Developmental Disability (DD)

People diagnosed with a developmental disability have intellectual and everyday living skills substantially below their age and often require support in many aspects of everyday life. Specifically, criteria for a developmental disability are defined as follows:

  • the person must have general intellectual ability (IQ) in the sub-average range, also known as the range of Mental Retardation.
  • there must be impairments in the ability to manage the activities of daily living such as personal care (e.g., banking, shopping), or workplace activities (e.g., able to follow instructions)
  • this impairment must have occurred before the age of 18 years.

Developmental Disabilities can include diagnosis such as: Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy etc.

There are different levels of Developmental Disabilities:

  • Borderline
  • Mild
  • Moderate
  • Severe
  • Profound

When working with people with Developmental Disabilities:

  • Teach skills that are age & socially appropriate, with expectation that is realistic to the individual’s level of functioning.
  • Abstract reasoning is usually difficult, use objects in the environment to teach new skills.
  • Communication deficits may be present.  You may have to change the way you talk to be understood.
  • Verbal behaviour is not the only way of communication. Inappropriate behaviour may be a result of lack of comprehension or inability to perform the required task.
  • Treat the individual as you would like others to treat you.

If you have concerns about your child’s development, you can contact:

  • Your family physician / Pediatrician
  • Public health nurse
  • Community health centre
  • Teacher/counselor/principal of your school
  • Developmental clinics in your local hospital
  • Surrey Place Centre (City of Toronto)
  • Kinark  Child & Family Services (York Region)

被診斷患有發育障礙的人的智力和日常生活技能遠遠低於同齡,並且往往需要在日常生活的許多方面提供支持。具體而言,發育障礙的標准定義如下:

該人必須具有在低於平均範圍內的普通智力(IQ),也稱為智力遲鈍範圍。
管理日常生活活動的能力,如個人護理(如銀行,購物)或工作場所活動(例如能夠遵循指示)必須存在障礙,
這種損害必需發生在18歲以前。
發育障礙可以包括諸如以下的診斷:唐氏綜合症,脆性X綜合徵,自閉症譜系障礙,胎兒酒精綜合症,腦性麻痺等。

有不同程度的發育障礙:

  • 邊緣
  • 溫和
  • 中等
  • 嚴重
  • 深度

與發育障礙患者合作時:

教授適合其年齡和社交的技能,對個人的使用水平具有現實意義。
抽象推理通常是困難的,使用自身環境中的事件來傳授新技能。
溝通障礙可能存在。你可能不得不改變你說話的方式來理解。
言語行為不是唯一的溝通方式。不適當的行為可能是缺乏理解或無法執行所需任務的結果。
以他為己。

如果您擔心孩子的發育,可以聯繫:

你的家庭醫生/兒科醫生
公共衛生護士
社區衛生中心
你學校的教師/輔導員/校長
當地醫院的發育診所
Surrey Place Centre(多倫多市)
Kinark  Child & Family Services(約克地區)
 
 
 
 
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