This article is featuring the following disabilities:

autism

symptoms:

- autistic people only relate to themselves and don't
react much to their environment

- are not looking for tenderness

- have difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication, they don't seem to understand

- they are not able to share pain

- they are afraid of changes in their environment and try to ward off any king of change

- they show a lot of compulsive behaviour

causes:

- unknown; beginning with birth or in the time after

treatment:

- autism is incurable, but it can be therapeutically influenced

- most autistic people can be educated

Rain man:

Propably most of you know that movie. And it is a good one but still it's Hollywood. There are basically two types of autism, "high-functioning" (also called "Asperger Syndrom") and "low-funtioning". Well, it's just a fact that most autistic people don't have such a special gift like Rain man. Of course there are some (I have met some, too) but if you want to be realistic you will find that most children and adults won't be able to count a box of tooth-picks in two seconds.

down syndrom

causes:

either ovum or semen has 24 chromosoms instead of the usual 23, this will lead to a trisomy. Most trisomies are fatal, but one form that is capable of living is trisomy 21, also known as down syndrom.

symptoms:

- a big furrowed tongue

- people with down syndrom tend to catch a lot of infections

- they often suffer from cardiac defects

- very dry and sensitive skin

- weak connective tissue

- small eyes and the part between nose and upper lip is quite short; the typical down syndrom-face led to the German term "Mongoloismus"

- mental handicap(more or less severe)

epilepsy

symptoms:

severe fits (grand mal) last for about 3 Minutes (or longer):

- loss of consciousness

- sudden flake out

- stiffness

- twiches and convulsion

- heavy breathing

- roling of the eyes

- saliva

absence:

- the person is absent for a short perio of time; seems to be dreaming

causes:

- incidences during pregnancy (e.g. chicken pocks...)

- incidences during birth (e.g. lack of oxygen...)

- accidents (brain damage)

- brain tumors

- sometimes no cause is ascertainable

treatment:

- medication, about 60% stop having fits

People suffering from epilepsy DON'T have to be handicaped in any other way. Although due to a damage of braincells during each fits a not age-appropriate development can be noticed in some cases.

symptoms:

- incomplete mental development

- not developed in an age-appropriate way, learning disorders

- dependant on help from others

causes:

- brain damge

- other disabilities like down syndrom...

- blood intolerabily

- infection during pregnancy or of the small child (also throug vaccinations)

- there is a tendency thatvery young or relatively old mothers have mor handicapped children

- after failed abortions

treatment:

- incurable as dmaged braincells can't be replaced

-but early therapeutic support can do a lot

cerebral paralyses (spastic)

symptoms:

- coordination of muscles is disturbed (sometimes the whole body or legs only or one half of the body)

- some people can't speak nor walk

causes:

- brain damage before, during or after birth through infections or accidents

- premature babies are at a special risk

treatment:

the damaged cells cant be "repaired", but through early therapeutical exercises (therapies should already start during the first year) cells and muscles can be stimulated and relaxed

once again:

children and adults suffering from cerebral paralyses are NOT necessarily mentally handicapped!