DISABILITIES

Module 2

Ms. Aysha Nimiya

Assistant Professor of Psychology
SAHS
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Disabilities: Definition

2. Types and characteristics of various disabilities

3. Mental retardation

4. Cerebral Palsy & Autism

5. Orthopaedic & Neuromuscular disabilities

6. Mental illness & multiple handicaps

What is a Disability?
Disability results from the interaction between individuals with a health condition with
personal and environmental factors (WHO)

Disability is any condition or impairments socially, cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental,

physical, sensory or combination of multiple factors that makes it difficult for a person to do certain
activities or interact effectively with the surrounding world (Kazou, 2017)

An estimated 1.3 billion people – or 16% of the global population – experience a significant
disability today

Among the disabled population 56% (1.5 Cr) are males and 44% (1.18 Cr ) are females (Census
2021, India). In the total population, the male and female population are 51% and 49% respectively.

In India, 20% of the disabled persons are having disability in movement, 19% are with disability in
seeing, and another 19 % are with disability in hearing. 8% has multiple disabilities
 WHO draws on a three-fold distinction between impairment, disability and handicap:
1. Impairment - any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or
function
2. Disability - any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity
in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being
3. Handicap - a disadvantage, for a given individual, resulting from impairment or a disability,
which prevents the fulfilment of a role that is considered normal (depending on age, sex and
social and cultural factors), for that individual

Dimensions of disability
According to WHO (2011) there are three dimensions of disability:
1. Impairment in a person’s body structure or function, or mental functioning
2. Activity limitation and
3. Participation restrictions
Causes of Disability
Maxwell et al. (2007) explain different causes of disability as:
Poisons and pesticides

Poverty and Malnutrition

Inherited disabilities

Nuclear Accidents
Wars

Poor Access to Health Care

Illness
Medicines and Injections

Dangerous Working Conditions

Accidents
Types of Disabilities
Disabilities have been classified into the following categories:
Physical disability - Disability that affect a person’s physical capacity and mobility ether in temporarily or
permanently. e.g., cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis etc

Intellectual/Cognitive disability - Disabilities that are limited in how people are able to learn or function,
have very low Intelligence Quotient (IQ) score, fewer limits and are able to lead independent lives in the future.
e.g., mental retardation

Autism Spectrum Disorder - Typically characterized by social deficits, communication difficulties,

stereotyped or repetitive behaviors and interests, and cognitive delays. Include Autism, Asperger’s syndrome,
Heller’s syndrome, PDD & Rett’s syndrome

Learning Disability - Affects how people receive and process information, see, hear, and understand things
differently; can lead to trouble with learning new information and skills. Include dyslexia, dysgraphia &
dyscalculia

Sensory Disability - Impairment of the senses such as sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, and/or spatial
awareness. Includes vision impairment, hearing loss etc

Mental Disability - clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or

behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying
mental functioning. Include Anxiety disorders, Mood disorders, Psychotic disorders, Personality disorders etc
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill - 2016 Passed by Parliament; replaced the existing PwD
Act, 1995

The types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and the Central Government will
have the power to add more types of disabilities. The 21 disabilities are given below:-

11. Muscular Dystrophy

1. Blindness
12. Chronic Neurological conditions
2. Low-vision 13. Specific Learning Disabilities
3. Leprosy Cured persons 14. Multiple Sclerosis
4. Hearing Impairment (deaf and hard of hearing) 15. Speech and Language disability
5. Locomotor Disability 16. Thalassemia
6. Dwarfism 17. Hemophilia
7. Intellectual Disability 18. Sickle Cell disease
8. Mental Illness 19. Multiple Disabilities including
9. Autism Spectrum Disorder deafblindness
10. Cerebral Palsy 20. Acid Attack victim
21. Parkinson's disease
PHYSICAL DISABILTY
 CEREBRAL PALSY
A group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture

Experience weakness, difficulty walking, lack of muscle control, problems with coordination and,

involuntary movements

Caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a

person’s ability to control his or her muscles

The symptoms of CP vary from person to person; early sign is a delay reaching motor or movement

milestones (such as rolling over, sitting, standing, or walking)

Caused by irregular brain development or damage to the developing brain - gene changes,

maternal infections, stroke, infections, traumatic head injury, hypoxia etc

CP is classified into 3 base on the type of movement disturbance:

