Learning disability

CMV, a virus of the herpes family, isa common viral infection. Healthy individuals may beoome infected yet have no symptoms. However, immunocompromised patients (such as those with HIV or cancer) may have the infection. Symptoms include malaise, fever, pneumonia, and super infection. Infants may acquire the virus from the mother while in the uterus, resulting in learning disabilities and mental retardation. CM V can infect the eye, causing retinitis. Symptoms of CMV retinitis are blurred vision and decreased visual acuity. Visual impairment is irreversible and can lead to blindness if untreated. 

ADHD is rarely encountered without comorbid conditions and often is underdiagnosed. Between 40% and 75% of patients with ADHD will have one or more comorbidities (e.g., learning disabilities, oppositional defiant conduct, anxiety, or depressive disorders).10 It is important to identify other coexisting conditions in patients with ADHD to assist in initial and ongoing selection of treatment. 

Lyngbye T, Hansen ON, Trillingsgaard A, et al. 1990a. Learning disabilities in children Significance of low-level lead-exposure and confounding factors. Acta Paediatr Scan 79 352-360. 

The clinical utility of dietary restriction of phenylalanine (200-500 mg/day of phenylalanine) is clear. Well-controlled patients have normal intelligence, although there may be an increased risk of perceptual-learning disabilities, emotional problems and subtle motor difficulties [23]. Diet therapy must probably be maintained throughout adolescence and perhaps indefinitely. Performance may deteriorate after the diet is discontinued. 

Should people use genetic manipulations in human embryos to correct gene mutations which would otherwise lead to Alzheimer s disease or learning disability If so, is it ethical to use the same procedure to improve cognitive function in persons who are healthy but with low intellectual ability How should society define normal Where should we draw a line between moral compassion and unethical obsession ... 

Children with MCS may have red cheeks and ears, dark circles under their eyes, learning disabilities and behavior problems as well as other symptoms. 

The notion that colors, flavors, and other common food additives could adversely affect children s behavior was widely publicized in the 1970s. According to Feingold (1974), 40-70% of children who exhibited impulsive behavior, learning disabilities, short attention spans, and other symptoms characteristic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD (formerly called hyperkinesis, hyperactivity, or minimal brain dysfunction) showed dramatic improvement when placed on diets without food dyes and other common additives. 

Wen TC, Yoshimura H, Matsuda S, Urn JH, Sakanaka M. (1996). Ginseng root prevents learning disability and neuronal loss in gerbils with 5-minute forebrain ischemia. Acta Neuropathol (Berlin). 91(1) 15-22. 

Finally, psychological testing is sometimes nsed to complete evalnation. This testing not only provides feedback regarding the child s attention and ability to process information bnt can also identify other problems snch as learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia) that can complicate the pictnre. 

Spillover costs on other sectors (e.g. additional educational costs related to the proportion of children who survive neonatal intensive care units with learning disabilities)... 

A 7-year-old boy is referred by his school nurse for evaluation of hyperactivity accompanied by developmental delays in speech and motor skills. The nurse is concerned about his IQ tests, which indicate mild mental retardation. Family history indicates that his mother and maternal aunt both have learning disabilities and one of his maternal uncles lives in a group home for the mentally retarded. Physical examination shows that the boy is normo-cephalic and normally pigmented. 

Learning disabilities are characteristic of some MPS disorders, and mental retardation occurs in severe cases. 

According to the UK National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly only specialists in the care of people with dementia (that is, psychiatrists including those specialising in learning disability, neurologists, and physicians specialising in the care of the elderly) should initiate treatment. Carers views on the patient s condition at baseline should be sought. 

Lou, H.C., Henriksen, L., and Bruhn, P. (1990) Focal cerebral dysfunction in developmental learning disabilities. Lancet 335 S-11. 

Children with a range of developmental disorders appear to be at increased risk for tic disorders. Kurlan and colleagues (1994) reported a fourfold increase in the prevalence of tic disorders among children in special educational settings in a single school district in upstate New York. These children were not mentally retarded but did have significant learning disabilities or other physical impairments. 

Conners, C.K., Eisenberg, L., and Barcai, A. (1967) Effect of dextroamphetamine on children studies on subjects with learning disabilities and school behavior problems. Arch Gen Psychiatry 17 478-485. 

Willemsen-Swinkels, S.H.N., Buitelaar, J.K., Weijnen, F.G., Thijssen, J.H.H., and Van Engeland, H. (1996b) Plasma P-endorphin concentrations in people with learning disability and self-injurious and/or autistic behaviour. Br J Psychiatry 168 105-109. 

---