Thursday, 13 August 2026

Study notes for Physical disabilities.

 

1. Muscular Dystrophy

  • Definition: A group of over 30 distinct genetic disorders characterised by progressive and irreversible muscle weakness and loss of tissue.

  • Key Symptoms: Difficulty walking, joint motion restrictions, trouble breathing or swallowing, and potential heart/organ involvement.

  • Onset: Symptoms of the most common forms appear in early childhood, though some types do not manifest until adulthood or middle age.

2. Tourette Syndrome

  • Definition: A neurological disorder causing involuntary, repetitive sounds and movements called tics. Tics are neurological rather than behavioural, meaning they cannot be controlled by the individual.

  • Tic Types:

    • Motor Tics: Eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, facial twitching, head jerking, jumping, or touch/imitation behaviours.

    • Vocal Tics: Sniffing, throat clearing, grunting, tongue clicking, and rarely, blurting out socially unacceptable phrases.

  • Onset & Cause: Typically diagnosed between ages 2 and 21; attributed to a combination of genetic, environmental, and neurochemical factors.

3. Dwarfism

  • Definition: Short stature resulting from any of over 300 genetic or medical conditions, generally defined as an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches (147 cm) or less (average height ~4 feet).

  • Primary Types:

    • Disproportionate: Specific body parts are smaller, while others are average or above-average in size.

    • Proportionate: The entire body is uniformly small to the same degree.

  • Development: May cause early motor skill delays, but does not affect intellectual capability.

At-a-Glance Comparison

ConditionCategoryPrimary CharacteristicsIntellectual Impact
Muscular DystrophyGenetic muscle disorderProgressive muscle weakness & wastingNone inherently (depends on specific subtype)
Tourette SyndromeNeurological disorderInvoluntary motor & vocal ticsNone
DwarfismGrowth / Skeletal conditionAdult height $\le$ 4'10" (proportionate or disproportionate)None

No comments:

Post a Comment

Study notes What Anxiety Disorder?

  Anxiety is a normal reaction. We can all get anxious, nervous and worried at times in different situations. Anxiety can help us stay out...