Stiff muscles (spasticity) - abnormally high muscle tone; further divided into Spastic
diplegia/diparesis, Spastic hemiplegia/hemiparesis and Spastic
quadriplegia/quadriparesis
Uncontrollable movements (dyskinesia) - problems controlling the movement of their hands,
arms, feet, and legs
Poor balance and coordination (ataxia) - unsteady gait, problems with quick and precise
movements
 MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
A group of genetic disorders that lead to progressive and irreversible weakness and loss of muscle
mass
Caused by mutations in the gene responsible for making proteins that protect muscle fibers
Signs and symptoms can include difficulty walking, trouble breathing or swallowing, restriction in joint
motion, heart and other organ problems
Clinically manifested in 2 different forms:
1. Duchenne MD
Most common form of MD - more common in boys
Signs and symptoms, which typically appear in early childhood, might include: Frequent falls, Difficulty
rising from a lying or sitting position, Trouble running and jumping, Waddling gait, Walking on the toes,
Large calf muscles, Muscle pain and stiffness, Learning disabilities and Delayed growth
2. Becker MD
Tend to be milder and progress more slowly
Symptoms generally begin in the teens but might not occur until the mid-20s or later
 CEREBRAL PALSY MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
Impact muscle control and Muscles progressively weaken
tone, motor skills, and mental overtime
abilities
Develops when mutated genes
Caused by traumatic injuries prevent the body from
to the brain before, during, or producing the proteins needed
shortly after birth for healthy muscle mass

Symptoms remain more or less Symptoms worsen/deteriorate

static across development over a period of time
 MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) with symptom onset
generally occurring between the ages of 20 to 40 years
In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers - results
in distinctive areas of scar tissue (sclerosis—also called plaques or lesions)
Signs and symptoms may differ greatly from person to person and over the course of the disease
depending on the location of affected nerve fibers
Can stem from:
1. Genetic susceptibility - dozens of genes and possibly hundreds of variations in the genetic code
(gene variants) combine to create vulnerability to MS
2. Breakage in blood brain barrier
3. Infectious factors & viruses - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is most consistently linked to MC
4. Environmental factors - Vitamin D deficiency
Early MS symptoms often include:
Vision problems such as blurred or double vision, or optic neuritis, which causes pain with eye
movement and rapid vision loss
Muscle weakness, often in the hands and legs, and muscle stiffness accompanied by painful muscle
spasms
Tingling, numbness, or pain in the arms, legs, trunk, or face
Clumsiness, especially difficulty staying balanced when walking
Bladder control problems
Intermittent or constant dizziness
 EPILEPSY
Also known as a seizure disorder — is a brain condition that causes recurring seizures - sudden burst of
electrical activity in the brain
Can be caused due to genetic influence, head trauma, factors in the brain, infections, prenatal brain injuries,
developmental conditions
General symptoms or warning signs of a seizure can include:
1. Staring
2. Jerking movements of the arms and legs
3. Stiffening of the body
4. Loss of consciousness
5. Breathing problems or stopping breathing
6. Loss of bowel or bladder control
7. Falling suddenly for no apparent reason, especially when associated with loss of consciousness
8. Not responding to noise or words for brief periods
9. Appearing confused or in a haze
10. Nodding your head rhythmically, when associated with loss of awareness or loss of consciousness
11. Periods of rapid eye blinking and staring
A seizure can be caused by many things. These can include:

An imbalance of nerve-signaling brain chemicals (neurotransmitters)

Brain tumor

Stroke

Brain damage from illness or injury

Epilepsy may be caused by a combination of these; In most cases, the cause of

epilepsy can’t be found
 Clinically manifested in 2 different forms:
1. Focal (partial) seizures - take place when abnormal electrical brain function occurs in just one area in the brain

Focal seizures may come from any lobe of the brain. Some types of focal seizures include:

(a) Simple Focal seizures/Occipital lobe seizures

Begin in the areas of occipital lobes
May have hallucinations.
May lose some or all of their vision during the seizure
Might cause eye blinking or make the eyes move.

(b) Complex Focal seizures/Temporal lobe seizures

Begin in the areas of the temporal lobes
People who have these seizures often experience an aura which may include sudden emotion such as fear or joy
May lose awareness of surroundings
May stare into space, smack their lips, swallow or chew repeatedly, or have movements of their fingers
(c) Frontal lobe seizures
Begin in the front of the brain
Cause people to move their heads and eyes to one side
Won't respond when spoken to and may scream or laugh
Might extend one arm and flex the other arm; make repetitive movements such as rocking or bicycle pedaling.

