Lesser Known Disorders
Each issue of this series contains at least three lesser known disorders. Some of these disorders may contain subtypes which will also be presented. You will also notice that each disorder has a code. These codes represent the coding system for all disabilities and disorders listed in the Educator’s Diagnostic Manual(EDM) Wiley Publications.
Disorders in this issue:
SL 3.01-Consonant Sequence Reduction Disorder
(Cluster Reduction)
Disability Category: Speech and Language Impairment
Definition
A type of phonological processing disorder specifically associated with simplifying a consonant sequence by deleting one or more sounds (Bowen, 2005). Consonant clusters occur when two or three consonants occur in a sequence in a word. In cluster reduction part of the cluster is omitted.
Explanation
Children with Cluster Reduction will omit one or more sounds in a group of consonants. Examples include (Novita Children’s Services, 2005; Bowen, 2005):
‘bead’ for ‘bread’
‘pay’ for ‘play’
‘des’ for ‘desk’
‘pos’ for ‘post’
‘wak’ for ‘walked’
‘back’ for ‘black’
‘pider’ for ‘spider
‘at’ for ‘ant’
OI 1.08 Renal Osteodystrophy
Disability Category: Orthopedic Impairment
Definition
The medical term “renal” describes things related to the kidneys. Renal osteodystrophy is a bone disease that occurs when the kidneys fail to maintain the proper levels of calcium and phosphorus in your blood. It’s a common problem in people with kidney disease and affects 90 percent of dialysis patients (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 2005).
Explanation
Renal osteodystrophy is most serious in children because their bones are still growing. The condition slows bone growth and causes deformities. One such deformity occurs when the legs bend inward toward each other or outward away from each other; this deformity is referred to as “renal rickets.” Another important consequence is short stature. Symptoms can be seen in growing children with renal disease even before they start dialysis (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 2005).
LD 2.06-Language Dyscalculia
Disability Category: Learning Disabilities
Definition
A type of dyscalculia specifically associated with difficulties in understanding and/or explaining the vocabulary involved in understanding math.
Explanation
According to Garnett (1998), some students with learning disabilities are particularly hampered by the language aspects of math. This results in confusion about terminology, difficulty following verbal explanations, and/or weak verbal skills for monitoring the steps of complex calculations.
Students with Language Dyscalculia will frequently become confused with the language of math, such as understanding and/or explaining the meaning of terms such as, square roots, logarithms, equilateral, greater than and less than, numerator, denominator, etc.
In general, for students with Language Dyscalculia, it is not the math itself that presents the problem, but the understanding of the vocabulary and language of math that poses the greatest obstacles towards success.
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