Mental disorders diagnosed in childhood
Encyclopedia
Mental disorders diagnosed in childhood are divided into two categories: childhood disorders and learning disorders. These disorders are usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence, as laid out in the DSM IV TR.
, as it is more commonly known, will normally be present in a child by the age of seven, and behavior issues must be seen in two or more setting, (i.e. school, church, home, etc.) but the behavioral issues need to be more than what would be expect for a child’s age. There need to be at least six instances over a six month period for a child to be considered for diagnoses. This disorder is diagnosed in about 3-7% of school are children, but 65-80% of the cases will grow out of it as adolescence ends.
Some characteristics of those who have ADHD include: erratic behavior, being disorganized, worn out clothes, intrusive or aggressive behaviors, and the ability to not be able to tell right from wrong.
or ODD is related to both attention deficit and conduct disorder, but the behavior that is exhibited is not destructive or aggressive. This disorder is psychological; those who have it may be annoying or annoyed easily, may argue with adults, blame others for their mistakes, and may be defiant.
s, including Tourette syndrome
, are usually diagnosed in childhood and have childhood onset as part of their definition. Chronic tic disorders are often comorbid with other mental disorders diagnosed in childhood, including ADHD and learning disabilities, as well as anxiety and mood disorders, most prominently obsessive-compulsive disorder
.
is defined by the DSM-IV-TR as any behavior that violates the rights of others or societal norms. There are four categories that are used to determine if a child’s behavior violates these rights:
There needs to be at least three instances of behavior that fit into these categories within a year period and at least one within the last six months for a diagnosis. This disorder is normally diagnosed in 4-16% of boys and 1-9% of girls, who come in for help. Boys normally fight, steal, and vandalize, while girls have issues with lying, truancy
, and running away from home.
are the types of disorders that occur when a child does not advance to the expected level for their age group, even though their intelligence level is that of average or above average. These disabilities interfere with the child’s academic or daily functioning, and about 5% of children in public school systems have at least one of these.
, or dyslexia, occurs when a child has a problem with reading comprehension and word recognition. Dyslexia is found in about 4% of children, with a 3 to 1 ratio of prevalence in girls to boys.
, or dyscalculia, occurs when a child can not recognize or name numbers, be able to count numbers in correct order, or can not understand how the operations between numbers work. This disorder can normally not be found until a child reaches middle school and the use of higher math abilities are necessary. About 1% of all students suffers from dyscalculia.
occurs when a child has problems with spelling, grammar, the correct use of punctuation marks, and/or cannot control their hand writing.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
ADHDAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a developmental disorder. It is primarily characterized by "the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone" and symptoms starting before seven years of age.ADHD is the most commonly studied and...
, as it is more commonly known, will normally be present in a child by the age of seven, and behavior issues must be seen in two or more setting, (i.e. school, church, home, etc.) but the behavioral issues need to be more than what would be expect for a child’s age. There need to be at least six instances over a six month period for a child to be considered for diagnoses. This disorder is diagnosed in about 3-7% of school are children, but 65-80% of the cases will grow out of it as adolescence ends.
Some characteristics of those who have ADHD include: erratic behavior, being disorganized, worn out clothes, intrusive or aggressive behaviors, and the ability to not be able to tell right from wrong.
- There are two different ways for ADHD to be typed as:
- Inattentive type: the ability to not pay attention or focus in their daily actives.
- Hyperactive/Impulsive type: Being extremely active and having impulsive movements, being fidgety and having outbursts in inappropriate places.
Oppositional defiant disorder
Oppositional defiant disorderOppositional defiant disorder
Oppositional defiant disorder is a diagnosis described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile and defiant behavior toward authority figures which goes beyond the bounds of normal childhood behavior...
or ODD is related to both attention deficit and conduct disorder, but the behavior that is exhibited is not destructive or aggressive. This disorder is psychological; those who have it may be annoying or annoyed easily, may argue with adults, blame others for their mistakes, and may be defiant.
Tic disorder
Primary tic disorderTic disorder
Tic disorders are defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders based on type and duration of tics...
s, including Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane...
, are usually diagnosed in childhood and have childhood onset as part of their definition. Chronic tic disorders are often comorbid with other mental disorders diagnosed in childhood, including ADHD and learning disabilities, as well as anxiety and mood disorders, most prominently obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions...
.
Conduct disorder
Conduct disorderConduct disorder
Conduct disorder is psychological disorder diagnosed in childhood that presents itself through a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate norms are violated...
is defined by the DSM-IV-TR as any behavior that violates the rights of others or societal norms. There are four categories that are used to determine if a child’s behavior violates these rights:
- aggression towards people or animals
- destruction of property
- deceitful nature or theft
- serious violations of laws
There needs to be at least three instances of behavior that fit into these categories within a year period and at least one within the last six months for a diagnosis. This disorder is normally diagnosed in 4-16% of boys and 1-9% of girls, who come in for help. Boys normally fight, steal, and vandalize, while girls have issues with lying, truancy
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
, and running away from home.
Learning disabilities
Learning disabilitiesLearning disability
Learning disability is a classification including several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors...
are the types of disorders that occur when a child does not advance to the expected level for their age group, even though their intelligence level is that of average or above average. These disabilities interfere with the child’s academic or daily functioning, and about 5% of children in public school systems have at least one of these.
Reading disorder
A reading disorderDyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, or dyslexia, occurs when a child has a problem with reading comprehension and word recognition. Dyslexia is found in about 4% of children, with a 3 to 1 ratio of prevalence in girls to boys.
Mathematic disorder
A mathematic disorderDyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability involving innate difficulty in learning or comprehending simple arithmetic. It is akin to dyslexia and includes difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, learning maths facts, and a number of other related symptoms...
, or dyscalculia, occurs when a child can not recognize or name numbers, be able to count numbers in correct order, or can not understand how the operations between numbers work. This disorder can normally not be found until a child reaches middle school and the use of higher math abilities are necessary. About 1% of all students suffers from dyscalculia.
Written expression error
A written expression errorDisorder of written expression
Disorder of written expression is a childhood condition characterized by poor writing skills. To some extent, 3 - 10% of school-age children are affected by this disorder...
occurs when a child has problems with spelling, grammar, the correct use of punctuation marks, and/or cannot control their hand writing.