2. Generalized seizures - occurs in both sides of the brain; Include:

(a) Absence seizure/Petit mal seizure
Causes a brief changed state of consciousness and staring.
Posture is maintained; mouth or face may twitch or eyes may blink rapidly
Usually lasts no longer than 30 seconds

(b) Tonic-clonic seizure/Grand mal seizure

Occurs in 5 distinct phases - body, arms, and legs will flex (contract), extend (straighten out), and tremor (shake),
followed by contraction and relaxation of the muscles (clonic period) and the postictal period during which
person may feel sleepy
(c) Myoclonic seizures
Causes quick movements or sudden jerking of a group of muscles
These seizures tend to occur in clusters

Secondary generalized seizures - begin in one part of the brain, but then spread to both sides of the brain. In other
words, the person first has a focal seizure, followed by a generalized seizure.
 Seizure

Focal Seizure Generalized Seizure

Simple Focal Seizure Absence Seizure

Complex Focal Seizure Tonic - clone Seizure

Frontal lobe Seizure Myoclonic Seizure

INTELLECTUAL/COGNITIVE
DISABILTY
Diagnostic Criteria (DSM 5 TR)

Intellectual developmental disorder (intellectual disability) is a disorder with onset during the
developmental period that includes both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits in
conceptual, social, and practical domains

The following three criteria must be met:

A. Deficits in intellectual functions, such as reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract
thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience, confirmed by both
clinical assessment and individualized, standardized intelligence testing

B. Deficits in adaptive functioning that result in failure to meet developmental and sociocultural
standards for personal independence and social responsibility. Without ongoing support, the
adaptive deficits limit functioning in one or more activities of daily life, such as communication,
social participation, and independent living, across multiple environments, such as home,
school, work, and community

C. Onset of intellectual and adaptive deficits during the developmental period

Risk and Prognostic factors

Genetic and physiological

Prenatal etiologies include genetic syndromes (e.g., sequence variations or copy number variants
involving one or more genes; chromosomal disorders), inborn errors of metabolism, brain
malformations, maternal disease (including placental disease), and environmental influences
(e.g., alcohol, other drugs, toxins, teratogens)

Perinatal causes include a variety of labor and delivery–related events leading to neonatal
encephalopathy

Postnatal causes include hypoxic ischemic injury, traumatic brain injury, infections, demyelinating
disorders, seizure disorders (e.g., infantile spasms), and toxic metabolic syndromes and
intoxications (e.g., lead, mercury).
SEVERITY LEVELS OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILTY

MILD MODERATE SEVERE PROFOUND

(IQ: 50-69) (IQ: 35-49) (IQ: 20-34) (IQ: <20)
AUTISM SPECTRUM
DISORDER
Diagnostic Criteria (DSM 5 TR)

A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as
manifested by all of the following, currently or by history:

1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach
and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or
affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions

2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for
example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye
contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial
expressions and nonverbal communication

3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example,

from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative
play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers
B. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by
at least two of the following, currently or by history:

1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor
stereotypies, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases)

2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal

or nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions,
rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat same food every day)

3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., strong
attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or
perseverative interests)

4. Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the

environment (e.g., apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific
sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or
movement)
C. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully
manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned
strategies in later life)

D. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other

important areas of current functioning

E. These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual developmental disorder

(intellectual disability) or global developmental delay
Risk and Prognostic factors
Environmental - A variety of risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as advanced
parental age, extreme prematurity, or in utero exposures to certain drugs or teratogens like
valproic acid, may broadly contribute to risk of autism spectrum disorder

Genetic and physiological - Heritability estimates for autism spectrum disorder have ranged
from 37% to higher than 90%, based on twin concordance rates
Currently, as many as 15% of cases of autism spectrum disorder appear to be associated with
a known genetic mutation
 ASPERGER’S SYNDROME
A disorder of uncertain nosological validity, characterized by the same kind of
qualitative abnormalities of reciprocal social interaction that typify autism, together
with a restricted, stereotyped, repetitive repertoire of interests and activities

There is no general delay or retardation in language or in cognitive

development

Most individuals are of normal general intelligence but it is common for them to be
markedly clumsy

