Disabilities – DRNBC – Disability Resource Network of British Columbia https://drnbc.org Disability Resource network of British Columbia Thu, 25 Apr 2024 23:14:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.25 Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind https://drnbc.org/deaf-hardofhearing-deafblind/ https://drnbc.org/deaf-hardofhearing-deafblind/#comments Sat, 25 Feb 2017 00:51:07 +0000 http://drnbc.org/?p=59 Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind

 

Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind people may show up in your learning environments. It is worthwhile to note that…

  • Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind people who use American Sign Language (ASL) are members of a cultural-linguistic minority
  • Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind people continue to be denied equal access and opportunity to language, education and incidental learning.
  • Some outdated and oppressive terms include the following: hearing impaired, deaf-mute, deaf-dumb.

 

Associated Links

History of Deaf Education and Deafhood

Deaf Organizations

Services

Learn American Sign Language

 

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Programs

 

DeafBlind

Other

 

 

]]> https://drnbc.org/deaf-hardofhearing-deafblind/feed/ 2 Disability Definitions https://drnbc.org/disability-definitions/ https://drnbc.org/disability-definitions/#respond Wed, 18 Jan 2017 22:54:42 +0000 http://drnbc.org/?p=345 INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF IMPAIRMENTS, DISABILITIES AND HANDICAPS (ICIDH), WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, Geneva, 1980

The following distinctions made by the World Health Organization, in the context of health experience, between impairment, disability and handicap:

  • Impairment: Any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function.
  • Disability: Any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.
  • Handicap: A disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or disability, that, limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is normal, depending on age, sex, social and cultural factors, for that individual.

Handicap is therefore a function of the relationships between disabled persons and their environment. It occurs when they encounter cultural, physical or social barriers which prevent their access to the various systems of society that are available to other citizens. Thus, handicap is the loss or-limitation of opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others.

Disabled people do not from a homogeneous group. For example, the mentally ill and the mentally retarded, the visually, hearing and speech impaired and those with restricted mobility or with so-called “medical disabilities” all encounter different barriers, of different kinds, which have to be overcome in different ways.

The following definitions are developed from that perspective. The relevant terms of action proposed in the World program are defined as prevention, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities.

  • Prevention means measures aimed at preventing the onset of mental, physical and sensory impairments (primary prevention) or at preventing impairment, when it has occured, from having negative physical, psychological and social consequences.
  • Rehabilitation means a goal-oriented and time-limited process aimed at enabling an impaired person to reach an optimum mental, physical and/or social functioning level, thus providing her or him with the tools to change her or his own life. It can involve measures intended to compensate for a loss of functional limitation (for example by technical aids) and other measures intended to facilitate social adjustment or readjustment.
  • Equalization of opportunities means the process through which the general system of society, such as the physical and cultural environment, housing and transportation, social and health services, educational and work opportunities, cultural and social life, including sports and recreational facilities, are made accessible to all.
]]> https://drnbc.org/disability-definitions/feed/ 0 Psychiatric Disabilities https://drnbc.org/psychiatric-disabilities/ https://drnbc.org/psychiatric-disabilities/#respond Wed, 07 Dec 2016 21:38:00 +0000 http://drnbc.org/?p=95

Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mental illness involving episodes of serious mania and depression. The person’s mood usually swings from overly “high” and irritable to sad and hopeless and then back again, with periods of normal mood in between.

Bipolar disorder typically begins in adolescence or early adulthood and continues throughout life. It is often not recognized as an illness, and people who have it may suffer needlessly for years or even decades.

Effective treatments are available that greatly alleviate the suffering caused by bipolar disorder and can usually prevent its devastating complications. These include marital break-ups, job loss, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicide. (From the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Almost one-third of 6-to-12-year-old children diagnosed with major depression will develop bipolar disorders within a few years, according to a study of 79 depressed children over 2 to 5 years reported in the May 1994 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Most became bipolar before the onset of puberty, and 32% became bipolar at an average age of 11 years. The researchers recommend that those caring for depressed children should be on the lookout for symptoms of manic-depressive illness. They also suggested that, because antidepressants may worsen certain forms of manic illness in adults, prescribing antidepressants for children should be done with care. (From the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)

 

Schizophrenia is actually a group of disorders. The primary characteristics include:

  • Disturbed language and communication, thought, and perception which lasts longer than six months.

MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA:

The disorder moves through several phases

  • a noticeable deterioration in social skills
  • marked by delusions , hallucinations and disordered thinking
  • distortions have passed but the person lacks the motivation of before the onset of the disorder

It is possible to experience only one acute phase in a lifetime or to move through the phases in cycles. Neglecting to take the prescribed medication may cause the acute phase to reappear.

DELUSIONS

Delusions are fixed beliefs that have no basis in reality. Those suffering from this kind of disturbed thinking are often convinced they are famous people or are capable of extraordinary accomplishments (grandisoe delusion), are being persecuted (persecutory delusion) or believe they can not trust the affection of a loved one (irrational jealousy). These three types of delusions also comprise the major characteristics of paranoid disorders.

HALLUCINATION

An abnormality in perception. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling things that are not there.

THOUGHT DISORDER

WHAT CAUSES SCHIZOPHRENIA?

Scientists are almost certain that schizophrenia has more than one cause. Some possible causes are:

  • Chemical imbalance – some suspect neurotransmitters (the substances which allow communication between nerve cells) while others point to an excess or lack of dopamine (chemical substance in the brain). the limbic system (the area of the brain involved with emotion and perception that acts as a gate for incoming stimuli or messages) is thought to be the are most affected in most types of schizophrenia.
  • Genetic predispostion – genetic tranmission has yet to be proven even though schzophrenia tends to run in some families.
  • Viruses or virus-like particles – some feel that “slow viruses” may be to blame since sighns and symptoms are delayed and may occur many years after the first infection
  • Infections – infections can cause brain inflammation and create changes in the limbic system but have not been linked to schizophrenia.

