PDD-NOS

In the novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time written by Mark Haddon, we are introduced to a young boy by the name of Christopher Boone. Christopher isn’t your typical teenage boy, he’s 15 and has Asperger's syndrome. Asperger syndrome is on the spectrum, considered to be one of the “higher-functioning” forms of autism . With that being said, Christopher struggles with the ability to have social interactions and has a fear of strangers. He hates being touched, can’t eat…

“Who decides what a meaningful life is?” Ron Suskind asks this insightful question while talking about his son, Owen, who has autism. He is saying that just because someone has autism, that doesn’t mean they can’t live a meaningful life. Some people think that autism means that the people who have it can’t have normal lives, but who decides what’s normal? Owen shares his story in the documentary Life Animated, a touching and eye-opening documentary that allows viewers to enhance their…

This definition describes CP as a heterogeneous condition in terms of type and severity of impairment. As a disorder of development, this implies the motor impairment that is manifest very early in development. The core features of CP include, abnormal patterns of movement, posture and regulation of muscle tone. Neurodevelopmental impairments affect adaptive and sensory functioning, learning, communication, behavior and even seizures. (Martin Bax, 2005) Cerebral Palsy is the most common…

There are a lot of people who have experienced what it is like to live with someone who has a disability. Being around someone who has a disability makes a person realize some of their behavior patterns or how they can communicate in other ways. Some people may face everyday obstacles and struggle when someone they know has a disability. Down syndrome and autism are two types of disabilities that are becoming more and more common in today’s society. There have been test done that says, “……

Parents are increasingly becoming more aware of ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. ASD symptoms can range from gifted to severely challenged (CDC). With ASD rates rising, it has become necessary for nurses in acute care setting to get a better understanding of ASD patients. In this article, Caring For The Child With An Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Acute Care Setting,…

WHAT IS DYSPRAXIA? Dyspraxia is a complex disorder in which individuals lack coordination of their motor activities, speech, judgment, body balance and movements. In these individuals, the various cognitive skills such as memory, perception, thought processes are usually impaired, although the intelligence remains unaffected. Furthermore, the nervous system and the body's immune system suffer major setbacks. Dyspraxia is widely known as Developmental Coordination Disorder. Diagnosis is carried…

Did you ever think that maybe people with autism were not actually the one’s that were different. Studies show that in fact, we are the one’s who are “different.” People with autism have brains that are more symmetrical than others. However, in this instance symmetry means something entirely different from what you may typically infer autism and the brain. Recent imaging has revealed that children within the autism spectrum disorder have less asymmetries in their brains compared to their…

Infants demonstrate an other-race effect. This is when people show facial recognition errors when a target face is from an unfamiliar racial group, rather than their own racial group. This is known as the other-race effect (Meissner & Brigham, 2001). The question is: is the other race effect present from birth or does it develop based on experience? It has been demonstrated that selectivity based on ethnic facial differences emerges very early in life. However, researchers have…

Rett Syndrome is a disorder that affects the nervous system and is found almost exclusively in girls. Rett syndrome is caused by a malfunction in the MECP2 gene. What is exactly the MECP2 gene? Well MECP2 gene is the gene that encodes protein and essentials. How can you prevent Rett Syndrome? Well doctors have proved that Rett Syndrome is a randomly found in a female infant. RTT is a non-inherited genetic disorder. Rett Syndrome is often described as autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s,…

According to the American Psychiatric Association, the developmental co-ordination disorder can be defined as a neuro-developmental condition (DCD) that affects a child’s ability to perform everyday tasks in self-care and academic areas. Other terms for this disorder/Synonyms for DCD includes motor delays, clumsiness, clumsiness -motor delay, developmental delay, gross motor and fine motor developmental delay, developmental apraxia, disorder of attention and motor perception, developmental…