Chapter 11 Vocabulary

Question 1

autistic thinking

Answer 1

the tendency to view oneself as the centre of the universe, to believe that external events somehow refer to oneself

Question 2

autism spectrum disorder

Answer 2

disorder characterized by pervasive deficits in the ability to relate to and communicate with others, and by a restricted range of activities and interests. Children with autism spectrum disorder lack the ability to relate to others and seem to live in their own private worlds

Question 3

theory of mind

Answer 3

the ability to appreciate that other people have a mental state that is different from one’s own

Question 4

lateralization

Answer 4

the developmental process by which the left hemisphere specializes in verbal and analytic functions and the right hemisphere specializes in nonverbal, spatial functions

Question 5

down syndrome

Answer 5

condition caused by a chromosomal abnormality involving an extra chromosome on the 21st pair (trisomy 21); it is characterized by intellectual disability and various physical abnormalities

Question 6

phenylketonuria

Answer 6

genetic disorder that prevents the metabolization of phenylpyruvic acid, leading to intellectual disability

Question 7

Tay-Sachs disease

Answer 7

disease of lipid metabolism that is genetically transmitted and usually results in death in early childhood

Question 8

cytomegalovirus

Answer 8

maternal disease of the herpes virus group that carries a risk of intellectual disability to the unborn child

Question 9

cultural/familial intellectual disability

Answer 9

milder form of intellectual disability that is believed to result, or at least be influenced by, impoverishment in the child’s home environment

Question 10

mainstreaming

Answer 10

the practice of having all students with disabilities included in the regular classroom

Question 11

dyslexia

Answer 11

type of specific learning disorder characterized by impaired reading ability that may involve difficulty with the alphabet or spelling

Question 12

specific learning disorder

Answer 12

deficiency in a specific learning ability noteworthy because of the individual’s general intelligence and exposure to learning opportunities

Question 13

individual learning plan

Answer 13

a contractual document that contains learning and behavioural outcomes for a student, a description of how the outcomes will be achieved, and a description of how the outcomes will be evaluated

Question 14

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Answer 14

neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by excessive motor activity, impulsivity, and/or an inability to focus one’s attention

Question 15

hyperactivity

Answer 15

abnormal behaviour pattern found most often in young boys that is characterized by extreme restlessness and difficulty maintaining attention

Question 16

conduct disorder

Answer 16

pattern of abnormal behaviour in childhood characterized by disruptive, antisocial behaviour

Question 17

oppositional defiant disorder

Answer 17

disorder in childhood or adolescence characterized by excessive oppositionality or tendencies to refuse requests from parents and others

Question 18

time out

Answer 18

behavioural technique in which an individual who emits an undesirable behaviour is removed from an environment in which reinforcers are available and placed in an unreinforcing environment for a period of time as a form of punishment. Time out is frequently used in behavioural programs for modifying behaviour problems in children, in combination with positive reinforcement for desirable behaviour

Question 19

separation anxiety disorder

Answer 19

childhood disorder characterized by extreme fears of separation from parents or others on whom the child is dependent

Question 20

dementia

Answer 20

profound deterioration of cognitive functioning, characterized by deficits in memory, thinking, judgement, and language use

Question 21

amyloid plaques

Answer 21

the accumulation of protein fragments, normally broken down in healthy brains, that accumulate to form hard, insoluble plaques between nerve cells in the brain. A hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease

Question 22

neurofibrillary tangles

Answer 22

pathological protein aggregates (or brain lesions) found within brain cells (in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and thought to contribute to the degradation of neurons in the brain