Associated Links

Canadian Mental Health Association
Vancouver/Richmond Early Psychosis Intervention
BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Info
Mental Health Info Source
BC Schizophrenia Society

]]> https://drnbc.org/psychiatric-disabilities/feed/ 0 Neurological Disabilites https://drnbc.org/neurological-disabilites/ https://drnbc.org/neurological-disabilites/#respond Wed, 07 Dec 2016 21:01:45 +0000 http://drnbc.org/?p=90


Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by damage to the brain, usually occurring before, during or shortly following birth. “Cerebral” refers to the brain and “palsy” to a disorder of movement or posture. It is neither progressive nor communicable. It is also not “curable” in the accepted sense, although education, therapy, and applied technology can help persons with cerebral palsy lead productive lives. It is not a disease and should never be referred to as such. It can range from mild to severe.

The causes of cerebral palsy include illness during pregnancy, premature delivery, or lack of oxygen supply to the baby; or it may occur early in life as a result of an accident, lead poisoning, viral infection, child abuse, or other factors. Chief among the causes is an insufficient amount of oxygen or poor flow of blood reaching the fetal or newborn brain. Lack of good prenatal care may also be a factor. A less common type is acquired cerebral palsy: head injury is the most frequent cause, usually the result of motor vehicle accidents, falls, or child abuse.

Cerebral palsy is characterized by an inability to fully control motor function. Depending on which part of the brain has been damaged and the degree of involvement of the central nervous system, one or more of the following may occur: spasms; tonal problems; involuntary movement; disturbance in gait and mobility; seizures; abnormal sensation and perception; impairment of sight, hearing or speech; and mental retardation. Early identification of cerebral palsy can lessen developmental problems and lead to appropriate intervention when it helps the most.

Associated Links

Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia

 

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that from time to time produces brief disturbances in the normal electrical functions of the brain. Normal brain function is made possible by millions of tiny electrical charges passing between nerve cells in the brain and to all parts of the body. When someone has epilepsy, this normal pattern may be interrupted by intermittent bursts of electrical energy that are much more intense than usual. They affect a person’s consciousness, bodily movements or sensations for a short time.

Epilepsy may be treated with drugs, surgery, or a special diet. Of these treatments, drug therapy is by far the most common, and is usually the first to be tried. A number of medications are currently used in the treatment of epilepsy. These medications control different types of seizures. People who have more than one type of seizure may have to take more than one kind of drug, although doctors try to control seizures with one drug, if possible.

There are many students with epilepsy attending college. Most of them have a normal student life, fully participating in academic and social activities. Occasionally, individuals with epilepsy may appear to be sleepy or lethargic in class as a side effect from the anticonvulsant medication they take. After having a seizure, a student’s memory can be affected and accommodations may be necessary. Even with their medications, a few students will still experience seizures; however, not all seizures will be obvious to the teacher or classmates. Some mild seizures make the student appear to be briefly daydreaming, or the student may have a sudden involuntary body jerk.

There are a few students who sometimes have major seizures. These students are advised to alert their instructors of this possibility; however, due to the stigma associated with epilepsy, many refrain from telling anyone that they have epilepsy. If a student has a major seizure (commonly known as “grand mal”) while class is in session, the following suggestions should be helpful.

What should I do if a student has a seizure in class?

  • Remain calm. Students will usually assume the same emotional reaction as the instructor. The seizure is painless to the individual.
  • Notify Campus Health as soon as possible that a student is experiencing a seizure, (tell someone to make the call rather than leave the student).
  • Move objects that might injure the individual having the seizure.
  • DO NOT restrain the student or try to place objects in his or her mouth.
  • Campus Health will determine if medical attention should be summoned for the individual.
  • After a major seizure, the individual will have little or no memory of the seizure and will be physically exhausted. Following the seizure, the individual may need rest and sleep.
  • Find out if a couch is available for use by an individual who needs to rest after having a seizure.
  • A student who has epilepsy may encounter difficulty in concentration and in the ability to take accurate notes during lectures due to mild seizures.

Possible reasonable accommodations applicable for someone with epilepsy:

  • Allow the use of a tape recorder for taping lectures and discussions.
  • If the student cannot find someone to take notes, the faculty member could photocopy his/her notes for the student or announce (or have the student announce) to the class the need for a student volunteer to photocopy or make carbon copies of the lecture notes.
  • Extended time for completion of tests.

Associated Links

British Epilepsy Association
American Epilepsy Society

 

Multiple Sclerosis is an illness of the Central Nervous System in which two main parts differ: brain and spinal marrow. The fibres of the Central Nervous System are wrapped up and protected by a material called myelin (made up of proteins and fat) that facilitates the driving of the electric impulses among the nervous fibres.

In Multiple Sclerosis the myelin gets lost in multiple areas leaving scars (sclerosis); these injured areas are also known as of myelinoclasis plates.

The myelin protects and facilitates the operation of the nervous fibres, if the myelin is injured or it is destroyed, the ability of the nerves to drive electric impulses from and to the brain is interrupted and this produces symptoms appearance. In many occasions the lesion of the myelin is reversible.
Causes:

The cause of the Multiple Sclerosis is ignored, in spite of it, many scientists believe that the destruction of the myelin is the result of an abnormal answer of the immunologic system toward the own organism. That is to say, the immunologic system defends from the “intruders” like viruses and bacteria. In the autoimmune diseases, the organism attacks without warning the own tissue, in the case of Multiple Sclerosis, the attacked substance is the myelin.
Symptoms:

The symptomatology depends on the areas of the injured Central Nervous System and not all the people are affected in the same way, that is to say, the symptoms vary among different people and also in the same person according to the moment.

