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 LEARNING
DISABILITY
Learning disabilities
are disorders that affect one's ability to understand or use
spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations,
coordinate movements or direct attention. Although learning
disabilities occur in very young children, disorders are usually
not recognized until a child reaches school age.
Learning disabilities affect
one's ability to interpret what one sees and hears, or to link
information from different parts of the brain. These limitations can
show up as specific difficulties with spoken and written language,
coordination, self-control or attention. Such difficulties extend to
schoolwork and can impede learning to read or write, or to do math.
Symptoms
 Average
or above average intelligence (as measured by the IQ score)
Significant
delay in academic achievement
Severe
information processing deficits
Uneven
pattern of cognitive development throughout life
A
disparity between measured intellectual potential (IQ score) and
actual academic achievement
The
learning disability persists despite instruction in standard
classroom situations
Some types of learning
disabilities, if caught early, have very good prognoses.
Intervention can even change the way the brain works.
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for help, now.
MENTAL RETARDATION
Mental Retardation (MR)
refers to below-average general intellectual functioning with
associated deficits in adaptive behavior that occurs before age 18.
Onset usually occurs in infancy or prior to birth. When onset occurs
at age 18 or after, it is called dementia, which can coexist with an
MR diagnosis. Intelligence level as determined by individual
standard assessment is below 70, and the ability to adapt to the
demands of normal life is impaired. This is important because it
distinguishes a diagnosis of MR from individuals with low IQ scores
who are able to adapt to the demands of everyday life. Education,
job training, support from family, and individual characteristics
such as motivation and personality can all contribute to the ability
of individuals with MR to adapt.
Other behavioral traits
associated with MR (but not deemed criteria for an MR diagnosis)
include aggression, dependency, impulsivity, passivity, self-injury,
stubbornness, low self-esteem, and low frustration tolerance. Some
may also exhibit mood disorders such as psychotic disorders and
attention difficulties, though others are pleasant, otherwise
healthy individuals. Sometimes physical traits, like shortness in
stature and malformation of facial elements, can set individuals
with MR apart, while others may have a normal appearance.
Symptoms
Failure
to meet intellectual developmental markers
Persistence
of infantile behavior
Lack
of curiosity
Decreased
learning ability
Inability
to meet educational demands of school
Behavioral
approaches are important in understanding and working with mentally
retarded individuals.
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for help, now.
Separation anxiety
Separation anxiety refers to
a developmental stage in which a child experiences anxiety due to
separation from the primary care giver (usually the mother). This
phase is fairly standard at around 8 months of age and can last
until the child is 14 months old.
In young children,
unwillingness to leave a parent or a caregiver is a sign that
attachments have developed between the caregiver and child. The
child is beginning to understand that each object (including people)
in the environment is different and permanent. Young children do not
yet understand time, therefore they do not know when or even if a
parent will ever come back. Children at this stage struggle between
the desire to strike out on their own and the need to stay safe by a
parent or caregiver's side.
While separation anxieties
are normal among infants and toddlers, they are inappropriate for
older children and may indicate separation anxiety disorder. To be
diagnosed as such, the symptoms must cause distress or affect social,
academic, or job functioning and must last at least 1 month.
Symptoms
Excessive
distress when separated from the primary caregiver
Worry
about losing or harm coming to the primary caregiver
Recurrent
reluctance to go anywhere because of fear of separation
Reluctance
to go to sleep without the significant adult nearby
Nightmares
Impairment
of school, social, or personal functioning as a result of
anxiety
Effective treatments may
include individual psychotherapy, family education, and family
therapy.
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for help, now.
Encopresis
Encopresis usually an involuntary
passage of feces (stools) by a child age four or more in inappropriate
places such as clothing. It is frequently the result of chronic
constipation, which over time results in fecal impaction and in the
leakage of liquid stool accumulated above the impacted feces. This
leakage may occur during the day or night and it is not under the
conscious control of the child. Leakage varies in frequency, and it
can range from infrequent occurrences to almost a continuous flow.
A child with encopresis often
feels ashamed and may wish to avoid situations (such as camp or school)
that might lead to embarrassment. The amount of impairment is a
function of the effect on the child's self-esteem, the degree of
social ostracism by peers, and the anger, punishment, and rejection on
the part of caregivers.
Symptoms
Repeated
passage of feces into inappropriate places (such as clothing
or floor) whether involuntary or intentional.
At
least one such event a month for at least three months
Chronological
age is at least 4 years (or equivalent developmental level)
The
behavior is not due exclusively to the direct physical
effects of a substance such as a laxative or a general
medical condition except by means of constipation
The optimal treatment
regimen of encopresis involves both a medical and behavioral
approach.
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for help, now.
EnUresis
Enuresis is the
involuntary discharge of urine by a child age 5 and over. It can
be psychologically distressful and a source of embarrassment for
a child, but not physically harmful. Enuresis places a child at
risk of being a target for name-calling and teasing from peers,
behavior that can damage a child's self esteem and place him or
her at risk of rejection. The presence of enuresis can place a
limit on participation in highly desirable social experiences
such as sleepovers and summer camp. The child may also have to
face anger and humiliation from parents who do not understand
the nature of this disorder.
Enuresis can be nocturnal-only
or diurnal-only. Nocturnal enuresis is the most common form and is
defined as passage of urine only during nighttime sleep. Diurnal
enuresis, the voiding of urine only during waking hours, is more
common in females than in males and is uncommon after age 9.
Children being so preoccupied with a particular event that they are
reluctant to use the toilet may cause it. A combination of nocturnal
and diurnal enuresis can occur but it is extremely rare.
Symptoms
Wetting
during the day
Frequency,
urgency, or burning on urination
Straining,
dribbling, or other unusual symptoms with urination
Soiling,
being unable to control bowel movements
Treatment techniques can
include moisture alarm systems, dry bed training which includes
bladder training and medications.
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for help, now.
MORE ABOUT...
Child Attention-Deficit/HyperactivityDepression in Children and AdolescentsAutismChild Abuse
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