlation was found between PCUR and feature retention.