Psychological Disorders of Children Exam 2

Prior to the 19th century, how were children and adults with intellectual disabilities treated?

They were labeled as "idiots" and typically feared an ignored, even by the medical profession

Intellectual disability

significant limitations in mental abilities (such as reasoning, planning, and judgment) that result in impairments in adaptive functioning, such as conceptual, social, and practical skills needed to fulfill aspects of everyday life

significant limitations in intellectual functioning as well as in everyday adaptive behavior, which start before age 18

Who is credited with advancing the perspective and response for the need of long-term care for individuals with intellectual disabilities?

Parent groups of children with intellectual disabilities

Parent groups advocating for the study and care of individuals with intellectual disabilities organized this group in the 1950's, which established a scientific board to study, prevent, and care for persons with intellectual disability

the National Association for Retarded Children

What is the evolutionary degeneracy theory?

A theory popular during the 19th century which suggested that individuals with intellectual disabilities were caused by a regression to an earlier period in human evolution

Interpreted "strange anomalies" as throwbacks to the Mongol race, hence Down Syndrome was called Mongolism after first being identified by whom?

J. Langdon H. Down

Eugenics

Was first defined by Sir Francis Galton in 1883 as "the science which deals with all influences that improve the inborn qualities of a race"

Led to the idea that individuals with ID (morons, imbeciles, and idiots as there were termed then) were threats to society

Goddar's Kallikak Study

A study that followed two lines of descendants of a Revolutionary War veteran who fathered a child by a "feebleminded barmaid" during the war, which began the first line, and then fathered other children by a "respectable girl" he married after the war.

Reported that many descendants of the first union

were feebleminded, delinquent, poor, and alcoholic, whereas those of the second union were of good reputation. Claimed this outcome was evidence for the inheritance of intelligence

Developed the first intelligence test to help identify schoolchildren who may need special help in school, which later became known as the Stanford-Binet scale.

Alfred Binet and Theophile Simon

Adaptive functioning

how effectively individuals cope with ordinary life demands and how capable they are of living independently and abiding by community standards

Mental ability is always modified by _____

experience

What is the phenomenon that IQ scores have risen about three points per decade called?

The Flynn Effect

DSM-5 Diagnostic criteria for intellectual disability

-Deficits in intellectual functioning

-Concurrent deficits or impairments in adaptive functioning

-Below-average intellectual and adaptive abilities must be evident prior to age 18

Specify current severity: Mild, Moderate, Severe, or Profound

About 85% of individuals diagnosed with an intellectual disorder are what severity?

Mild

About 10% of individuals diagnosed with an intellectual disorder are what severity?

Moderate

Splinter skill

A skill that is stronger than other skills a person has. A person with autism might be able to do one or more things really well but have far less ability in other areas.

About 3-4% of individuals diagnosed with an intellectual disorder are what severity?

Severe

About 1-2% of individuals diagnosed with an intellectual disorder are what severity?

Profound

Mild intellectual disabilities are found disproportionately higher among:

minority groups

What is the developmental-versus-difference controversy?

The question do all children - regardless of intellectual impairments -progress through the same developmental milestones in similar sequence, but at different rates?

What is the similar sequence hypothesis?

Argues that all children, with or without intellectual disability, pass through stages of cognitive development in an identical order; they differ only in their rate and upper limit of development

What is the similar structure hypothesis?

Suggests that children with intellectual disability demonstrate the same behaviors and underlying process as typically developing children at the same level of cognitive functioning

What is the difference viewpoint?

Argues that cognitive development of children with intellectual disabilities differs from that of children without intellectual disability in a more than developmental rate and upper limit

Even when a Dan, a child with a moderate ID and a mental age of 7, is matched with a 7-year-old child without ID, he will still perform more poorly on certain tasks.

What is the slowing and stability hypothesis?

Children with Down Syndrome may alternate between periods of gain in functioning and periods of little or no advance.

IQ of children with Down syndrome may plateau during middle childhood, then decrease over time

In individuals with Down syndrome, there is a considerable delay in their ____ language development; their ____ language is weaker than their receptive language

expressive

What is the prevalence rate for intellectual disabilities?

1-3%

Mild intellectual disabilities are twice as high in what gender?

Males

True or false: Children with intellectual disabilities follow developmental stages in the same order as do typically developing children. However, their goals and motivations are reduced over time because of feels of frustration, which often lead to expectations of failure.

True

What disorders are considered a part of the spectrum of problems coexisting with intellectual disabilities?

language problems and behavioral problems

i.e. impulse control disorders, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders

What is the life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome?