The condition occurs predominantly in boys (in a ratio of about eight boys to one girl)

Savant syndrome: 10-30% of ASD

(ICD 10)
 RETT’S SYNDROME
A condition of unknown cause, so far reported only in girls, which has been differentiated
on the basis of a characteristic onset, course and pattern of symptomatology

Typically, apparently normal or near-normal early development is followed by partial or

complete loss of acquired hand skills and of speech, together with deceleration in head
growth, usually with an onset between 7 and 24 months of age

Hand-wringing stereotypies and loss of purposive hand movements are particularly

characteristic

Social and play development are arrested in the first 2 or 3 years, but social interest tends to
be maintained

(ICD 10)
LEARNING DISABILTY/
SPECIFIC LEARNING
DISORDER
Diagnostic Criteria (DSM 5 TR)

A. Difficulties learning and using academic skills, as indicated by the presence of at least one of the following
symptoms that have persisted for at least 6 months, despite the provision of interventions that target those
difficulties:

1. Inaccurate or slow and effortful word reading

2. Difficulty understanding the meaning of what is read

3. Difficulties with spelling

4. Difficulties with written expression

5. Difficulties mastering number sense, number facts, or calculation

6. Difficulties with mathematical reasoning

B. The affected academic skills are substantially and quantifiably below those expected for the
individual’s chronological age, and cause significant interference with academic or occupational
performance, or with activities of daily living

C. The learning difficulties begin during school-age years but may not become fully manifest until
the demands for those affected academic skills exceed the individual’s limited capacities (e.g.,
as in timed tests, reading or writing lengthy complex reports for a tight deadline, excessively heavy
academic loads)

D. The learning difficulties are not better accounted for by intellectual disabilities, uncorrected visual or
auditory acuity, other mental or neurological disorders, psychosocial adversity, lack of proficiency in the
language of academic instruction, or inadequate educational instruction.

Note: The four diagnostic criteria are to be met based on a clinical synthesis of the individual’s
history (developmental, medical, family, educational), school reports, and psychoeducational
assessment
Specify if:

F81.0 With impairment in reading:

Word reading accuracy
Reading rate or fluency
Reading comprehension

Dyslexia is an alternative term used to refer to a pattern of learning difficulties characterized by problems with
accurate or fluent word recognition, poor decoding, and poor spelling abilities

F81.81 With impairment in written expression (Dysgraphia):

Spelling accuracy
Grammar and punctuation accuracy
Clarity or organization of written expression

F81.2 With impairment in mathematics:

Number sense
Memorization of arithmetic facts
Accurate or fluent calculation
Accurate math reasoning

Dyscalculia is an alternative term used to refer to a pattern of difficulties characterized by problems

processing numerical information, learning arithmetic facts, and performing accurate or fluent calculations
Specify current severity:

Mild: Some difficulties learning skills in one or two academic domains, but of mild enough severity
that the individual may be able to compensate or function well when provided with appropriate
accommodations or support services especially during the school years.

Moderate: Marked difficulties learning skills in one or more academic domains, so that the
individual is unlikely to become proficient without some intervals of intensive and specialized
teaching during the school years

Severe: Severe difficulties learning skills, affecting several academic domains, so that the
individual is unlikely to learn those skills without ongoing intensive individualized and specialized
teaching for most of the school years.
Risk and Prognostic factors
Environmental - socioeconomic conditions (e.g., low socioeconomic status) and exposure to
neurotoxicants, increase the risk for specific learning disorder or difficulties in reading and
mathematics

Risks for specific learning disorder or difficulties in reading and mathematics include prenatal
or early-life exposure to any of the following: air pollution, nicotine, polybrominated diphenyl
ethers or polychlorinated biphenyls (flame retardants), lead, or manganese

Genetic and physiological - appears to aggregate in families, particularly when affecting

reading, mathematics, and spelling

The relative risk of specific learning disorder in reading or mathematics is substantially higher
(e.g., 4–8 times and 5–10 times higher, respectively) in first-degree relatives of individuals with
these learning difficulties compared with those without them
SENSORY DISABILTY
According to WHO, Sensory disability refers to the impairment of the senses such as sight, hearing,
taste, touch, smell, and/or spatial awareness

It covers conditions of visual impairment, blindness, hearing loss, and deafness

Visual Impairment: Decrease or severe reduction in vision that cannot be corrected with standard
glasses or contact lenses and reduces an individual’s ability to function at specific or all tasks; low
visual acuity

