ABSTRACT
There is growing interest in the neurologic, behavioral, and cognitive effects of child abuse and neglect. This article explores the literature on the short and long term sequelae of physically and sexually abused and neglected children, along with controversies generated by the studies themselves. Recommendations are made for swift and ongoing intervention in cases of child abuse to protect young victims from potentially devastating effects.
Subject(s)
Child Abuse/diagnosis , Child Abuse/psychology , Age Factors , Brain Injuries/etiology , Child , Child Abuse/prevention & control , Child Abuse, Sexual/diagnosis , Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology , Cognition , Developmental Disabilities/etiology , Humans , Intelligence , Language Development , Mother-Child Relations , Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/etiologySubject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child Behavior Disorders/rehabilitation , Child, Preschool , Comorbidity , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Developmental Disabilities/rehabilitation , Disabled Persons/psychology , Humans , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Intellectual Disability/rehabilitation , Patient Care TeamABSTRACT
Reported excessive eating was examined in children referred for developmental delay to our multidisciplinary diagnostic center and cause hypotheses were generated. Thirteen children were evaluated prospectively using a nutrition assessment, The Eating Behavior Questionnaire, the Achenbach Child Behavior Profile, and their multidisciplinary developmental evaluation. The children ate excessively but were not obese. Commonalities included being in foster care, prenatal drug exposure, and abnormally withdrawn and/or aggressive behavior. Nonobese hyperphagia appears to require emotional and behavioral assessment and dietary management. Hypotheses include prenatal drug exposure and a possible causal association with emotional and behavioral problems.
Subject(s)
Hyperphagia/psychology , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Adolescent , Appetite , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Foster Home Care , Humans , Hyperphagia/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Male , Nutrition Assessment , Obesity/diagnosis , Obesity/psychology , Patient Care Team , Personality Assessment , SyndromeABSTRACT
The CO2 laser prevents bleeding by sealing blood and lymph vessels as it vaporizes tissue. Bacteremia following oral surgery might not occur under these conditions. To test this hypothesis, a 0.2-mm-deep incision 1 cm long was made in the right buccal cheek pouch of hamsters using either laser, electrosurgery, or a scalpel. Twenty minutes later, 1 mL of blood was taken from each animal by cardiac puncture, inoculated on a blood agar medium, and incubated anaerobically for 4 days; then the colonies were counted. Using an operational definition of bacteremia as five colonies or more per plate, there were no positive results out of 18 trials (0/18) for laser surgery, 7/8 for electrosurgery, and 8/12 for scalpel surgery. Based on the Student t test using the binomial distribution, the laser produced statistically less bacteremia than the other two methods (P less than .01). Because the five-colony cutoff was arbitrary, the nonparametric Wilcoxon Rank test was also used. Colony formation from blood from the laser group was significantly less than from the electrosurgery group (P less than .01) and the scalpel group (P less than .05). The laser surgery group was not statistically different from the control (nonsurgerized) group. These results suggest that there is a considerable bacteremia following scalpel and electrosurgery, but that laser surgery produces no bacteremia.
Subject(s)
Electrosurgery/adverse effects , Laser Therapy/adverse effects , Sepsis/etiology , Surgical Instruments/adverse effects , Animals , Binomial Distribution , Colony Count, Microbial , Cricetinae , Male , Mouth Mucosa/surgery , Random AllocationABSTRACT
A group of 38 preschool children, first evaluated when 2 to 4 years old, functioning within the borderline or mildly retarded ranges of intelligence, were reevaluated at the ages of 6 or 7 years. It was found that cognitive and linguistic limitations remained fairly stable over time. The most global of the early measures best predicted subsequent attainment, both for children with language skills significantly below performance and for those with more even function. Preschool language deficiencies reflected in a significant discrepancy between verbal and performance abilities in early intelligence testing were not subsequently associated with greater academic difficulties. At the time of reevaluation, receptive understanding of language exceeded expressive competence, and semantic skills were stronger than syntactic abilities.
Subject(s)
Child, Preschool , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Achievement , Cognition , Female , Humans , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Language Development , Male , PrognosisABSTRACT
Employees who are mentally retarded or learning-disabled are not troubled when there is a good job match and appropriate management. The article covers the nature of these disorders and various issues that concern business and industry in arranging appropriate employment for such individuals.
Subject(s)
Intellectual Disability/rehabilitation , Learning Disabilities/rehabilitation , Rehabilitation, Vocational/psychology , Humans , PrognosisABSTRACT
The age of independent walking was noted for 200 retarded children aged 30-60 months living in the community. The onset of walking tended to be later in more severely retarded children, but early walkers were found even among the most retarded. The majority of children with mild, moderate, and severe retardation walked by 17 months. Only in the group which was profoundly retarded did the majority begin to walk after 17 months. Onset of walking before 17 months is usual in retarded children and is compatible with all levels of mental retardation.
Subject(s)
Intellectual Disability/physiopathology , Locomotion , Age Factors , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , MaleSubject(s)
Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Blindness/epidemiology , Cerebral Palsy/epidemiology , Child Behavior Disorders/epidemiology , Child, Preschool , Deafness/epidemiology , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/epidemiology , Language Development Disorders/epidemiology , Psychological TestsABSTRACT
A study was conducted to objectively measure changes in functioning of multiply handicapped children in a specialized nursery school program. The study population consisted of the 18 children who entered the program in the study year. A quantitative teacher rating scale was developed, tested, and found to be reliable. Significant improvements were demonstrated in interaction, communication, and task orientation after 3 months and in self-care after 6 months. There was no measurable change in motor performance, and the intellectual functioning of the children remained in the same diagnostic category as at the outset. The study documented improvement on social competence of multiply handicapped children enrolled in a preschool program with minimal parental involvement. The teacher rating scale was found to be useful in measuring social functioning in a school setting for a young population with a limited range of possible achievements. Teachers proved to be reliable evaluators of their pupils. To measure social and interactional parameters, it appears necessary to have both a standardized instrument and an informed observer who knows the child's daily functioning.
Subject(s)
Child, Preschool , Disabled Persons/education , Education, Special , Child Behavior , Humans , Intelligence , Motor Skills , Parent-Child Relations , Schools, Nursery , Self Care , SocializationABSTRACT
Studies of the child-rearing competency of mentally retarded parents are few and based primarily on deinstitutionalized populations; results have been equivocal. A checklist devised to assess intellectual limitation in parents led to the identification of 45 families with an intellectually limited parent in the course of evaluations of 370 children in a pediatric development clinic. It became evident that the presence of a benefactor was crucial in enabling limited parents to meet community expectations. Identification of parental limitations is seen as a prerequisite to essential modifications in service delivery to both parents and children.