60 years old

True or false: Scientists are aware of the causes of the majority of intellectual disabilities, especially mild ID

False

Genetic or environmental causes are know for almost _____ of individuals with moderate to profound ID

two-thirds (2/3)

Prenatal causes of intellectual disabilities

genetic disorders and accidents in the womb

Perinatal causes of intellectual disabilities

prematurity or a lack of oxygen (anoxia) at birth

Postnatal causes of intellectual disabilities

meningitis and head trauma

Organic group (causes for ID)...

have a clear biological basis and are usually associated with severe and profound ID

Cultural-family group (causes for ID)...

have no clear organic basis and are usually associated with intellectual impairments and mild ID

What four major risk factors contributed to intellectual disabilities?

biomedical, social, behavioral, and educational

A collection of genes that pertain to intelligence is known as a:

genotype

A phenotype is:

the expression of the genotype in the environment (gene-environment interaction)

What is the heritability of intelligence?

50-60%

The ______ of a trait describes the proportion of the variation of a trait attributable to genetic influences in the population

heritability

The heritability of any given trait can range from:

0% - 100%

Most common chromosomal abnormality (rarely inherited - an abnormality that occurs more as the mother ages). Slightly more boys than girls

Down Syndrome

Which of the following is a type of Down Syndrome that is most likely to show fewer symptoms of Down Syndrome because some cells are normal?

Mosaicism

In the documentary My Child Can't Stop Eating, Rebecca is an extremely overweight and immature 11-year-old who ate cat food and almost anything else potentially edible that her parents didn't lock away. She had very poor muscle tone, which was highlighted in one scene of the documentary where she could barely lift herself off the floor. Rebecca suffers from ______.

Prader-Willi Syndrome

Angelman Syndrome

A intellectual disability that is usually moderate to severe. Characterized by ataxia (awkward gait) jerky movements, hand flapping, seizures, and absence of speech. Distinct facial features include large jaw and open-mouth expressions

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

an inherited disorder of protein metabolism in which the absence of an enzyme leads to a toxic buildup of certain compounds, causing brain damage and ID. Can be treated successfully with restrictive diet

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome

X-linked type of cerebral palsy. HPRT gene - deficiency of HGPRT (guanine) enzyme, there is a build-up of uric acid in all body tissues. Causes ID with severe self-mutilation (self-cannibalism). Always seen in males. 1 in 380,000 births.

New treatment is stimulating Globus Pallidus (part of basal ganglia and extrapyramidal motor system) - reduces severe self-mutilation

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

a leading known cause of intellectual disability because of its clear link to intellectual impairment. 4 times higher among African Americans and 16 times higher among Natives

One of the most promising methods for enhancing the intellectual and social skills of young children with developmental disabilities is:

early intervention

self-instructional training

teaches children to use verbal cues, initially taught by the therapist or teacher, to process information, to keep themselves on task, and to remind themselves of how to approach a new task

Self-instructional training and metacognitive training, verbal instructional techniques, and teaching the child to be strategical and metastrategical are all therapies used for children with what type of disorder?

Intellectual disorders

metastrategical

to make discriminations regarding how to apply different strategies in different situations

this method has been successful in teaching children with learning disabilities a range of adaptive skills, such as math and language

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by abnormalities in social behavior, language and communication skills, and unusual behaviors and interests

Autism is a _________ _____ life-long neurodevelopmental disability present in the first few years of life

biologically based

What are the two domains of Autism Spectrum Disorder?

1. impairments in social communication and interaction

2. restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities

What are the three symptom types of social communication and interaction that are required for a ASD diagnosis?

1. deficits in social-emotional reciprocity

2. deficits in nonverbal communication

3. deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships

What is social reciprocity?

The give and take of social relationships.

Although psychologists debate about the core deficits of ASD, what deficit is seen as the cornerstone of deficits?

Social reciprocity deficit

Eileen is a 6-year-old girl who has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). When her mother asks her, "Would you like a cookie?" Eileen responds, "She wants cookie." What is this type of language impairment called?

Pronoun reversal

What is joint attention?

Making a social connection with another person by directing that person's attention to objects or people by pointing, showing, and looking, and by communicating shared interest

Lisa is a child with ASD who only points to or brings an object to her mother when she needs something, but not to show her mom her favorite toy to display shared interest. This is an example of what deficit?

Joint attention deficit

What part of the face to people with ASD tend to avoid looking at?