The symptoms include weakness, tingling sensation, fatigue, little coordination, balance problems, visual alterations, tremor, spasticity or muscular rigidity, dysfunctions of the speech, intestinal or urinal problems, unstable walk (ataxia), problems in the sexual function, heat sensibility , problems in the short term memory and occasionally reasoning problems (cognitive problems), although people that have Multiple Sclerosis have not got all these symptoms.

Diagnosis:

It cannot be diagnosed with a single test but rather some or all of the following procedures are required:

  • A medical record in which the specialist will analyze signs and symptoms.
  • An exhaustive neurological exam.
  • “Evoked potentials” tests that measure the answer of the Central Nervous System in front of specific stimuli (noise, images, sensitive stimuli)
  • The Magnetic Resonance, a relatively new form of visualizing precise and highly detailed images of the brain and spinal marrow.
  • The lumbar puncture to analyze the composition of the liquid that wraps the spinal marrow (cephalorachidian liquid).

Women develop Multiple Sclerosis with more frequency (twice as much) than men. The diagnosis is usually made between their 20 and 40’s.

It is not hereditary, however studies reveal that certain family predisposition exists, then siblings or other near relatives have more probabilities of acquiring the disease.

Treatment:

Healing treatment of the Multiple Sclerosis is not known, but there are treatments to diminish the frequency or severity of the buds. For example, e muscular rigidity, sphincters alterations, depressive dysfunctions or mood, etc., are symptoms that can be satisfactorily treated in some patients.
For some people with this condition, the following strategies can be useful:

  • Physiotherapy to help strengthen the weakened or uncoordinated muscles.
  • Occupational Therapy is used to provide independence in daily life.
  • Phonoaudiology helps those who have problems to speak or to swallow because of musculature weakness or little coordination.

Associated Links

Multiple Sclerosis of Canada
National Multiple Sclerosis Society

 

The following information is excerpted from Muscular Dystrophy Association, Australia

The term “muscular dystrophy” covers over 40 separate neuromuscular disorders which have in common the progressive and irreversible wasting of muscle tissue. Some of these diseases are known as dystrophies, the wasting of the muscles from within themselves. Others are atrophies, wasting arising from a disorder originating in the nerve system which causes loss of the ability to use muscles. Various Myopathies, Peripheral Nerve and Metabolic Disorders also fall into the realm of disorders covered by the MDA’s program. These neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are generally, incorrectly, termed “muscular dystrophy.”

Associated Links

Muscular Dystrophy Association of America

Credit:
MS Association Australia

Parkinson is a gradual and progressive neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by presenting tremors at rest, abnormalities in walking and rigidity. It affects up to 1% of the 60 year-old grown-ups.

It is caused by a cellular degeneration of the cerebral base ganglia, those that are in charge of coordinating the posture movements and the fine motoricity. At the onset of the disease a functional alteration of these ganglia takes place due to a substance called dopamina deficit (neurotransmitter substance that allows the information nervous conduction).

Symptoms:

The first symptoms of the disease can be unnoticed, since they are unspecific and they mislead the diagnosis. They consist on great muscular fatigue, depression, widespread or located muscular pains. As time goes by rigidity appears, what hinders the extension and flexion of any corporal segment, the decrease of the movements (bradykinesis), the characteristic tremor(sign of the disease), the loss of the posture reflexes, deglutition difficulty, lacks of facial mimicry and lack of swinging movements during walking.

Treatment:

There is no cure for this disease, but drugs can be administered to improve the mobility. It should be kept in mind that when the disease begins clinically a very severe neuronal deterioration already exists inside the brain.

Besides the suitable treatment, physical exercise should be encouraged in the patient, useful in any stage of the disease, since the motor performance improves when walking, swimming or gymnastics.

A diet rich in liquids, proteins and fibres, is advisable since many patients present depressive syndromes, with possible constipation and malnutrition. Due to the immobility secondary osteoporosis can be presented.

Associated Links

Parkinson Information
Parkinson’s Disease Society of the United Kingdom

 

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by tics —involuntary, rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly in the same way.

Diagnostic criteria include:

  • Both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics present at some time, although not necessarily simultaneously.
  • The occurrence of tics many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every day or intermittently throughout the span of more than one year.
  • Periodic changes in the number, frequency, type and location of the tics, and in the waxing and waning of their severity. Symptoms can sometimes disappear for weeks or months at a time.
  • Onset before the age of 18.

Associated Links

Tourette’s Canada

 

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by the head being hit by something or shaken violently. This injury can change how the person acts, moves, and thinks. A traumatic brain injury can also change how a student learns and acts in school.

The term TBI is used for head injuries that can cause changes in one or more areas, such as: thinking and reasoning, understanding words, remembering things, paying attention, solving problems, thinking abstractly, talking, behaving, walking and other physical activities, seeing and/or hearing, and learning.

When an individual with TBI return to school, their educational and emotional needs are often very different than before the injury. Their disability has happened suddenly and traumatically. They can often remember how they were before the brain injury. This can bring on many emotional and social changes. The following tips may assist teachers in working with these students:

  • Find out as much as you can about the persons injury and his or her present needs. Find out more about TBI.
  • Give the student more time to finish schoolwork and tests.
  • Give directions one step at a time. For tasks with many steps, it helps to give the student written directions.
  • Show the student how to perform new tasks. Give examples to go with new ideas and concepts.
  • Have consistent routines. This helps the student know what to expect. If the routine is going to change, let the student know ahead of time.
  • Check to make sure that the student has actually learned the new skill. Give the student lots of opportunities to practice the new skill.
  • Show the student how to use an assignment book and a daily schedule. This helps the student get organized.
  • Realize that the student may get tired quickly. Let the student rest as needed.
  • Reduce distractions.
  • Be flexible about expectations. Be patient. Maximize the student’s chances for success.

ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY

Causes of acquired brain injury can include, but are not limited to:

    Airway obstruction

  • Near-drowning, throat swelling, choking, strangulation, crush injuries to the chest
  • Electrical shock or lightening strike
  • Trauma to the head and/or neck
  • Traumatic brain injury with or without skull fracture, blood loss from open wounds, artery impingement from forceful impact, shock
  • Vascular Disruption
  • Heart attack, stroke, arteriovenous malformation (AVM), aneurysm, intracranial surgery
  • Infectious disease, intracranial tumors, metabolic disorders
  • Meningitis, certain venereal diseases, AIDS, insect-carried diseases, brain tumors, hypo/hyperglycemia, hepatic encephalopathy, uremic encephalopathy, seizure disorders
  • Toxic exposure- poisonous chemicals and gases, such as carbon monoxide poisoning

Definition: Acquired Brain Injury

An acquired brain injury commonly results in a change in neuronal activity, which effects the physical integrity, the metabolic activity, or the functional ability of the cell. An acquired brain injury may result in mild, moderate, or severe impairments in one or more areas, including cognition, speech-language communication; memory; attention and concentration; reasoning; abstract thinking; physical functions; psychosocial behavior; and information processing.

Adopted by the Brain Injury Association Board of Directors, March 14, 1997.

Associated Links

Brain Injury Association of America
The Brain Injury Association of Canada
Vancouver Coastal Health

]]> https://drnbc.org/neurological-disabilites/feed/ 0 Learning Disabilities https://drnbc.org/learning-disabilities/ https://drnbc.org/learning-disabilities/#respond Wed, 07 Dec 2016 20:45:18 +0000 http://drnbc.org/?p=85

Individuals with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) display a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity. These individuals often experience some impairment of their ability to address social, academic and vocational expectations. Common characteristics seen in children with AD/HD include: difficulty regulating attention, inability to follow through on instructions, school work, chores and/or duties; easily distracted and forgetful; constantly on the go and into everything, or “feels” very restless. Symptoms of these disorders will occur prior to age seven, but are often not readily observed because young children typically experience few demands for sustained attention. The prevalence of AD/HD is estimated at three to five percent of school-aged children.

AD/HD is a neurologically-based disorder that impedes the learning process. Often academic achievement is impaired and devalued, typically leading to conflict with the family and school authorities. An early medical diagnosis is important.

Associated Links

ADHD Awareness

 

Fetal alcohol syndrome/effects (FAS/E) is a neurological disorder caused by significant prenatal exposure to alcohol. The medical diagnosis of FAS is made when there is know, significant prenatal exposure to alcohol and the child exhibits three criteria:

  • Prenatal and/or postnatal growth delay (height and/or weight below the tenth percentile.
  • Central nervous system (brain) involvement (conditions such as head circumference below the third percentile, intellectual impairment, learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity or other neurological abnormalities).
  • Characteristic facial features (short eye slits, flat mid face, long/indistinct space between nose and upper lip, and thin upper lip.

The term possible fetal alcohol effects (FAE) is often used when there is a documented history of significant maternal drinking during pregnancy and some, but not all, of the diagnostic criteria for FAS are present. FAS is not a “milder” form of FAS. For both FAS and FAE there is a continuum of effects on physical development and learning that depends on the amount of alcohol consumed, the timing of the drinking, and other metabolic and genetic factors.

Associated Links

Fetal Alcohol
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder – Canada

 

The term “learning disability” describes a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works or is structured differently. These differences interfere with a person’s ability to think and remember. Learning disabilities can affect a person’s ability to speak, listen, read, write, spell, reason, recall, organize information, and do mathematics.

Because learning disabilities cannot be seen, they often go undetected. Recognizing a learning disability is even more difficult because the severity and characteristics vary.

A learning disability can’t be cured or fixed; it is a lifelong issue. With the right support and intervention, however, children with learning disabilities can succeed in school and go on to successful, often distinguished careers later in life. Parents can help children with learning disabilities achieve such success by encouraging their strengths, knowing their weaknesses, understanding the educational system, working with professionals and learning about strategies for dealing with specific difficulties.

Facts About Learning Disabilities

  • Difficulty with basic reading and language skills are the most common learning disabilities. As many as 80% of students with learning disabilities have reading problems.
  • Learning disabilities often run in families.

Learning disabilities are neurologically based conditions that interfere with the acquisition, storage, organization, and use of skills and knowledge. They are identified by deficits in academic functioning and in processing memory, auditory, visual and linguistic information. These students have trouble taking information in through the senses and bringing that information accurately to the brain. The information often gets scrambled. Individuals diagnosed with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence. Some examples of learning disabilities include: dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), and dyscalculia (mathematics). Problems with self-regulatory behaviors, social perception and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not, by themselves, constitute a learning disability.

Learning disabilities are neurologically based conditions that interfere with the acquisition, storage, organization, and use of skills and knowledge. They are identified by deficits in academic functioning and in processing memory, auditory, visual and linguistic information. These students have trouble taking information in through the senses and bringing that information accurately to the brain. The information often gets scrambled. Individuals diagnosed with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence. Some examples of learning disabilities include: dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), and dyscalculia (mathematics). Problems with self-regulatory behaviors, social perception and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not, by themselves, constitute a learning disability.

Possible reasonable accommodations applicable for someone with a learning disability:

  • Allow front row seating.
  • Allow the use of tape recorders for taping lectures and discussions.
  • Allow the use of proofreaders to indicate spelling and grammar errors.
  • Allow extended deadlines for the completion of class projects.
  • If the student cannot find someone to take notes, the faculty member may photocopy his/her notes or announce (or have the student announce) to the class the need for a student volunteer to photocopy or make carbon copies of lecture notes.
  • If the student has trouble locating a reader for a class the faculty member or the student should announce to his/her class the need for a paid or volunteer student reader.

