Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Chapter 15 Content

Question 1

Define neurodevelopmental disorder.

Answer 1

A neurologically-based disorder that is revealed in a clinically significant way during a child’s developing years.

Question 2

Define ADHD

Answer 2

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is where there are maladaptive levels of inattention, excessive activity and impulsiveness. Can be predominantly inattention or hyperactive/impulsive. the symptoms have to be present in several situations in order to be accurately diagnosed.

Question 3

What are the criteria from the DSM for ADHD?

Answer 3

A. Pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity
B. prior before the age of 12
C. present in 2 or more setting
D. clearly shown to interfere with or reduce quality of things like academics
E. Do not occur during course of schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder, or better explained by another disorder

Question 4

What are some symptoms of inattention?

Answer 4

• fail to pay close attention to details
• difficulty sustaining attention in tasks
• does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
• difficulty organizing tasks and activities
• avoids engaging in tasks that require sustained mental effort
• loses necessary items for tasks
• easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
• forgetful in the daily activity

Question 5

What are some symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity?

Answer 5

• fidgets with hands or feet
• often leaves the seat when expected to stay seated
• runs in situations where it is inappropriate
• unable to play in leisure activities quietly
• talks excessively
• difficulty waiting their turn
• interrupts other

Question 6

What is the copy number variant that may cause ADHD?

Answer 6

It is base pairs that are added or deleted as a result from mutation, may play role in developing ADHD and other disorders.

Question 7

What are some causes of ADHD?

Answer 7

Prenatal smoking, genetic predisposition, allergens and food additives, sleep disruption, psych and social dimensions

Question 8

What is the current treatment for ADHD?

Answer 8

Biological: reduce impulsivity, improve attentional skills
Psychological: improving academic performance, decreasing disruptive behaviuor, improve social skills
Meds: Adderall, antidepressants

Question 9

What are some negative of meds for ADHD?

Answer 9

1. they are at increased risk for substance abuse and these drugs can be abused for that purpose
2. can be overprescribed and long term effects are not yet fully understood

Question 10

Define specific learning disorders.

Answer 10

Academic performance is substantially below average, deficit mainly based on academics. Dyslexia is the difficulty with reading as it is hard to decode words.

Question 11

What are the DSM criteria for a learning disorder?

Answer 11

A. difficult learning and using academic skills for at least 6 months
B. skills are well under the average
C. begun during school but may not fully manifest until demands for academic skills exceed individuals capacities
D. Not better accounted for by other intellectual disabilities

Question 12

What are some causes for a specific learning disorders?

Answer 12

Genetics, subtle brain damage

Question 13

What are the treatments for specific learning disorders?

Answer 13

Assessment must be done first with intelligence (academic potential) and achievement (math, writing) tests. Educational intervention with exercises and such.

Question 14

Define ASD.

Answer 14

Autism spectrum disorder is impairment in social interaction, communication and restricted patterns of behaviour, interest and activity.

Question 15

What are the DSM criteria for ASD?

Answer 15

A. impairment in social communication and interaction (deficits in social-emotional reciprocity)
B. restricted, patterns of behaviour, interest, or activity (excessive routines, ritualized patterns of behaviour, no change)
C. impairments are present in early childhood and limit daily functioning

Question 16

Can people with ASD do joint attention?

Answer 16

No, they are unable to have shared attention with another person towards an object after someone has indicated interest in that object

Question 17

Define prosody.

Answer 17

Vocal characteristics such as tone and stress that people with ASD are unable to recognise and interpret.

Question 18

What are some causes of ASD?

Answer 18

• different medical conditions
• passing down genes within a family
• mutations in sperm or ovum
• the amygdala (larger in size, fear centre)
• lack of awareness of their own existence

Question 19

Treatment for ASD.

Answer 19

Behavioural approaches (teaching how to speak well as children with ASD cannot imitate language), shaping/discrimination training (reinforcing the proper behaviour), SSRI’s

Question 20

Define intellectual disability, ID.

Answer 20

Subaverage intellectual functioning paired with deficits in adaptive functioning such as self-care r occupational activities
-Conceptual deficit in memory, language)
-Social (deficits in social judgement)
-Practical (problems managing personal care or job)
*most common is down syndrome

Question 21

DSM criteria for ID.

Answer 21

A. deficits in intellectual functioning
B. deficits in adaptive learning
C. onset during the developmental period

Question 22

Causes for ID.

Answer 22

• environmental (abuse, neglect)
• prenatal (exposure to disease or drug =TORCH, Fetal alcohol syndrome)
• perinatal (difficulties during labour)
• postnatal (infections, head injury)
• fragile X syndrome (defect on X chromo)

Question 23

Treatment for ID.

Answer 23

Most treatment is attempting to teach them skills to become more productive and independent

Question 24

Explain the 3 approaches used for child psychology.

Answer 24

1. Seeing if adult disorders fit the child, might need a bit of readjusting
2. child-specific approaches: might/might not transfer in adults
3. disorders that start during the developmental period, and continue into adulthood

Question 25

Describe the developmental approach for children.

Answer 25

The understanding of that skills needs to be mastered before acquiring the next, occurring in stages of development. (Freud, Piaget)

Question 26

What are the 2 main causes for disorders from early years?

Answer 26

Pre-natal and experiences in early childhood.

Question 27

How does neuroplasticity play a role in the developing of mental disorders in children?

Answer 27

Pruning: where excess or limited neuron connections are eliminated to create more efficient connections
Also describes how the brain is constantly changing through childhood, this can help to create or get rid of a disorder depending on the changes that occur.

Question 28

What is the main difference between ID and SPD?

Answer 28

ID is more based on the adaptive function where as SFD is focusing on academic domains such as reading and math.

Question 29

What is the Double Whammy with SLD?

Answer 29

This is explaining that there can sometimes be dual exceptionalism, where they have one from a disability point and one from a giftedness point.

Question 30

What is the DSM criteria for social communication disorder?

Answer 30

A. persistent difficulties in the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication
B. deficits result in functional limitations
C. onset is early development
D. not caused by another mental or health disorder

Question 31

Define developmental coordination disorder.

Answer 31

Acquisition and execution of coordinated motor skills are below expected. Clumsy, slowness/inaccuracy to perform motor skills

Question 32

Define stereotypic movement disorder.

Answer 32

Non functional motor behaviour that interfere with normal activity or can result in bodily injury

Question 33

Define Tic and Tourette syndrome

Answer 33

Sudden, rapid, recurrent, non-rhythmic motor movement or vocalizations. Tourettes are both motor and vocal.