Care for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Flashcards
How many children with special healthcare needs become adults every year
Experts estimate nearly 750,000 ASHCN enter into adulthood each year
Advances in medical treatments, new technologies and scientific discoveries have all contributed to the increases in ASHCN life expectancies
Characeristics of aging population with special needs
Adults with IDD are exposed to a range of health problems, and a more rapid functional and cognitive decline
Some individuals with IDD such as adults with Down syndrome (DS) are more likely to develop early-onset dementia and consequently are more likely to die at a younger age
Older adults with IDD are more likely to be deprived of social support such as financial support, accommodation, health care regulation (i.e., regular annual physical and mental health checks), and lifestyle (nutrition, physical exercises, safety).
What is a neurodevelopmental disorder?
A neurodevelopmental disorder is a medical disorder brought about by an injury to the nervousl system during the period of a person’s life in which they are experiencing rapid neurological development - from the point of conception to early adulthood – age 21 / 22.
The Cause of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Genetic:
Metabolic (phenylketonuria)
Chromosomal (Trisomy 21, Downs)
Structural (Tuberous Sclerosis)
Acquired:
Prenatal - Fetal Alcohol syndrome
Perinatal (Hypoxic Brain Injury)
Postnatal (Lead toxicity)
What are the Five Essential Concepts of Developmental Medicine
- The major functions of the brain require that specific interrelated brain structures work together in a coordinated fashion. And, when these relationships are improperly developed or disrupted, neurodevelopmental (brain) dysfunction will occur.
- All issues, clinical or otherwise, related to the disabilities, which may be experienced by an individual with a neurodevelopmental disorder can be traced directly back to brain dysfunction.
- Each neurodevelopmental disorder is associated with one or more primary complications or symptom complexes. Can be cognitive impariment, neuromotor dysfunction, seizures, psychiatric, sensory
- The patient with a neurodevelopmental disorder may also demonstrate secondary health consequences, which occur as a result of the primary complication.
- Neurodevelopmental disorders are often associated with syndrome-specific conditions, which are not a direct result of brain injury.
What is the biopsychosocial model of health
The biopsychosocial model is a broad view that attributes disease outcome to the intricate, variable interaction of biological factors (genetic, biochemical, etc), psychological factors (mood, personality, behavior, etc.), and social factors (cultural, familial, socioeconomic, medical, etc.).
Mneumonic for various etiologies for neurological conditions
V=vascular or vasculitic
I=infectious or inflammatory
T=trauma or toxin
A=autoimmune (e.g. rheumatologic)
M=metabolic or migrainous
N=neoplastic, neurodegenerative or neuromuscular
S=seizure or spinal cord
C=congenital,
D=degenerative
What is diagnostic overshadowing
Diagnostic overshadowing refers to the negative bias impacting a clinician’s judgment regarding co-occurring disorders in individuals who have intellectual disabilities or other mental illness. Symptoms or behaviors that may be due to a specific illness are attributed to another disorder, historically “Mental Retardation”, without considering an alternative etiology.
Clinical Features of Downs syndrome
What are the types of cerebral palsy
Quadriplegia - Both arms and legs are affected. The muscles of the trunk, face and mouth are often also affected.
DIPLEGIA - Both legs are affected. The arms may be affected to a lesser extent.
Hemiplegia - One side of the body (one arm and one leg) is affected.
Spastic- most common, muscles stiff and tight, motor cortex damage
Dyskinetic- involuntary movmements, basal ganglia
ATaxic - shaky movement, cerebellum
Mixed
