Disorders

Associated Disorders

Hypotonia (aka floppy child syndrome, clumsy child syndrome)

From the National Institute of Health

Hypotonia is a medical term used to describe decreased muscle tone (the amount of resistance to movement in a muscle). It is not the same as muscle weakness, although the two conditions can co-exist. Hypotonia may be caused by trauma, environmental factors, or by genetic, muscle, or central nervous system disorders, such as Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, Prader-Willi syndrome, myotonic dystrophy, and Tay-Sachs disease. Sometimes it may not be possible to find what causes hypotonia. Infants with hypotonia have a floppy quality or "rag doll" appearance because their arms and legs hang by their sides and they have little or no head control. Other symptoms of hypotonia include problems with mobility and posture, breathing and speech difficulties, lethargy, ligament and joint laxity, and poor reflexes. Hypotonia does not affect intellect. However, depending on the underlying condition, some children with hypotonia may take longer to develop social, language, and reasoning skills. When hypotonia develops in the adult years, it may be due to diseases associated with cerebellar degeneration (such as multiple sclerosis, Friedreich's ataxia, or multiple system atrophy) in which neurons in the cerebellum -- the area of the brain that controls muscle coordination and balance -- deteriorate and die.

Limb Apraxia

excerpt by Moira Kowalczyk, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT)

Limb apraxia is also referred to as overall apraxia. Like verbal apraxia, it has a number of names. It is also referred to as "motor planning" deficits, global apraxia/dyspraxia, postural praxis, etc. Below is a series of test for motor function (usually performed no earlier than age 5)

• constructional praxis: the ability to motor plan how to copy a 3-D block structure praxis on verbal command: telling a child what to do ("stick out your tongue"; "cross your arms")
• postural praxis: imitating different body/limb positions, etc.

ADD and ADHD

ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are diagnostic categories (labels). ADHD is generally considered to be a neurobiological disorder. Researchers believe that the symptoms of ADHD are caused by chemicals in the brain not working properly. It is characterized by impulsivity, hyperactivity and the inability to sustain focused attention.

Dysphagia

Feeding or Swallowing Disorder ( Dysphagia ) is characterized by difficulty with normal oral feeding or swallowing. A child should be seen by a professional for evaluation if:

• The child has difficulty sucking or drinking from a cup.
• The child has difficulty taking foods from a spoon or has difficulty chewing foods.
• The child avoids certain types of foods or certain food textures.
• The child gags, chokes or coughs with feeding.

Autism

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It is a neurological disorder that affects brain functioning, influencing development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Individuals with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction, and leisure/play activities. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to normal sensory experiences. Autism is described as a spectrum disorder because it affects each individual differently and to varying degrees.

(Central) Auditory Processing Disorder

(C)APD is a receptive language disorder. It refers to difficulties in the decoding and storing of auditory information - usually incoming verbal messages. The terms "central auditory processing" and "auditory processing" are interchangeable. Children with APD's may demonstrate difficulties in speech, language, and/or learning, especially in the areas of spelling and reading. They may also appear hearing impaired, be inattentive, easily distractible, and have difficulty following oral directions.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy describes a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement that appear in the first few years of life and generally do not worsen over time. The disorders are caused by faulty development of or damage to motor areas in the brain that disrupts the brain's ability to control movement and posture. Symptoms of cerebral palsy include difficulty with fine motor tasks (such as writing or using scissors), difficulty maintaining balance or walking, involuntary movements. Early signs of cerebral palsy usually appear before 3 years of age. Infants with cerebral palsy are frequently slow to reach developmental milestones such as learning to roll over, sit, crawl, smile, or walk. Speech delay is very common in CP, and may be due to hearing loss, or spasticity or incoordination of muscles of the tongue.

Sensory Integration Disorder/Dysfunction (DSI)

"Sensory integration, simply put, is the ability to take in information through senses (touch, movement, smell, taste, vision, and hearing), to put it together with prior information, memories, and knowledge stored in the brain, and to make a meaningful response. Sensory integration is responsible for such things as coordination, attention, arousal levels, autonomic functioning, emotions, memory, and higher level cognitive functions. Sensory integrative dysfunction is a disorder in which sensory input is not integrated or organized appropriately in the brain and may produce varying degrees of problems in development, information processing, and behavior." (from the Sensory Integration Resource Network).

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person's ability to read. These individuals typically read at levels significantly lower than expected despite having normal intelligence. Although the disorder varies from person to person, common characteristics among people with dyslexia are difficulty with phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds) and/or rapid visual-verbal responding. Dyslexia is often referred to as a 'specific learning difficulty', usually with writing and spelling, and sometimes with reading and working with numbers. A dyslexic person may have problems putting things in order, following instructions, and may confuse left and right.

Myelin

Myelin is the white matter insulating the nerves, which allows the conduction of impulses from one part of the body to another. Myelin can be destroyed by hereditary neurodegenerative disorders, such as the leukodystrophies, and by acquired diseases such as multiple sclerosis. All together, demyelinating diseases affect an estimated one million people in the industrialized countries alone. Diseases related to myelin include ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Delayed/Hypomyelination, and more.

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