INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

Intellectual disability involves problems with general mental abilities that affect
functioning in two areas:
 intellectual functioning (such as learning, problem solving, judgement)
 adaptive functioning (activities of daily life such as communication and
independent living)

TYPES OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

PROFOUND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

 limitations in both intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior

 have an identified neurological condition that accounts for the retardation
 impairments of sensory neural function are evident in early childhood
 impairments in: communication, self-care, home living, social/interpersonal skills,
functional academic skills, work, leisure, health and safety

MODERATE AND SEVERE COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

 acquire little or no communicative speech in early childhood

 displays significant intellectual cognitive impairments in learning
 difficulties with mobility and coordination, communication and perception and the
acquisition of self-help skills
 co-current deficits in: communication, self-care, home living, social/interpersonal
skills, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health and safety.

MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

 tend to develop social and communication skills during the preschool years (0-5
years) and have minimal impairment in sensory-motor areas
 speech and language delay, low self-esteem, low levels of concentration and
underdeveloped social skills
 difficulty in acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills and in understanding
concepts

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

 an injury to the brain occurring after birth and caused by an accident or as a

result of disease or infections
 open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments: language, memory,
reasoning, abstract thinking, judgement, problem solving, perceptual and motor
 abilities, psycho-social behavior, physical functions, information processing, and
speech

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR DISORDER

 repeated pattern of behavior towards people in authority that is negativistic,

defiant, disobedient, and hostile
 impairment in social, academic or occupational functioning
 include a range of behaviors such as aggression, destroying property, stealing,
housebreaking, truanting and other infringements of other people’s rights and
violations of social rules

ANXIETY DISORDERS AND DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

 most common type of psychiatric disorder in children
 excessive anxiety and worry that tends to worsen in times of stress
 difficulty in concentrating, restlessness or fatigue

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

 recurring obsessions and compulsions that bring about significant impairment or distress
 the need to have items in a certain order
 compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts aimed at reducing anxiety or
distress

Specific Phobia
 persistent worry on certain situations, activities or objects leading to their avoidance and
can bring about distress and disruption of social relationships
 unreasonable fear of social situations or performance situations
 Selective Mutism
 persistent failure to speak in specific social situations where speaking is expected
 excessive shyness, fear of embarrassment, social isolation and withdrawal, clinging,
temper tantrums, or controlling or oppositional behavior.

ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

 differences in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability
to sit still, and self-control
 most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood
 trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking
about what the result will be), or be overly active
 impairs a child’s ability to concentrate and be less active when situations
generally require it
COMMUNICATION DISORDER: GRAMMAR AND COMPREHENSION

 in ability to comprehend, detect, or apply language and speech to engage in

discourse effectively with others
 difficulties with verbal and written expression
 specific language impairment characterized by ability to use expressive spoken
language that is markedly below the appropriate level for the mental age

AUTISM

 severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development

 significant problems with social skills and understanding, communication and behavior
 limited interest in other people, odd language, insistence on routines and repetitive
behavior
 a triad of impairments which concern social isolation, communication difficulties and
insistence on sameness

DEVELOPMENTAL COORDINATION DISORDER

 impairment of motor coordination

 slower movement time; relying more on visual information than on proprioceptive
information
 child’s failure to anticipate and use perceptual information and benefit from cues and
failure to use rehearsal strategies
 difficulties with gross and fine motor skills in terms of both speed and accuracy

READING DISORDER

 reading achievement being substantially below what is expected given the child’s age,
measured intelligence and education
 hinders academic achievement of daily living activities requiring reading skills
 silent reading tends to be slow and involve comprehension errors
 developmental delays in language may occur in association with reading disorder