Cognitive/Learning Disabilities
“Cognition” refers to “understanding” – the ability to comprehend what you see and hear, and to infer information from social cues and body language. People with these impairments may have trouble learning new things, making generalizations from one situation to another, and expressing themselves through spoken or written language. (Disability Law Resource Project)
Asperger’s Syndrome – A neurobiological disorder similar to autism and characterized by serious deficits in social and communication skills. People with Asperger’s Syndrome often have obsessive, repetitive routines and preoccupations with a particular subject matter.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - A neurobiological condition characterized by evelopmentally inappropriate levels of attention, concentration, activity, distractibility, and impulsivity.
Specific Learning Disability – “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations”. Learning disabilities do not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; mental retardation; or environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. US federal code (Section 300.7(c)(10) of 34 CFR Parts 300 and 303)
Auditory Perceptual Deficit – difficulty receiving accurate information through auditory means, even though there is no problem with hearing. The problem is in how the brain interprets what is heard. May have difficulty understanding and remembering oral instructions, differentiating between similar sounds, or hearing one sound over a background noise.
… a “window” made from cutting a rectangle in an index card helps keep the relevant numbers, words, sentences, etc. in clear focus while blocking out much of the peripheral material which can become distracting.
… with central auditory processing deficits (CAPD), typically have normal hearing sensitivity, but experience difficulty analyzing or making sense of what they hear.
… with central auditory processing deficits (CAPD) may demonstrate difficulties in speech, language, and/or learning, especially in the areas of spelling and reading. They may also appear hearing impaired, be inattentive, easily distractible, and have difficulty following oral directions.
The ability to understand speech in the presence of background noise, competing speech, and less than optimal listening conditions can then be tested.
Lupus
Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. The immune system — designed to protect the body against viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials — produces antibodies that attack the person’s own tissues and organs. The more common symptoms of lupus include joint and muscle pain, extreme fatigue, persistent low-grade fever (less than 101F), “butterfly” rash across the bridge of the nose and cheeks, weight loss, hair loss, photosensitivity (sun or light sensitivity), pleurisy (pain in the chest on deep breathing), headache and mouth or nose ulcers.
For most people, lupus is a mild disease affecting only a few organs. For others, it may cause serious and even life-threatening problems. Sunlight, infection, injury, surgery, stress and exhaustion can trigger lupus “flares” (active states of the disease). Lupus affects 1 out of every 185 Americans. Although lupus can occur at any age — and in either sex — 90% of those living with lupus are female; a diagnosis is most often made during the child-bearing years, between the ages of 15 and 45. African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans are at particular risk.
