Cognitive Deficits Glossary of Terms

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Acquired: Not inherited, or present at birth (congenital), but developing after birth. For...

American Psychiatric Association: A medical specialty society with over 35,000 US and inte...

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Assisted living: A type of long-term care facility for elderly or disabled people who are ...

Attentional: Relating to attention. The term is used in psychology and child development a...

Audiology: The study of hearing.

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The US agency charged with tracking and invest...

Cerebral: Of or pertaining to the cerebrum or the brain.

Cerebral palsy: An abnormality of motor function (the ability to move and control movement...

Chromosome: A carrier of genetic information that is visible under an ordinary light micro...

Cognitive: Having to do with thought, judgment, or knowledge.

Developmental delay: A condition in which a child is behind schedule in reaching milestone...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid. One of two types of molecules that encode genetic information...

Down syndrome: A common birth defect that is usually due to an extra chromosome 21 (trisom...

DSM-IV: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, the officia...

Endocrine: Pertaining to hormones and the glands that make and secrete them into the blood...

Fetal alcohol syndrome: The sum total of the damage done to the child before birth as a re...

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

Fragile X syndrome: The most common heritable form of mental retardation. Fragile X syndro...

Galactosemia: An inherited disorder of galactose metabolism that occurs in newborns and ca...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Genetic counseling: An educational counseling process for individuals and families who hav...

Genetics: The scientific study of heredity. Genetics pertains to humans and all other orga...

Hygiene: The science of preventive medicine and the preservation of health. Also commonly ...

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Intelligence quotient: An attempt to measure the intelligence of someone. Abbreviated IQ....

Intelligence test: A questionnaire or series of exercises designed to measure intelligence...

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Learning disability: A childhood disorder characterized by difficulty with certain skill...

Malnutrition: A term used to refer to any condition in which the body does not receive eno...

Maple syrup urine disease: A hereditary disease that is due to deficiency of an enzyme inv...

Melatonin: A hormone that is produced by the pineal gland and is intimately involved in re...

Memory: 1. The ability to recover information about past events or knowledge. ...

Menstruation: The periodic blood that flows as a discharge from the uterus. Also called me...

Mental retardation: The condition of having an IQ measured as below 70 to 75 and significa...

Motor: Something that produces or refers to motion. For example, a motor neuron is a nerve...

MPH: Master of public health, a degree designating successful training in analyzing past, ...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Nursing: 1) Profession concerned with the provision of services essential to the maintena...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Palsy: Paralysis, generally partial, whereby a local body area is incapable of voluntary m...

Pediatrics: The field of medicine that is concerned with the health of infants, children, ...

Percentile: The percentage of individuals in a group who have achieved a certain quantity'...

Perinatal: Pertaining to the period immediately before and after birth. The perinatal peri...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Phenylketonuria: The inherited inability to metabolize (process) the essential amino acid ...

Physical therapy: A branch of rehabilitative health that uses specially designed exercises...

Physiologic: Something that is normal, that is due neither to anything pathologic nor sign...

Prematurity: Historically, the definition of prematurity was 2500 grams (about 5 1/2 pound...

Prenatal: Occurring or existing before birth.

Prenatal care: Health care that a pregnant woman receives from an obstetrician or a midwif...

Probe: (1) In surgery, a probe is a slender flexible rod with a blunt end used to e...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Psychiatric: Pertaining to or within the purview of psychiatry, the medical specialty conc...

Psychiatry: The medical specialty that is concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and tr...

Puberty: Adolescence, the period in which the human body first becomes capable of reproduc...

Quotient: The result of mathematical division.

Recuperate: To recover health and strength. Also known as convalesce.

Rehabilitation: The process of helping a person who has suffered an illness or injury rest...

Seizure: Uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, which may produce a physical conv...

Seizure disorders: One of a great many medical conditions that are characterized by epis...

Sensory: Relating to sensation, to the perception of a stimulus, to the voyage made by inc...

Sibling: A brother or sister.

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Spina bifida: A major birth defect and a type of neural tube defect that involves an openi...

Suicidal: Pertaining to suicide. the taking of ones own life. As in a suicidal gesture, su...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Therapeutic: Relating to therapeutics, the branch of medicine that is concerned specifical...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

Toddler: A young child who is learning to walk with short unsteady steps. The word toddle ...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...