Associated Links

National Center for Learning Disabilities
Learning Disability Association of Canada
Learning Disability Association of Vancouver

]]> https://drnbc.org/learning-disabilities/feed/ 0 Developmental Disabilities https://drnbc.org/developmental-disabilities/ https://drnbc.org/developmental-disabilities/#respond Wed, 07 Dec 2016 01:18:45 +0000 http://drnbc.org/?p=62

Asperger’s disorder is a lifelong developmental condition, characterized by a severe and sustained impairment in social interaction and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests and activities. Such characteristics are comparable to those of a child with autism.

In contrast to autism, however, the individual with Asperger’s disorder will experience no significant delays in acquisition of language, adaptive behaviour (other than social interaction), cognitive development, and development of age appropriate self-help skill, or in curiosity about the environment.

An individual with Asperger’s disorder will display a lack of sensitivity, intuition and normal human understanding.The individual will appear to live in the normal world but in a way that is uniquely his/her own. The individual’s speech, for example, is more a proclaiming than a two-way communication.

Asperger’s disorder appears to have a somewhat later onset that autistic disorder, or at least to be recognized somewhat later. Motor delays or motor clumsiness may be noted in the preschool period. Difficulties in empathy and modulation of school interaction may become more apparent in the context of school.

Associated Links

Online Asperger’s Syndrome Information & Support
Asperger’s Disorder Homepage

 

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition that is treatable in varying degrees with early diagnosis and intervention. Autism is caused by an underlying physical dysfunction within the brain or central nervous system, the exact nature of which is yet unknown.

Autism is four times more common in boys than girls and occurs in all races and social and psychological backgrounds. It is usually diagnosed in preschool years and may be confused with mental disability, deafness, epilepsy and/or other disorders.

The chief difficulty for a child with autism seems to lie with processing information. Abnormal responses to sensations as well as hearing irregularities may trigger unusual behaviours. It may require extreme efforts to make sense of a world that is not understood, to seek structure and routine in the midst of a confusing muddle. If the individual experiences confusion, the result may be withdrawal or an emotional outburst.

There are no current test for autism; diagnosis is based on observation of behavior.

Associated Links

Autism BC
Canucks Autism Network

 

Down syndrome is a genetic defect causing limitations in physical cognitive development. It is the result of a chromosomal error. One in every 700-800 live births will be effected by Down syndrome.

Recent studies show that, thought all children with Down syndrome have some degree of intellectual disability, other factors such as environment, misinformation and low expectations impact on their learning potential.

Associated Links

National Association for Down Syndrome
National Down Syndrome Society
The Canadian Down Syndrome Society of BC

 

Mentally Handicapped / Developmental Disabilities

A mental handicap/developmental disabilities usually results from developmental abnormalities of the brain occurring any time from conception to age 18. A mental handicap often occurs because certain brain structures either did not develop, developed improperly, or were injured or damaged.

Having a mental handicap can cause difficulties in areas of:

  • Motor coordination
  • Speech development
  • Social behaviour
  • Habit training
  • Learning ability

There are over 200 causes of an individual to become developmentally delayed: genetic problems such as Down Syndrome, pregnancy difficulties, birth difficulties or problems with the environment after birth.

IQ RANGES

People with IQ’s ranging from 80 – 130 are considered to have normal intelligence. An IQ of about 70 -80 is regarded as demonstrating a borderline degree of intellectual impairmentChildren and adults with IQ scores below 70 are regarded as having an intellectual disability. Other terms synonymous with this disability are “mentally handicapped”, “mentally retarded”, “developmentally disabled”, and “intellectually challenged”.

The following level are often used to describe the level of competence of such individuals:

  • Mild intellectual disability (IQ range from about 50 to 70). Adults with this degree of disability can usually live independently with little supervision.
  • Moderate intellectual disability (IQ range from about 35 to 50). Adults with this degree of disability will require some supervision with day-to-day activities such as shopping, cooking, and commuting.
  • Severe intellectual disability (IQ range from about 20 to 35). Adults with this degree of disability will require a great deal of supervision.
  • Profound intellectual disability(IQ range below 20).

Associated Links

American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

 

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is an uncommon, noninherited birth defect, lifelong and life-threatening, affecting all races and both sexes. Prevalence is estimated to be 1:12,000 to 15,000. Its characteristics include hypotonia, insatiable appetite, obesity if food intake is uncontrolled, hypogonadism and incomplete sexual development, developmental delays, variable degrees of mental retardation or functional retardation, short stature (adult), small hands and feet, mild dysmorphology, and behavior problems which can be severe.

The cause of this condition is unclear. Approximately 70% have an interstitial deletion or other abnormal finding on chromosome 15, using high resolution (prometaphase) analysis. The remainder have two maternal chromosome 15s and no paternal 15 (maternal uniparental disomy). Diagnosis of infants with PWS is difficult. Newborns are hypotonic, lethargic, exhibit genital hypoplasia, and often require gavage or other special feeding techniques. Prenatally, fetal movement is decreased. Diagnosis in adults is more certain if classic characteristics are present: short stature, small hands and feet, CNS dysfunction, underdeveloped sexual characteristics, poor large muscle strength.

Motor development is delayed typically one to two years, as are most milestones. For example, walking usually occurs around age two. Poor gross motor performance and balance improve slowly and lag behind normal individuals of the same age. Speech and language problems are common. Cause is unclear, possibly poor muscle tone affecting vocal muscles and/or decreased saliva production. Speech therapy is recommended to relieve frustration associated with non-communication. Though language development is delayed, verbal ability is often a strength. Articulation may remain poor. The average IQ is around 70, with a range from 40 to 105. Typically, functioning is below IQ level. Abstract thinking and concepts are weaknesses. Even with a lower IQ, cleverness in food seeking can exist.

Behavior problems, ranging from stubbornness to violent temper tantrums and increasing with age, usually begin to appear during the preschool years when most are pleasant and cooperative. Intervention therapy can be used to modify severity (e.g., fluexitine serotonin uptake inhibitors have been particularly beneficial in some cases). True depression and psychotic episodes are reported.

