PY 101 Study Guide - Final Guide: Autism Spectrum, Bipolar Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder

• School: University of Alabama
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PY 101
• Professor: racheldelacy

Document Summary

A diverse group of chronic conditions that cause individuals difficulties in certain areas of life: failure to meet developmental expectations. Twice as common in males than females. Examples: autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, intellectual disabilities. Some common deficits include: executive functioning (decision making, communication (not talking by age of 2, social (don"t get social cues, obsessive interests (birthdays, train schedules) Movement disorder related to abnormal development of brain areas associated with movement: most common childhood movement disorder. Poor coordination, weak or stiff muscles, vision or hearing difficulties. Possible causes: premature birth, infection during pregnancy, head trauma early in life, small number is inherited. Occurs in about 1 in 800 live births. General and specific brain abnormalities: smaller brain size overall, deficits in the hippocampal region and prefrontal cortex. Some people around age 40 develop alzheimer"s. Deficits: significant limitations in intelligence, limitations in adaptive behavior, skills that have been learned that people do daily, onset prior to age 18.