Introduction to Psychiatric Disorders in Children PDF

11/27/23, 3:49 AM Realizeit for Student Introduction Psychiatric disorders are not diagnosed as easily in children as they are in adults. Children usually lack the abstract cognitive abilities and verbal skills to describe what is happening. Because they are constantly changing and developing, chi...

11/27/23, 3:49 AM Realizeit for Student Introduction Psychiatric disorders are not diagnosed as easily in children as they are in adults. Children usually lack the abstract cognitive abilities and verbal skills to describe what is happening. Because they are constantly changing and developing, children have limited sense of a stable, normal self to allow them to discriminate unusual or unwanted symptoms from normal feelings and sensations. Additionally, behaviors that are normal in a child of one age may indicate problems in a child of another age. For example, an infant who cries and wails when separated from his or her mother is normal. If the same child at 5 years of age cries and shows extreme anxiety when separated only briefly from the mother, however, this behavior would warrant investigation. Children and adolescents experience some of the same mental health problems as adults, such as mood and anxiety disorders, and are diagnosed with these disorders using the same criteria as for adults. Eating disorders, especially anorexia, usually begin in adolescence and continue into adulthood. Mood, anxiety, and eating disorders are discussed in separate chapters of this book. It provides an overview of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) along with a briefer discussion of related disorders. Intellectual disability is the correct diagnostic term for what was once called mental retardation, a term often used in a disparaging manner to bully or ridicule individuals with impaired cognitive abilities. The essential feature of intellectual disability is below-average intellectual functioning (intelligence quotient [IQ] <70) accompanied by significant limitations in areas of adaptive functioning such as communication skills, self-care, home living, social or interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, academic skills, work, leisure, and health and safety. The degree of disability is based on IQ and cognitive functioning, often categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or profound (King, Toth, DeLacy, & Doherty, 2017). The causes of intellectual disability include hereditary conditions such as Tay–Sachs disease or fragile X chromosome syndrome; early alterations in embryonic development, such as trisomy 21 or maternal alcohol intake, which cause fetal alcohol syndrome; pregnancy or perinatal problems such as fetal malnutrition, hypoxia, infections, and trauma; medical conditions of infancy such as infection or lead poisoning; and environmental influences such as deprivation of nurturing or stimulation. In addition, the cause is sometimes unknown or not yet discovered. Mood and behavior disturbances vary among people with intellectual disabilities. Some people with intellectual disability are passive and dependent; others are aggressive and impulsive; and still others may have minimal mood and behavior disturbances. Children with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability usually receive treatment in their homes and communities and make periodic visits to https://herzing.realizeithome.com/RealizeitApp/Student.aspx?Token=0Dn26kXyU%2f6F5gOCz4%2f2ITzAkY3nMIj7MBSgsqXE3qy7jjixvejaRv7GnkF88dMM%2… 1/2 11/27/23, 3:49 AM Realizeit for Student physicians. Those with more severe intellectual disabilities may require residential placement or daycare services. https://herzing.realizeithome.com/RealizeitApp/Student.aspx?Token=0Dn26kXyU%2f6F5gOCz4%2f2ITzAkY3nMIj7MBSgsqXE3qy7jjixvejaRv7GnkF88dMM%2… 2/2