Compulsive eating and obsession with food begin usually between the ages of 2 – 4, though they may start later. Some learn to eat at fixed times and may refuse certain foods, but the insatiable drive for food persists. Sneaking or stealing extra food is common. In most situations, all sources of food must be kept under lock and key. Avoidance of temptation is helpful. Obesity occurs in 95% if there are no environmental controls. An increasing number are being diagnosed before onset of obesity. Whether obese at diagnosis or not, more and more have their weight managed within acceptable levels. Calorie utilization is decreased and diets should offer fewer calories than unual (often 1,000-1,200 per day). Exercise is critical to weight control.

Associated Links

Prader-Willi Association (USA)
Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (UK)

 

Williams syndrome is a rare genetic condition (estimated to occur in 1/20,000 births) that causes medical and developmental problems. It was first recognized as a distinct entity in 1961. It is present at birth, and affects males and females equally. It can occur in all ethnic groups and has been identified in countries throughout the world.

Williams syndrome is not caused by anything the parents did or did not do either before or during pregnancy. We know that most individuals with Williams syndrome are missing genetic material on chromosome #7 including the gene that makes the protein elastin (a protein which provides strength and elasticity to vessel walls.) It is likely that the elastin gene deletion accounts for many of the physical features of Williams syndrome. Some medical and developmental problems are probably caused by deletions of additional genetic material near the elastin gene on chromosome #7. The extent of these deletions may vary among individuals. In most families the child with Williams syndrome is the only one to have the condition in his or her entire extended family. However, the individual with Williams syndrome has a 50% chance of passing the disorder on to each of his or her children.

Individuals with Williams syndrome have a very endearing personality. They have a unique strength in their expressive language skills, and are extremely polite. They are typically unafraid of strangers and show a greater interest in contact with adults than with their peers.

Most people with Williams syndrome have some degree of intellectual handicap. Young children with Williams syndrome often experience developmental delays; milestones such as walking, talking and toilet training are often achieved somewhat later than is considered normal. Distractibility is a common problem in mid-childhood, which appears to get better as the children get older.

Older children and adults with Williams syndrome often demonstrate intellectual “strengths and weaknesses.” There are some intellectual areas (such as speech, long term memory, and social skills) in which performance is quite strong, while other intellectual areas (such as fine motor and spatial relations) are significantly deficient.

The vast majority of adults with Williams syndrome master self-help skills and complete academic and/or vocational school. They are employed in a variety of settings (ranging from supervised to independent jobs). Many adults with Williams syndrome live with their parents; others live in supervised apartments and some are able to live on their own.

Associated Links

Williams Syndrome Foundation (UK)
Williams Syndrome Association

]]> https://drnbc.org/developmental-disabilities/feed/ 0 Visual Impairments https://drnbc.org/visual-impairments/ https://drnbc.org/visual-impairments/#respond Wed, 07 Dec 2016 00:45:46 +0000 http://drnbc.org/?p=56 There are many kinds of visual problems. People who are blind have little or no useful vision. Legally, blindness can be defined in two ways:

  1. A person’s central visual acuity is 20/20 or less in the better eye with the best possible correction. In other words, a person can recognize objetcs at a distance of 20 feet that a person with normal vision can recognize at 200 feet.
  2. A person’s peripheral vision is severely restricted to an angle no greater than 20 degrees. In other words, a blind person with this problem can only see a very limited area at one time. He/she cannot make much practical use of his/her vision.

Partially sighted people have visual acuity between 2-/200 and 20/70 in the better eye. Many people with visual impairments have some remaining vision. These are typical terms:

  • Myopia – nearsightedness
  • Hyperopia – farsightedness
  • Astigmatism – a condition in which a person sees distorted images.
  • Cataracts – a condition in which there is clouding of the lens of the eye causing blurred vision
  • Glaucoma – a build-up of fluid behind the eye

Only one in 1000 people are legally blind.

Associated Links

BC Blind Sports
Canadian National Institute for the Blind
Audio Vision Public Service
National Federation of the Blind
Advocacy – Everyone’s Responsibility

]]> https://drnbc.org/visual-impairments/feed/ 0 Physical Disabilities https://drnbc.org/physical-disabilities/ https://drnbc.org/physical-disabilities/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2016 02:00:15 +0000 http://drnbc.org/?p=37

Congenital disability includes the functional and structural anomalies of the embryo or fetus derived from factors present before the birth. It is a wide definition where genetic defects (genic or chromosomic) environmental or unknown are implicit, the same as all alteration that is not apparent in the newly born and it is only manifested lately.

This definition includes the dysmorphic defects, independently of its origin and condition (Malformations, disruptions, dysplasia, syndromes) as well as the mental and sensorial deficiencies: (Pan-American Organization of the Health – 1984).

Congenital disability includes the functional and structural anomalies of the embryo or fetus derived from factors present before the birth. It is a wide definition where genetic defects (genic or chromosomic) environmental or unknown are implicit, the same as all alteration that is not apparent in the newly born and it is only manifested lately.

This definition includes the dysmorphic defects, independently of its origin and condition (Malformations, disruptions, dysplasia, syndromes) as well as the mental and sensorial deficiencies: (Pan-American Organization of the Health – 1984).

Types

The malformations can be of different type and cause. They are part of what is known as Manifestations of Alterations in a Newly Born that are divided in 4 groups.

Congenital Malformations:  these imply to incorporate genetic material with alteration known at the moment of birth. There are also malformations that can appear, many years after the child was born, as degenerative and cerebral neuromuscular diseases. This happens because the alteration is incorporated in the genetic material.

Deformations:  (for example deformed skull) they are caused by mechanical failures in which the genetic material does not takes part. Many deformations are usually corrected and others require surgery.

