This study was performed on 63 primary school children (36 boys and 27 girls)living in a residential institution in Cairo. A similar number of matched controls was chosen from school peer's living in normal homes. All children were subjected to: an interview questionnaire including personal and socioeconomic data,mental ability test, social adaptive scale,physical and psychiatric examination. for instituted children data was collected about age, cause and duration of institutionalization together with information about the substituted as regards their age,education and number of children under their supervision.It was revealed that the instituted children were significantly lower than controls in intelligence and developmental skills while they were higher in conduct and psychiatric disorders(P