Glossary of scientific terms

Babbling: The sound a baby makes when he combines a vowel and consonant and repeats them over again (e.g., ba-ba-ba, ga-ga-ga).

Behavior modification: See Applied behavior analysis.

Behaviour therapy: Scientifically-based approach to modifying and shaping behaviour by identifying and manipulating the triggers and reinforcements of specific behaviours (see Appendix 3).

Beneficiary: The person indicated in a trust or insurance policy to receive any payments that become due.

Biedl-Bardet syndrome: Also called Lawrence-Moon-Biedl syndrome. A syndrome of obesity, pigmentation of the retina, and extra digits, accompanied by mental handicap.

Brain stem: A term referring to a part of the brain that extends from the spinal cord to the mid-brain. It includes the medulla.

CAT scans: Cat stands for Computed Axial Tomography. This is an advanced form of X-ray which is especially useful for obtaining pictures of the brain.

Cause-and-effect: The concept that actions create reactions.

Cerebral palsy: Brain damage caused at birth or shortly thereafter. Affects the motor areas of the brain.

Childhood schizophrenia: A major psychiatric disorder, probably with multiple causes. Symptoms include disturbances in form and content of thought, perception, emotions, sense of self, volition, relationship to the external world, and psychomotor behavior. C

Chromosome: The structure housing the genetic and genes responsible for the inheritance of many (but not all) physical and mental characteristics.

Coffin-Siris syndrome: A syndrome of congenital abnormalities, including growth deficiencies, microcephaly (small head), excessive body hair, and joint laxity, coupled with mental handicap.

Cognition: The ability to know and understand the environment.

Competitive employment: Jobs which pay workers at least minimum wage to produce valued goods or services, and which are performed in settings that include nondisabled workers.

Compulsion: The behavioural component of an obsession. The individual feels compelled to repeat a behaviour which has no immediate benefit beyond reducing the anxiety associated with the obsessional idea. For instance for a person obsessed by the idea that they are dirty, repeated ritual handwashing may serve to reduce anxiety.

Congenital anomaly syndromes: A collective term for disorders of physical development during the fetal period.

Congenital cytomegalovirus: A condition resulting from intrauterine infection with the cytomegalovirus.

Congenital rubella: A condition resulting from intra-uterine infection with the rubella (German measles) virus.

Convulsion: Involuntary contractions of the muscles. A seizure.

Cornelia de Lange syndrome: A congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by mental retardation, unusual facial appearance, and small hands and feet, sometimes accompanied by epilepsy.

Cost-of-care liability: The right of state providing care to a handicapped person to charge for the care and to collect from the handicapped person’s assets.

Cue: Input that prompts a person to perform a behavior or activity.

Cytomegalovirus: A virus that may produce a “flu” –like illness in adults, but which if it infects a pregnant mother (particularly in the early stages of pregnancy) may damage the development of the unborn baby and lead to mental handicap and physical disabilities.

Deixis: A part of communication in which the meaning of a word or gesture depends on the particular context at the time (for example, the words “here” or “there”).

Development: The process of growth and learning during which a child acquires skills and abilities.

Developmental disability: A handicap or impairment originating before the age of eighteen which may be expected to continue indefinitely and which constitutes a substantial disability. Such conditions include pervasive developmental disorders, autism, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation.

Developmental milestone: A developmental goal that functions as a measurement of developmental progress over time.

Developmental receptive language disorder: A disorder characterized by a difficulty in understanding speech and language.

Developmentally delayed: A person whose development is slower than normal.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM III-R): A manual published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) which describes all of the diagnostic criteria and the systematic descriptions of various mental disorders.

Discretionary trust: A trust in which the trustee (the person responsible for governing the trust) has the authority to use or not use the trust funds for any purpose, as long as funds are expended only for the beneficiary.

Disinherit: To deprive someone of an inheritance. Parents of handicapped children may do this to prevent the state from imposing cost-of-care liability on their child’s assets.

Disintegrative disorder: A condition where regression and loss of skills follow a period of normal development. Initially, there may be a period of anxiety and confusion, which is followed by intellectual and behavioural decline. Bladder and bowel control may also be lost. Sometimes the “disintegration” is due to rare neurological diseases.

Dispute resolution procedures: The procedures established by law and regulation for the fair resolution of disputes regarding a child’s special education.

Dizigotic twins: Twin pregnancies resulting from the fertilization of two eggs. Consequently the twins are genetically related in the same way as most other siblings are.

Dopamine: One of the neurotransmitters