Question

Discuss the nature and treatment of:

Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder

Learning disabilities

Autism

Which treatment do you think is best and why?

Discuss some educational techniques that are helpful for children with special needs.

Answer 1

Discuss the nature and treatment of:

Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder is a disorder where there would be an impact on the self control as well as focus of the person. It also hampers the skills required to work smoothly in the activities of daily living. . The problems in activities occur as a result of changes in the anatomy of the brain. This is one of the most common conditions observed in childhood. There are problems in the executive skills of the patient along with problems in using the working memory of the patient and other skills skills. Some of the main symptoms are impulsivity, inattention along with hyperactivity.

Learning disabilities may be in the form of problems in such as starting a task, or managing time, social skills in the form of knowing what and how to talk at situations. For example, if a child is is playing games or his attention is focused on one aspect of the activities, he will not be able to focus on other activities such as when someone is calling their.

Treatment of ADHD

Treatment may include medications, therapies or care provided by specialists. Therapies include cognitive behavioural therapy, support group or anger management therapies. Therapy also includes family therapy or psycho education or applied behaviour analysis.

Autism

Autism is a disorder where there are a range of conditions observed. These conditions include repetitive behaviours, social skills or challenges in verbal communication or non verbal communications. There are different combinations of genes as well as influences from the environment. This is also referred to as autism spectrum disorder , spectrum since there are wide variations in the strengths possessed by a patient. The signs appear within 2-3 years of age and in some cases may also be diagnosed early.

Which treatment do you think is best and why?

For autism the best intervention is through Behavioral therapies. Some of the conditions might include seizures, sleep disturbances, or distress in the GI tract. If these conditions are addressed, they improve the attention span also given with behaviors related to learning. Help may be through sessions of parent leading or through parent training or supervision given by therapists. Therapies include verbal behaviour therapy, plied behavioural therapy, or response therapies.

Discuss some educational techniques that are helpful for children with special needs.

Some educational techniques for children with special needs include:

- sensory integration therapy

- verbal behavior teaching

- TEACCH program which is a structured program for teaching the autistic children. Visual information processing and along with techniques in social communication and in improvement in executive functions.