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Childhood Disorders

Childhood Disorders . Disorders that are diagnosed in childhood and often continue throughout the lifespan . Autism Spectrum Disorder. Disorder characterized by deficits in social relatedness and communication skills that is often accompanied by repetitive, ritualistic behavior

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Childhood Disorders

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  1. Childhood Disorders Disorders that are diagnosed in childhood and often continue throughout the lifespan

  2. Autism Spectrum Disorder • Disorder characterized by deficits in social relatedness and communication skills that is often accompanied by repetitive, ritualistic behavior • Spectrum because the severity of the deficits can vary widely from individual to individual • Social relatedness is at the core of the disorder • Do not make eye contact • Insight into the thoughts and points of view of others is particularly lacking • Failure to develop a normal theory of mind • Language skills can vary greatly • None, delayed, normal • However, regardless of skills, most still have trouble maintaining conversation • Object to changes in the environment • Show a high level of repetitive, routine behavior • Rocking, hand-flapping, head-banging, twirling • One possible source of this is increased or decreased sensitivity to stimuli • Ritualistic behavior may serve to control or override these sensations

  3. Rates of Autism SD • Have been rapidly increasing over the last two decades • 1 in 110 children • Rates in California have jumped 273% between 1987-1998 • Why? • An unknown environmental trigger? • Increased awareness among parents and health care providers? • Relaxed applications of the diagnostic criteria? • Increased availability of services for children with the disorder? • Males are more likely to be diagnosed

  4. Causes of Autism • Parental age seems to be a risk factor • Older parents are more likely to give birth to a child with autism • Family and twin studies provide strong evidence that it is influenced by genetics • Large number of genes are involved • Environmental factors interacting with genetics during prenatal development • Vaccinations play NO PART in the development of autism • In the first half of 2008, measles cases doubled compared to the rates observed in 2000 and 2007

  5. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder • Criteria for the disorder are difficult to distinguish from the behaviors of many typical young children • Many will be treated with medicine • Involves inattention and hyperactivity • Inattention: Inability to maintain sustained attention or on-task behavior for an age-appropriate length of time • Hyperactivity: high level of motor activity and find engaging in structured activities (ie waiting in line) very challenging • As adults, those diagnosed with ADHD as children have more traffic accidents • Many of these behaviors are seen in children who do not have psychological disorders • Fewer than 40% of physicians reported using the DSM criteria to evaluate cases of ADHD • More than half of the children in a very large sample who were receiving medication for ADHD did not meet even relaxed diagnostic criteria for the disorder • 7.74% of children between the ages of 4-17 had been diagnosed with ADHD

  6. Causes of ADHD • Genetics – may be as high as 76% heritability • Frontal lobe may be underactive • Matures much more slowly in children with ADHD • Parts of the brain that have dopamine activity • Drugs like Ritalin or Adderall boost the activity of dopamine

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