Exceptional Student Education Nova Southeastern Elementary Physical Disabilities Maria Beyra Yli Mayor Cristal Beron-Locke Exceptional Student Education Nova Southeastern Elementary

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

DEFINITION Legal: A person legally blind has visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye even with correction. Persons partially sighted have visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/200 in better eye with correction. Educational: Stresses the method of reading instruction. Individuals who are blind are so severely impaired they must learn to read Braille or use aural methods.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE EYE

NORMAL VISION

MEASUREMENT Visual acuity -Measured with the Snellen chart. Visual field

Signs of Possible Eye Troubles in Children Behavior Appearance Complaints

Serious Impairments Glaucoma Cataracts Diabetic Retinopathy

Normal Vision

Glaucoma

Cataracts

Diabetic Retinopathy

Educational Considerations Braille Use of Remaining Sight Listening Skills Mobility Training.

Braille Alphabet

Other Braille Devices

Muscular Dystrophy

Definition Genetic Disorder Results in the weakening and wasting of the voluntary muscles. 70% is Inherited 30% of the cases show no family history.

Inheritance

Types of MD Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Becker Muscular Dystrophy Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy

Easing Muscular Dystrophy Symptoms Moderate Exercise Physical Therapy Rehabilitative Devises Respiratory Care Medications

Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT)

Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) Charcot Marie Tooth Syndrome 1886 Collection of diseases Charcot Marie Tooth syndrome was named after three doctors: Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie and Howard Tooth. This is a picture of Dr. Charcot. These three physicians discovered the disease in 1896. CMT is like an umbrella, under which lies several diseases of similar signs and symptoms. It affects the peripheral nerves. These are the nerves that carry motor (meaning movement) and sensory (meaning sensation) signals between the brain and spinal cord and the rest of the body.

Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) Most Common 150,000 Americans. All Races and Ethnic Groups CMT is the most common inherited neurological disorder. These diseases affect 1 in every 2,500 people (or 150,000) in the US alone. CMT is not bias, it affects all races and ethnic groups. Charcot (left) & Babinski at the Salpêtrière clinic.

Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) Lower extremities Gene is defected Messages not getting through Muscle atrophies The affected parts of the body are the arms, hands, legs, and feet. CMT is caused by defects in the genes that directly affect the function of the peripheral nerves. Because genes are the blueprints for proteins in the body, when a gene is abnormal, the protein is altered. These genes affect the nerve fiber itself or the myelin sheath that surrounds the nerve. These deteriorating nerves are connected to muscles in the arms, hands, legs and feet. Since the nerves are the “telephone lines” from the brain the rest of the body, the messages that tell the muscles to work are not getting there. This leads to the muscles not working. When a muscle does not work, it atrophies (or shrinks). Here is a picture of what the legs look like while the muscles shrink. A person with CMT cannot be heavy, otherwise they can’t hold themselves up.

Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) Normal Nerve: Damaged Nerve:

Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) The first sign of CMT is a high arched foot. Patients then suffer from foot deformities. The toes curl up – Hammer toes. The foot drops and the ability to dorso flex becomes inhibited. Patients have frequent ankle sprains due to muscle weakness. The progressive muscle wasting causes problems with walking, running and with balance. These people tend to step too high (gait), they do this to avoid tripping over their toes due to the foot drop. The sensory loss makes it difficult for them to differentiate hot and cold, feel pain, pressure or the position the part of the body is in. CMT affects the hands, too. The muscles in the lower arms are also deteriorating and patients have problems with writing, buttons, and even turning keys.

Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) There are other symptoms caused by CMT like deafness, cramps and numbness. There is no cure for CMT. However, doctors try a number of different strategies to assist the patient in walking. Sometimes the CMT patient is sent to physical therapy to help teach them how to walk without stepping so high. Sometimes doctors use surgery to correct the foot deformities and maintain mobility. There is also a leg brace that helps prevent ankle sprains, improve gait and reduce the amount of energy needed to walk. You can see from this chart that most children with CMT suffers from deformed feet, little or no reflexes and weakness in legs. This can be very difficult to handle when the child wants to be like the other children…playing sports and games is virtually impossible making the child an easy target for teasing.