As I watched the second video I had the thought that this message applies to so many more aspects of our life than just people with down syndrome. Despite all of our differences, political, religious, income, we are all more alike than different. We are all children of our Heavenly Father and in that way we all have a divine nature. Can we not focus on the ways we are alike and treat others the way we would want to be treated?
Here are some of the great sources I learned from this weeks lesson. I'm sure people do not want to read them, but I do not want to lose this information so I will continue to post them at the end of my blog each week.
Developmental Disabilities
A developmental disability is defined as a severe, chronic disability that is:
- Attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of the two
- Manifested before the person reaches age 22
- Likely to continue indefinitely
- Classified by substantial functional limitations
- Classified by a person’s need for interdisciplinary or generic care, treatment, or other services that are of lifelong or extended duration.
It
is estimated that some 764,000 children and adults in the United States
manifest one or more of the symptoms of cerebral palsy. Currently,
about 8,000 infants are diagnosed with the condition each year; And
1,200 to 1,500 preschool-age children are recognized each year to have
cerebral palsy.
(United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation)
Disabilities
such as brain injury, autism, cerebral palsy, and other neurological
impairments may be considered developmental disabilities as well. For
example, autism is a complex developmental disability that typically
appears during the first three years of life. Autism is the result of a
neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain.
Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal
and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play
activities. Persons with autism may exhibit repeated body movements
(hand flapping, rocking), unusual responses to people or attachments to
objects, and resistance to changes in routines(United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation)
Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by damage to the brain, usually occurring before, during, or shortly after birth. Cerebral palsy is characterized by an inability to fully control motor functions. This may include stiff and difficult movements, involuntary and uncontrolled movements, or a disturbed sense of balance and depth perception. People with cerebral palsy may exhibit spasms, mobility impairments in sight, hearing, or speech, or mental retardation.
The American Association of Mental Retardation states that mental retardation is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. The disability, originating before the age of 18, is thought to be present if the individual has an intellectual functioning (IQ) of 70 or below. Causes of mental retardation range from genetic disorders to lead poisoning, but The Arc, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting and improving supports and services for people with mental retardation and their families, states that the three major causes are Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and fragile-X.
One
in every 800 to 1,000 children is born with Down syndrome. Over 350,000
people in the United States alone have Down syndrome.
(National Down Syndrome Society)
Down Syndrome(National Down Syndrome Society)
Down syndrome, the most common cause of mental retardation, is a condition caused by a chromosome abnormality in which cell development inexplicably results in 47 instead of 46 chromosomes. The extra chromosome affects the orderly development of the brain and body. The level of mental retardation for persons with Down syndrome may range from mild to severe, with the majority functioning in the mild to moderate range.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Fetal alcohol syndrome is the name given to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the result of a woman’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy. These mental and physical birth defects can include mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, craniofacial abnormalities, and behavioral maladjustments. Not all women who drink alcohol during pregnancy have babies with FAS. Variables affecting outcome include genetics, cigarette smoking, drug use, nutrition, and time of use during pregnancy.
Fragile-X
In 1991, scientists discovered the gene (called FMR1) that causes fragile-X. In individuals who have fragile-X syndrome, a defect in FMR1 shuts the gene down, preventing it from manufacturing proteins. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, fragile-X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of mental retardation, affecting approximately 1 in 4,000 to 6,000 males and 1 in 8,000 to 9,000 females. Symptoms of fragile-X syndrome include mental impairment ranging from learning disabilities to mental retardation, attention deficit and hyperactivity, anxiety and unstable mood, autistic behaviors, long face, large ears, flat feet, and hyper extensible joints.
Suggestions to Improve Access and Positive Interactions
- Interact with the person with a developmental disability as a person first.
- Avoid talking about a person with a developmental disability when that person is present.
- Break down concepts into small, easy-to-understand components.
- If necessary, involve an advocate when communicating with a person with a developmental disability.
Mobility Impairments
According to the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, an estimated 25 million people have mobility impairments. Mobility impairments include a broad range of disabilities that affect a person’s independent movement and cause limited mobility. Mobility impairments may result from cerebral palsy, spinal chord injury, stroke, arthritis, muscular dystrophy, amputations, or polio. Mobility impairments may take the form of paralysis, muscle weakness, nerve damage, stiffness of the joints, or lack of balance or coordination. Only people whose mobility impairments substantially limit a major life activity are covered by the ADA.
The conditions that cause mobility impairments each have their own distinct characteristics. Some mobility impairments are acquired at birth, while others are caused by accidents, illnesses, or the natural process of aging.
Every year approximately 185,000 people undergo amputation surgery and 1.6 million amputees live in the United States.
AmputationAmputation is the removal of all or part of a limb. An amputation may occur as a result of an accident or as a surgical intervention for a medical condition. Prior to this century, amputation was commonly performed to prevent gangrene in a limb. When antibiotics came into use, wounds could be more effectively treated and many limbs were spared. Today, most amputations are for those patients who have wounds that do not heal properly due to vascular disease, atherosclerosis, and blood clots. Amputation may also be carried out to prevent the spread of cancer to another part of the body.
Phantom pain is a sensation felt by a person who has had a limb amputated. According to information collected by the National Amputation Foundation, the sensation may be one of a crushing, cramping or twisted feeling in the absent body part. Some individuals may also feel an aching or burning pain where the extremity was. The sensation is caused by stimulation along a nerve pathway, where the sensory ending has been severed in the amputated body part. The pain generally lasts between two and three months after the amputation, although some individuals have been noted to have the sensation for years.
Muscular Dystrophy
A definition provided by the Muscular Dystrophy Family Foundation describes muscular dystrophy (MD) as the common name for many progressive hereditary diseases that cause muscles to weaken and degenerate. According to the Foundation, there are 43 different neuromuscular diseases. The term muscular dystrophy is kind of a misnomer as it is a category of diseases, but not a disease itself. MD is caused by altered genes, which prevent the body from manufacturing essential substances in adequate amounts to maintain and fuel the muscles. Each type of MD has its own hereditary pattern, age of onset, and rate of muscle loss. In cases where heredity does not seem to be a factor, MD occurs because of a new gene mutation in the affected person or the parent(s) of that person.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis Central, a Web site dedicated to providing information on multiple sclerosis (MS), defines it as a disease of the brain and spinal chord (central nervous system) in which the covering of the nerves is destroyed. This situation causes messages from the brain and spinal chord to interpret signals ineffectively, creating a multitude of different symptoms. Each case of MS is unique and typical symptoms include balance and coordination problems, bowel and bladder problems, fatigue, tremors and spasms, pain, weakness, cognitive problems, numbness, tingling, and communication disorders related to vision, speech, and hearing.
According to the
Spina Bifida Association of America, an estimated 70,000 people in the
United States are currently living with spina bifida. There are 60
million women at risk of having a baby born with spina bifida. Every
day, an average of 8 babies are affected by spina bifida or a similar
birth defect of the brain and spine; and each year, about 3,000
pregnancies are affected by these birth defects.
