Category: Search & Respond

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused when abnormal cell division results in extra genetic material from chromosome 21. This genetic disorder, which varies in severity, causes lifelong intellectual disability and developmental delays, and in some people it causes health problems. Down syndrome is the most common genetic chromosomal disorder and cause of learning disabilities in children. (Mayo Clinic)

The epilepsies are a spectrum of brain disorders ranging from severe, life-threatening and disabling, to ones that are much more benign. In epilepsy, the normal pattern of neuronal activity becomes disturbed, causing strange sensations, emotions, and behavior or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. The epilepsies have many possible causes and there are several types of seizures. Anything that disturbs the normal pattern of neuron activity—from illness to brain damage to abnormal brain […]

Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by an insult to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth. Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years. In general, cerebral palsy causes impaired movement associated with exaggerated reflexes, floppiness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk, abnormal posture, involuntary movements, unsteadiness of walking, or some combination of these. One third of all patients with CP are likely […]

Autism, also known as ASD, is a spectrum of disorders that causes impairment in social interaction, as well as the presence of repetitive, restricted behaviors and interests. It is usually first diagnosed in early childhood. The term spectrum refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment that those with ASD can have. Some are mildly impaired by their symptoms, while others are severely disabled. (NIH/The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences […]