Developmental Disorders: ADHD, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Speech and Language Disorders

ADHD


Children with Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) have significant problems with Attention and/or Hyperactivity and Impulsiveness. AD/HD is a term used in North America; health professionals in Europe, particularly the UK, have traditionally used the description of Hyperkinetic Disorder.


Autistic Spectrum Disorders


Autism occurs in varying forms and degrees of severity. Children with autism have marked problems with communication skills, social relationships and imagination. Around three quarters of autistic children also have severe or moderate learning difficulties. The term ‘Asperger’s Syndrome’ is used to describe children within the autistic spectrum who are of average or above intelligence.


Dyslexia


Dyslexia is a syndrome, or cluster of problems that vary in degree from person to person. It is a specific learning disability, affecting the acquisition of literacy, and sometimes numeracy skills, while being unrelated to intelligence or to general achievement in other areas.

IPS are running an innovative Dyslexia Summer School at Leysin American School, Switzerland, July/August 2005. For full details please click here


Dyspraxia


Dyspraxia describes a problem in learning, planning and executing sequences of co-ordinated movements, for example eating with a spoon, riding a bike or speaking clearly.


Speech and Language Disorders


Language Difficulties can occur at the level of phonology (the sounds of language), syntax (grammar), semantics (meaning) and pragmatics (the social use of language). The problems may be receptive, and affect the child’s capacity to understand speech and language, or expressive and influence output.