cognitive disorders

Essay text:

The academic score must be lower than expected given the person's intelligence Associated Features of LD ? low self-esteem ? school drop outs ? ADHD ? conduct disturbance Epidemiology ? 2-10% ? > males Etiology ? subtle disturbance in brain structure or function, which is either inherited or acquired in-utero ? neural disturbance results in difficulty integrating information from different brain regions Onset & Course ? typically diagnosed in 1st-2nd grade ? usually life-long (sometimes abilities "catch up", which is explained by a "maturational lag") Treatment Psychotherapy ? for self-esteem, conduct problems ? parental education & support Educational ? adaptation ? entitled to special services (elementary through university) SPECIFIC DIAGNOSES Reading Disorder (formerly "dyslexia") Description ? significantly low achievement in reading skills ? Their reading is typically characterized by: ? slow & inaccurate reading ? poor comprehension ? problems distinguishing phonemes ? sequencing problems Biological Indicators ? genetics ? positive paternal history is a strong risk factor for Reading Disorder ? anatomical ? lack of (or reversed) cerebral asymmetry of the planum temporale ? functional ? increased latency of visual ERPs Mathematics Disorder ? usignificantly impaired mathematical abilities due to a conceptual problem ? rule out other explanations for poor math (e...