Application Of Topics 8

Question 1

What are some problems in motor skills (genetic)

Answer 1

Down syndrome- affecting smallest chromosome (21) because if any others were affected which were larger they wouldn’t be able to survive

Question 2

What is cerebral palsy

Answer 2

Being born can result in brain damage
Non progressive, but life gets harder
Takes longer to achieve cognitive abilities, don’t obtain essential building blocks etc
Impacts perception, motor skills, depending on which part of the brain is most affected

Question 3

What are the 3 types of cerebral palsy

Answer 3

Spasticity- damage to motor cortex, hypertonicity of muscles results in abnormal reflexes and fixed deformities (arms locked)
Athetosis- damage to extra prymidal, cannot stop moving muscles
Ataxia- damage to cerebellar, lack of balance and co-ordination
In most cases children don’t fall into only 1 category so clinicians find it hard to differentiate
Also it can affect half the body, or the whole body
Brain bilateral so affects opposite side of body

Question 4

What are 3 neurodevelopment conditions

Answer 4

Developmental coordination disorder
Autism
ADHD 
5% children have one
4/5 children in one class in BIB

Question 5

What is DCD and its problems

Answer 5

Causes problems with coordination tasks, but little research into it
Doesn’t affect neurological, biochemical or physical
DCD low self esteem, 7x suicidal rates, behaviour problems, education issues for life
Obesity common due to difficulty moving

Question 6

What causes these conditions

Answer 6

Genetic components, but environment is critical
If mothers take drugs: Valpol for epilsepsy when pregnant children have increased risk
Birth weight also important

Question 7

What did Marlow 1989 find about the conditions

Answer 7

Very low birth weight- no cerebral palsy
Greater prevelance of minor neurological signs and perceived worse behaviour
1992: 45% with difficulties, struggling with subjects
1995: 1/2 children displayed impairment of movement

Question 8

What have neonatal scans found Jongsman et Al 1993

Answer 8

Scan brain for large lesions, cysts to see if they’ll have CP
Flares (small lesions) on brain, thought they were nothing because they went again but turns out they were correlated with neurological status at school

Question 9

What is the BIB looking at

Answer 9

Rate of perception and action in children 4-5 who are now 7-8
How their motor skills have developed, how they affect aspects of education
Working memory, cognition, action