Disrruptions (interruptions):  it is characteristic because the genetic information is correct and the development of the fetus begins normally until some interference in the process occurs. For example a blood vessel is blocked obstructing the flow of blood toward the end of the extremity being this prone to atrophy.

Displasia:  It is altered cellular information. As the liver displasia that comes with faulty cells.

Frequency

Any pregnant woman, for the single fact of being, has a risk of 2 to 3% of having a child with some malformation, this is, of each 100 pregnancies 2 or 3 babies could be born with some evident defect at birth. This malformation can go from something irrelevant up to a a cardiopathy. Most of the malformations are present in healthy families without antecedent, even though they are of a hereditary character because there exists a mutation rate.

Causes

It is known that congenital malformations have a multifactor origin and that they are developed in the first months of gestation. In their origin factors having to do with the health of the parents, especially of the mother, being very important for example the mother’s age, the infections during the pregnancy, the nutrition, the consanguinity among the parents, genetic factors, and environmental factors, such as the toxics ingenta during pregnancy, taking a preponderant place, tobacco, drugs and alcohol.

The consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, even in minimum quantities, is an important risk factor that can produce physical and mental deficiencies in the embryos. The most habitual malformations are the cardiovascular ones, followed by the osteomuscular and those that affect the genitourinary system and the Central Nervous System.

Associated Links

Congential Heart Defects

 

Growth Disease is the growth is a dynamic phenomenon through which the individual reaches a certain size, increases progressive and proportionally in weight and attains a characteristic psychomotor and hormonal development of the mature age according to the corresponding sex. All of us have more or less the same size when we are born, but the final size of some of us will be within a normal size and others within a low mean size.

A child when being born measures around 50,9 cm and grows about 25,4 cm during the first year of age. At two years old the child will have reached 89 cm in height . From 2 until 12 years old, the child grows to a speed from 5 to 6,35 cm a year. The pubertal push begins around 11 years in the girls and at 13 in the boys. This pubertal growth lasts two years and is accompanied by the sexual development. This development ceases between 16 and 18 years olod when the growth finishes in the bones fusion.

The height of an adult is determined by multiple factors, including the parents’ height, the age at which puberty begins and the acceleration of the growth speed.

Pattern of normal growth variants:

There are growth variants, some of them are pathological.

  • Quick Maturation:  Some children are higher of the media of those of their chronological age. The size is accompanied by an acceleration of the bony maturation and of the pubertal development. The growth endsat an early age, the adult size is normal.
  • Low or constitutional family size:  It is the pattern of normal growth variant. It deals with children that have a development pattern characterized by the low size during childhood, normal or lightly retarded maturation rhythms that conclude their period of growth at the habitual age and they reach a stature related with that of the parents.The diagnosis is generally easy starting from the family history, growth curves and bony age assessment , which is normal for the chronological age.
  • Constitutional Slowing of growth and puberty:  It is a physiologic situation that transitorily simulates a definitive growth alteration. Delay exists in length, bone maturation, and sexual development.

They are children that grow slowly during the whole childhood and they are below the media corresponding to their chronological age, the stature growth corresponds to the bony age that is usually retarded two or three years. When arriving to the puberty the growth acceleration characteristic of this stage does not take place, neither the sexual maturation begins, nor the skeletal development advances. These pubertal changes do not occur up to between 16 and 19 years.

Types of diseases and disorders causing low size:

  • Bony Displasias:  The malformation in the development of the cartilage and the bone produces another form of low size. Children with a skeletal displasia, are small and their body is disproportioned, the intelligence is normal. Some bony displasias are inherited, others are not, although the causes of most of the displasias are ignored.
  • Slowing Intra-uterine Growth:  Prematurely born children are very small, nevertheless their size is normal given their gestation age (period of time in the uterus). But some children are smaller and they weigh less than what they should when born, they did not reach the lenght and weight according to their period of gestation. This slow-growth type in pregnancy, is called “slowing intra-uterine growth.

Medullary Injuries which is defined as any damage to the spinal cord is a very complex lesion. Each lesion is different and it can affect the body in different ways.

Normal Spinal marrow:  The nerves are structures similar to a cord made up of many nervous fibres, these send messages between the brain and the different parts of the body, these messages can be related to movement, or messages of sensation or tact from the body towards the brain, as heat, cold, pain,. Therefore, these nervous fibres constitute the body’s system of communication and the spinal marrow is the path the messages use, and it is made up of spinal nervous fibres.

Since the spinal marrow is a vital part of our nervous system, it is surrounded and protected by bones called vertebrae, placed one upon the other one, known as spine or spinal, principal support of the body.

The spinal marrow extends from the brain base, down to half of the back. The sheaf of nervous fibres which makes up the spinal marrow itself are the “superior motor neurons”. The spinal nerves ramify from the spinal marrow upwards and downwards the neck and the back, these nerves, the “inferior motor neurons”, come from between each vertebra and reach to all parts of the body.

The spine or spinal, is divided in four parts or sections: Cervical (made up of seven cervical vertebrae), Number (it includes the chest area and it has twelve dorsal vertebrae), Lumbar (it is the low back section and is made up of five lumbar vertebrae) and the Sacrum (it has five sacrum vertebrae, fused together in a single bone).

Spinal marrow after a lesion:  A lesion of the spinal marrow may occur due to an accident or to a damage as a result of an illness in the spine or the spinal marrow.

After a lesion in the marrow, all the nerves above the lesion level go on working in a normal way. Below the lesion level, the nerves of the spinal marrow cannot send messages between the brain and the different parts of the body, as they made it before the lesion.

By means of X-rays is possible to determine in what part of the vertebrae had been damaged. Each lesion of the spinal marrow is different, a lesion in a person is described in its level and its type.

According to the type, it can be classified as partial or total, this depends on the amount and type of messages that can be sent between the brain and the different parts of the body; that is to say, depends on how some nerves have been damaged and not others.