The eyes

Protoimperative gestures are:

gestures or vocalizations that are used to express needs

Protodeclarative gestures are:

gestures or vocalizations that direct the visual attention of other people to objects of shared interest

One of the first signs of language impairment in children with ASD

The use of protoimperative gestures rather than protodeclarative gestures

i.e., they are better at expressing wants/needs than showing other people things to share interests

What percentage of those with classic autism do not develop any useful language?

50%

Children with ASD who develop language will do so before age:

5

Kanner (1943)

coined the term "early infantile autism" to describe young children with autistic symptoms*very narrow range

The optimal time for early intervention is during a child's ________ years

preschool

Pronoun reversals, echolalia, perseverative speech, and impairments in pragmatics are all:

Qualitative language impairments

What percentage of children with ASD develop a splinter skill?

25%

Intellectual deficits and strengths, sensory and perceptual impairments, cognitive and motivational deficits, and medical conditions & psychical characteristics are all:

Associated characteristics of children with ASD

What are stereotyped body movements?

Repetitive sensory and motor behaviors

What are the two theories that try to explain self-stimulatory behaviors that are seen people with ASD?

A craving for stimulation to excite the nervous system; It is a way of blocking out and controlling unwanted stimulation from environment that is too stimulating

What percentage of children with ASD are found to have co-occurring ID?

70% (30% mild to moderate; 40% severe to profound )

5% of children with ASD develop an isolated and often remarkable talent that far exceeds normally developing children of the same age. These children are referred to as:

autistic savants

Sensory and Perceptual Impairments of ASD

-Oversensitivitiy or undersensitivity to stimuli

-Overselective and impaired shifting of attention sensory input

-Impairments in mixing across sensory modalities

-Sensory dominance and stimulus overselectivity

Cognitive and Motivational Deficits of ASD

Deficits in processing social-emotional information

-Difficulty in situations that require social understanding

-Don't understand or engage in pretend play

-Difficulty understanding others and their own mental states

What is the theory of mind (ToM) hypothesis?

The premise that the ability to read intentions, beliefs, feelings, and desires of others from external behavior has adaptive significance in human evolution

General Deficits in ASD

Executive functions and weak drive for central coherence

An impairment in social motivation causes what?

A failure to find social stimuli intrinsically rewarding

True or false: A single cognitive abnormality cannot explain all the deficits present in children with ASD

True

What percentage of children with ASD have a coexisting medical condition?

10%

Motor sensory impairments, seizures (25%), immunological and metabolic abnormalities, obesity, sleep problems (65%), and gastrointestinal issues (50%) are all possible coexisting medical conditions with what disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

What are the two most common disorders that accompany ASD?

Intellectual disability and epilepsy

ASD is 4x more likely to occur in ______ than _______

males, females

What is the age of onset for ASD?

Earliest reliable detection made between 12-18 months, but most often identified by parents in the months leading up to the child's 2nd birthday

AAP recommends all children be screened at 18-24 months

Courses and outcomes of ASD

Often gradual improvement with age, but most will continue to require age-appropriate supports and services

What are the two strongest predictors of adult outcomes in children with ASD?

Intellectual ability and language development

Causes of ASD

Problems in early development, genetic influences, brain abnormalities, a disorder of risk and adaptation

What problems in early development can cause ASD?

Health problems during pregnancy, at birth, or immediately after birth

Prenatal and neonatal:

Parental age, in vitro fertilization, and maternal drug use

Chromosomal and gene disorders associated with ASD

-Fragile-X anomaly occurs in 23% of children with ASD-ASD individuals have a 5% elevated risk for chromosomal anomalies-About 25% of children with tuberous sclerosis have ASD

What is broader autism phenotype?

Describes family members of children with ASD who display higher-than-normal rates of social and language deficits that are very similar to ASD but are less severe

Heritability of an underlying liability for ASD is estimated close to

90%

Brain abnormalities in ASD

Almost all brain regions found to develop at an abnormal rate

-Overgrowth of cerebral grey and white matter by 2.5 yrs

-Structural abnormalities in cerebellum and medial temporal lobe and related limbic system structures

-Decreased blood flow in the frontal and temporal lobes

-Elevated blood serotonin in 33% of cases

-Atypical patterns of connectivity in default mode network

Brain region found to be significantly smaller in young people with ASD, especially those who are high-functioning

Cerebellum

The relationship between the child's early risk for ASD and later outcomes is mediated by alterations in:

how the child interacts with and adapts to his or her environment

Treatment goals for ASD

Minimize core problems, maximize independence and quality of life, and help the child and family cope more effectively with the disorder