Special Needs

Special Needs

Psychological Disorders

  • Approximately 1 in 6 children living in the United States experience a mental disorder in a given year.

  • The prevalence of psychological conditions has increased over the past several decades.

  • Symptoms of childhood depression may not always align with adult expressions of depression.

Underdiagnosis of Psychological Disorders

  • Factors contributing to underdiagnosis include:

    • Variability in expression of symptoms.

    • Social stigma surrounding mental health issues.

    • Parental concerns impacting diagnosis.

    • Bias in diagnostic practices by professionals.

    • Lack of available mental health resources for children.

Depression in Childhood

  • Rare before age 12, but significantly increases during adolescence.

  • Common depressive symptoms in childhood include:

    • Persistent sadness or irritability.

    • Changes in appetite or sleep patterns.

    • Fatigue or lack of energy.

    • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt.

    • Difficulty concentrating.

    • Thoughts of death in severe cases.

Treatment for Depression in Childhood

  • Therapy Options:

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

    • Play Therapy

    • Family Therapy

  • Lifestyle Changes:

    • Increased physical activity

    • Sleep hygiene practices

    • Structured daily routines

  • Medication:

    • Antidepressants, typically SSRIs, prescribed with caution in specific cases.

Anxiety in Childhood

  • Common Symptoms of Anxiety in Children:

    • Emotional Symptoms: Excessive worry, fear, irritability, mood swings.

    • Physical Symptoms: Stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, muscle tension.

    • Behavioral Symptoms: Avoidance of certain situations, difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, excessive reassurance seeking.

Effects of Untreated Anxiety

  • Consequences of untreated anxiety may include:

    • Academic struggles and potential refusal to attend school.

    • Social isolation along with difficulties in forming friendships.

    • Various health-related issues.

Sensory Difficulties: Visual

  • Visual Impairment Defined:

    • Difficulties in seeing that cannot be fully corrected through glasses or contact lenses.

  • Levels of Visual Impairment:

    • Low Vision:

    • Visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/400 or a visual field of 20 degrees or less, may have blurred vision and poor night vision.

    • Blindness:

    • Visual acuity worse than 20/400 or visual field of 10 degrees or less, may retain some useful vision.

Cortical Plasticity Associated with Braille Learning

  • Blind subjects learning Braille develop the ability to extract spatial information from tactile stimuli, leading to neuroplastic changes.

  • Two-step process observed during Braille learning:

    • Original unmasking of existing cerebral connections.

    • Establishment of stable structural changes.

  • Recruitment of occipital cortex areas previously designated for visual processing occurs, crucial for tactile reading accuracy.

Speech Disorders

Articulation

  • Difficulty pronouncing specific sounds correctly, commonly seen in early childhood (e.g., "wabbit" instead of "rabbit").

  • Most children eventually outgrow articulation difficulties.

Fluency

  • Disruptions to the natural flow or rhythm of speech may manifest differently during stressful situations or emotional contexts.

  • Can impact social interactions, leading to self-consciousness.

Resonance and Voice

  • Abnormal airflow during speech resulting from issues with the palate creates conditions such as nasal speech or a “muffled” sound.

Motor Speech Disorders

  • Apraxia of Speech:

    • A motor speech disorder where planning for speech movements is impaired, common in young children or those with brain injuries.

  • Dysarthria:

    • Weakness or a lack of control in the muscles required for speech, often associated with neurological damage (e.g., cerebral palsy, stroke).

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

  • Nonverbal Autism: Individuals with minimal or no spoken communication, often using gestures or alternative communication methods.

  • Approximately 25-30% of those with autism are minimally verbal or nonverbal during childhood.

Misconceptions About Nonverbal ASD

  • Myth: Nonverbal individuals do not understand language.

    • Reality: Many possess strong receptive language skills.

  • Myth: They will never communicate verbally.

    • Reality: Many learn to communicate using alternative methods.

  • Myth: Nonverbal means low intelligence.

    • Reality: Nonverbal individuals exhibit a wide range of cognitive abilities.

Auditory Disorders

Conductive Hearing Loss

  • Resulting from obstructions or damage to the outer or middle ear, hindering sound conduction to the inner ear.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

  • Arises from damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or the auditory nerve, often permanent, and is the most common form of hearing loss in adults.

Mixed Hearing Loss

  • A combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, indicating damage to both the outer/middle ear and the inner ear or auditory nerve.

Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD)

  • A condition where sound travels into the ear normally but fails to transmit correctly from the inner ear to the brain due to synchronization issues rather than cochlear damage.

Developmental Plasticity of the Central Auditory System

  • Evidence gained from studies on Deaf children fitted with cochlear implants exploring the adaptability of auditory pathways post-implant.

Learning Disorders

  • Specific learning disorders are characterized by difficulties in the acquisition and application of skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematics.

  • Diagnosis occurs when there is a notable gap between actual performance and potential learning ability.

Types of Learning Disorders

  • Dyslexia: Reading difficulties.

  • Dyscalculia: Mathematical difficulties.

  • Dysgraphia: Handwriting difficulties.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Characterized by impulsiveness, inappropriate hyperactivity, and difficulty focusing.

  • Distinguishing ADHD from typical childhood behavior can be challenging, especially in very young children.

Symptoms of ADHD

  • Persistent difficulties in finishing tasks, following instructions, or organizing work.

  • Frequent interruptions of others and excessive talking.

  • Struggles with waiting or remaining seated.

Treatment for ADHD

  • Therapies:

    • Behavioral therapies

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

    • Organizational assistance strategies.

  • Medications:

    • Ritalin (methylphenidate):

    • Blocks the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine, increasing their levels in the brain for improved signal transmission.

    • Adderall (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine):

    • Primarily enhances dopamine and norepinephrine release, providing better focus and attention. The effects of amphetamines usually last longer and are more intense than those of methylphenidate.

Intellectual Disability

  • Defined by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior.

  • Approximately 1-3% of the school-age population is considered intellectually disabled.

  • Potential biological causes include:

    • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

    • Down Syndrome

    • Lack of oxygen during birth.

Gifted and Talented

  • There is little consensus among researchers on a singular definition for this broad category of students.

  • Generally refers to individuals demonstrating high-performance capability in various domains, such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or academic areas.

  • GATE Programs (Gifted and Talented Education):

    • Address individual differences in learning pace through two methods:

    • Acceleration: Facilitating advanced progression, potentially skipping grade levels.

    • Enrichment: Keeping students at grade level but allowing for enhanced, in-depth study through specialized programs and activities.