Chapter 14: Children on Different Developmental Paths

1. Chapter 14: Children on Different Developmental Paths Developmental and Learning Problems Kati Tumaneng (for Drs. Cook and Cook)

2. Mental Retardation (MR) • Three components • Below-normal intellectual functioning (IQ < 70 or 75) • Deficits in adaptive behavior • Onset early in life (before age 18) (Hodapp & Dykens, 1996)

3. Mental Retardation (MR) • 2-3% of US population has MR; rates vary depending on criteria. • Most severe forms associated with genetic disorders; Down syndrome and fragile-X syndrome most common. • Sometimes also associated with prenatal toxin exposure, prematurity, or birth complications. Mental Retardation: http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs8txt.htm

4. Mental Retardation • After birth, many factors in environment can retard mental development. • Cultural-familial retardation – Retardation caused by lack of educational opportunity and stimulation. • Approximately 85% of people with MR are in the mild category; 1-2% in profound category (Mash & Wolfe, 1999).

5. Four Levels of Mental Retardation

6. Mental Retardation • Guidelines for improving quality of lives of children with MR: • Encourage exploration of environment • Work on basic learning skills • Celebrate developmental advances/accomplishments • Help rehearse and extend new skills • Protect from harm of disapproval, teasing, and punishment • Rich responsive environment (Mash & Wolfe, 1999; Ramey & Ramey, 1992)

7. Communication and Learning Disorders • Communication Disorders – Conditions where children have significant difficulty producing speech sounds, using spoken language to communicate, or understanding what other people say (Mash & Wolfe, 1999). • Learning Disorders – Conditions involving difficulties with specific skills such as reading, mathematics, or writing. • Among adolescents with learning disorders, the high school drop out rate is about 40% (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Communication Disorders: http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/language_disorders.html

8. Communication and Learning Disorders • Too often go undiagnosed and untreated. • Strongly genetic and related to abnormalities in how the brain functions. • Many of these disorders correct themselves or children learn to compensate. • Direct instruction and learning strategies, counseling and therapy, and increasing family support may all be useful. • Usually do not significantly interfere with ability to lead normal life. Learning Disorders: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/learningdisorders.html

9. Autism • A serious developmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication. • Behavior often includes repetitive body motions or self-stimulation, along with inflexibility regarding daily routine.

10. Autism • Autistic children score low on IQ tests, but small percentage show splinter skills. • Relatively rare (35 out of every 100,000) in US (Newsom, 1998). • 4 times more common in boys. • In recent years, the number of children has increased. • Genetic component. • Treatment outcomes vary depending on severity of disorder (Newsom, 1998); early intensive therapy helpful with mild/moderate levels. Autism: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=autismcharacteristics

11. Picture on Slide 2: from Cook, J. L., & Cook, G. (2005). Child development: Principles and perspectives (1st ed.) (p. 568). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. • Table on Slide 5: from Cook, J. L., & Cook, G. (2005). Child development: Principles and perspectives (1st ed.) (p. 569). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. • Picture on Slide 9: from Cook, J. L., & Cook, G. (2005). Child development: Principles and perspectives (1st ed.) (p. 573). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. • All other images retrieved from Microsoft PowerPoint Clip Art.