PolioThe Polio Society defines polio, short for poliomyelitis, as a disease that can damage the nervous system and cause paralysis. The polio virus lives in the throat and intestinal tract of infected persons. The virus attacks the nerve cells that control muscle movements. Many people infected with the virus have few or no symptoms, and others only have short-term symptoms such as headache, tiredness, fever, stiff neck and back, and muscle pain. More serious problems occur when the virus invades nerves in the brain and causes paralysis of the muscles used in swallowing and breathing. Invasion of the nerves in the spinal cord can cause paralysis of the arms, legs, and trunk. Polio is most common in infants and young children, but complications occur most often in older persons. Post-polio is a name given to new symptoms of increased weakness, fatigue, and muscle deterioration that occur in people who previously contracted polio after many years of relatively stable physical condition. This syndrome typically shows up in middle age or later
Spina Bifida
Spina bifida is the most common neural tube defect (NTD) a serious birth defect that involves incomplete development of the brain, spinal cord and/or protective coverings for these organs. It results from the failure of the spine to close properly during the first month of pregnancy. In severe cases, the spinal cord protrudes through the back and may be covered by skin or a thin membrane. Surgery to close a newborn’s back is generally performed within 24 hours after birth to minimize the risk of infection and to preserve existing function in the spinal cord. Because of the paralysis resulting from the damage to the spinal cord, people with spinia bifida may need surgeries and other extensive medical care.
The
National Spinal Cord Association estimates that 250,000 to 400,000
individuals are living with spinal cord injury or spinal dysfunction,
with 7,800 to 12,660 new injuries each year.
Spinal Cord InjurySpinal Cord Injury is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function, such as mobility. Cases include motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries (including diving accidents), and diseases such as polio and spina bifida.
Suggestions to Improve Access and Positive Interactions
- If a person appears to have little grasping ability, do not be afraid to shake hands.
- Do not hold on to a person’s wheelchair. It is a part of the person’s body space and touching it or leaning on it are both inappropriate and dangerous.
- Talk directly to a person using a wheelchair, not to an attendant or third party.
- During a conversation with a person using a wheelchair, consider sitting down in order to share eye level.
- Avoid inappropriate terms such as “cripple,” “confined to a wheelchair,” “bed-ridden,” “wheelchair-bound,” “deformed,” and “suffering from a disability.” Instead, use terms such as “person with a physical disability” or “person who uses a wheelchair.”
- Invite people with disabilities to serve on program boards and planning committees.
- Create an access policy to demonstrate your commitment to comply with the ADA and to include people with disabilities.
- Implement changes, if necessary, to make your pro¬grams and facilities accessible and compliant with the ADA.
Acquired Brain Injuries
According
to the Centers for Disease Control, 1.4 million people sustain a
traumatic brain injury each year in the United States. That means a
person receives a traumatic brain injury every 22 seconds. Of those 1.4
million, 50,000 die, 235,000 are hospitalized, and 1.1 million are
treated and released from an emergency department.
Acquired
brain injuries are caused by external forces applied to the head that
occur suddenly in the course of normal development. The most common
causes of acquired brain injuries are automobile accidents, falls,
assaults, and sports injuries.Acquired brain injuries typically result in total or partial brain damage that is diffuse or widespread; it is not usually confined to one area of the brain. Thus, impairments are multiple and can affect both cognitive abilities and physical functioning.
People who sustain acquired brain injuries may experience physical symptoms, such as persistent head-aches, fatigue, seizures, lack of motor coordination, and sleeping disorders; cognitive symptoms, such as short and long-term memory loss, limited attention span, inability to make decisions, and communication impairments; or behavioral/emotional symptoms, such as mood swings, depression, irritability, impulsivity, and denial of the disability.
There
are 5.3 million Americans living with a brain injury. The two age
groups at highest risk for traumatic brain injury are 0 to 4-years-old
and 15 to 19-years-old. Males are about 1.5 times as likely as females
to sustain this type of injury.
Suggestions to Improve Access and Positive Interactions- Repeat important information about the purpose, duration and guidelines for a workshop, class, or meeting.
- Keep the environment distraction-free.
- Be aware that impulsiveness, irritability, or egocentric behavior are possible from a person with an acquired brain injury.
- Accentuate positive gains using frequent praise.
Visit the Church Disabilities Website and the the List of Disabilities
Brain Injury Association of America
8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 611
McLean, VA 22102
(703) 761-0750 (v)
800-444-6443 (family helpline)
(703) 761-0755 (fax)
Web: www.biausa.org
No comments:
Post a Comment