Some people with partial lesion may have sensation but little movement. Others, may have some movement but very little sensation. Spinal partial lesions vary from one person to other because each person’s spinal cord nervous fibres are damaged differently.

The lesion level is located at the lowest point, below the spinal cord, in which there is a sensation decrease or absence (sensitive level) and also of the movement (motor level). The higher it is the spinal cord lesion, or nearer the brain it is, the higher the function loss (sensation and movement).

Changes that occur after the Initial Lesion:  After the initial lesion the marrow sometimes becomes inflamed. When the inflammation yields, the nerves start to function again, although there is no test to determine how many nerves can do it. (start to function again. )

Some people experience involuntary movements (tremors or nervous movements) called spasms. Spasms are not a recovery sign, they occur when a mistaken message of a nerve makes a muscle move and therefore people cannot control the movement.

Besides movement and sensation, movement in the spinal marrow affects other body functions. The lungs, intestines and bladder do not function with total normality, just as it had occured before the lesion.

Associated Links

Mayo Clinic
National Spinal Cord Injury Association

 

Mobility impairments range in severity from limitations on stamina to paralysis. Some mobility impairments are caused by conditions present at birth while others are the result of illness or physical injury. Students often use a wheelchair or other assistance device. A physical disability should not imply that a student has other health problems or difficulty with intellectual functioning. Dependency and helplessness are not characteristics of physical disabilities. A wheelchair is a personal-assistance device rather than something one is confined to. It is also a part of a student’s personal space; do not lean on or touch the chair, and do not push the chair unless asked

Physical access to a class is the first barrier a student with a mobility impairment may face. This includes not only access to the building or classroom; but also an unshoveled sidewalk, new construction along a route, or mechanical problems with a wheelchair can easily cause the student to be late.

Possible reasonable accommodations applicable for someone with a mobility disability:

  • Allow the use of tape recorders for taping lectures and discussions
  • Relocate the classroom to a more accessible location. A student with a mobility impairment, oftentimes, must arrange a specific class schedule. The scheduling of certain inaccessible classrooms is sometimes due to a lack of sections offered and/or the time and day that the class is offered.
  • The faculty member should use the classroom entrance(s) accessible to a student with a disability. Sometimes students who use a wheelchair must sit in the back of large lecture rooms because of interior steps. This seating arrangement limits the student’s opportunity for talking informally with the professor after class. The professor should make a special effort to speak to the student on occasion to ascertain that he/she is progressing in the class.
  • Advance notice for field trips should be given in order for adequate transportation to be arranged and plans for wheelchair accessibility to be made.
  • Administer a test with a time extension. The student and the instructor should be able to agree on an appropriate amount of time.
  • Allow the student to tape record answers
  • Give regular test allowing the student to use a writer. The writer may be the instructor, a graduate assistant, , or a writer selected by the student. The test should be given in a quiet area away from the other students taking the test. This type of testing usually requires extra time to complete.
  • Allow the student to take home the test and complete it. This is the least desirable testing accommodation.
  • Check the final exam schedule to determine if the test is offered in an accessible location.

 

The Spina Bifida is a congenital malformation of the neural tube, its features are that one or several of the posterior vertebral arches have not fused correctly during the gestation period, so that the spinal cord remains in that place without bone protection. The defect originates precociously in the first month of gestation.

  • There are two types of Spina Bifida:  Hidden Spina Bifida: The less serious type. Usually discovered in X-rays exams, since it does not show neurological or skeletomuscular dysfunctions.

    Cystic Spina Bifida:  The most serious type, the lesion usually appears as a swelling, in cystic form, in affected area of the back.

    Several types are distinguished:

    • Meningocele and lipomeningocele. A meningea bursa which contains cephalorachidean liquid is generated. It means less serious sequels, not only in locomotives functions but also urinary.
    • Myielomeningocele:  Besides cephalorachidean liquid, in this case the swelling contains spinal cord and rachidean roots. It is the most serious affection and it originates sequels at the locomotive, urinal and digestive level. The nearer the head is to the lesion, the more serious are their effects.

    Causes:

    Causes not exactly known, although researchs suggest that most of the cases it is due to the existence of a pholate deficit in the mother’s organism in the previous or immediately later pregnancy periods.

    In spite of the fact that it is not a hereditary malformation, it could be thought of genetic factors that would predispose or would suppose a higger risk of spina bifida. Lastly, there would be a series of factors that could also determine the development of this malformation which leads to a descrease in the pholate reserves, or their fixation: antiepileptic drugs, products for psoriasis or acne, treatment with sexual hormones, diabetes, alcohol or drugs consumption, low diet in pholates or oligoelements.

    Sequels:

    These will depend on at the level of the spine where the lesion is located, repercussions are greater at higher levels. Affected people suffer from sensibility loss below the lesion level and muscular weakness that goes from mild cases to complete paralysis. They also suffer from orthopedic alterations, like hip luxation, feet malformations or backbone deviations.

    Urologic complications as a result of alterations in muscular nervation in the bladder which cause urinal infections, reflux, and sphincter incontinence. In turn, 70% of those affected presents hydrocephalia, product of the accumulation of cephalorachidean liquid in the cranial cavity, nevertheless with a precocious treatment, most of the hydrocephalic children have possibilities of a normal intellectual development.

    Diagnosis:

    Spina Bífida can be detected precociously during pregnancy. It is possible to establish a precocious diagnosis by means of the determination of the levels of a protein called alfafetoprotein in the mother’s blood. These studies should be carried out before the 20th week of gestation.

    Prevention:

    Although a specific treatment does not exist, many of these congenital malformaciones of the neural tube could be avoided by means of the pharmacological contribution of pholates before pregnancy takes place (of 3 to 6 months) and during the first three months of the same one, since it is the moment in that he/she is formed the neural tube. Preventing this malformation through the pholic acid (Multivitamins) has diminished the appearance of this defect.

    Associated Links

    The Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Canada

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