Blindness: Profound inability to distinguish light from dark, or the total inability to see;

Hearing loss: Decrease in hearing sensitivity of any level; and

Deafness: Profound or total loss of hearing in both the ears

(Crews, & Campbell, 2004)

 TYPES OF VISUAL DISABILITY
1. Blurred Vision/Refractive errors

Nearsightedness (called myopia) is when you can see clearly up close but blurry in the
distance
Farsightedness (called hyperopia) is when you can see clearly in the distance but blurry
up close
Astigmatism is another condition that causes blurred vision, but it is because of the
shape of the cornea
Presbyopia, caused by a hardening of the lens of the eye; lens becomes less flexible,
can no longer change shape to focus on close-up images

These conditions affect the shape of the eye and, in turn, how the eye sees

They can be corrected by eyeglasses, contact lenses, and in some cases surgery
Risk and Prognostic factors

Refractive errors can be caused by:

Eyeball length (when the eyeball grows too long or too short)
Problems with the shape of the cornea (the clear outer layer of the eye)
Aging of the lens (an inner part of the eye that is normally clear and helps the eye
focus)
2. Diabetic Retinopathy

Develops when high blood sugar damages the tiny fragile blood vessels in the retina of people with
diabetes

There are four stages of DR:

Stage 1: Mild non-proliferative DR - earliest stage, characterized by tiny swellings/bulges in the
blood vessels of the retina

Stage 2: Moderate non-proliferative DR - at this stage, the tiny blood vessels further swell up,
blocking blood flow to the retina and preventing proper nourishment

Stage 3: Severe non-proliferative DR - During this stage, a larger section of blood vessels in the
retina becomes blocked, causing a significant decrease in blood flow to this area

Stage 4: Proliferative DR - At this advanced stage of the disease, new blood vessels continue to
grow, which are thin and weak and prone to bleeding, cause scar tissue to form inside the eye
Risk and Prognostic factors

Type 1 or 2 diabetes
Poor control of blood sugar level
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Pregnancy
Being African American or Hispanic
Smoking
3. Age related Macular Degeneration

A disease that blurs the sharp, central vision needed to see straight-ahead
Affects the part of the eye called the macula that is found in the center of the retina
Clinically presented in either of the two forms:

1. Dry MD
More common
Caused due to the breaking down of the inner layers of macula
Visual distortions, such as straight lines seeming bent, reduced central vision in one or
both eyes, need for brighter light when reading or doing close-up work, increased
difficulty adapting to low light levels

2. Wet MD
Rare
Severe form
Caused by blood vessels that leak fluid or blood into the macula
Risk and Prognostic factors
Factors that may increase your risk of macular degeneration include:

Age - This disease is most common in people over 60

Family history and genetics - This disease has a hereditary component. Researchers
have identified several genes linked to the condition
Race - Macular degeneration is more common in white people
Smoking - Smoking cigarettes or being regularly exposed to tobacco smoke greatly
increases your risk of macular degeneration
Obesity - Research indicates that being obese may increase your chance that early or
intermediate macular degeneration will progress to the more severe form of the disease
Cardiovascular disease - If you have heart or blood vessel disease, you may be at
higher risk of macular degeneration
4. Glaucoma

A group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve - caused due to increases
intraocular pressure

Clinically manifested in two forms:

1. Open-angle glaucoma
Most common type of glaucoma
Progresses gradually, where the eye does not drain fluid as well as it should
Eye pressure builds and starts to damage the optic nerve
This type of glaucoma is painless and causes no vision changes at first

2. Angle-closure glaucoma
Happens when someone’s iris is very close to the drainage angle in their eye; iris can end
up blocking the drainage angle
When the drainage angle gets completely blocked, eye pressure rises very quickly, called
an acute attack
 Characterized by sudden blurry vision, severe eye pain, headache, nausea, vomiting etc

Risk and Prognostic factors

Some people have a higher than normal risk of getting glaucoma. This includes people who:

are over age 40

have family members with glaucoma
are of African, Hispanic, or Asian heritage
have high eye pressure
are farsighted or nearsighted
have had an eye injury
use long-term steroid medications
have corneas that are thin in the center
have thinning of the optic nerve
have diabetes, migraines, high blood pressure, poor blood circulation or other health
problems affecting the whole body
4. Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye - proteins in the lens of the eye start to
break down and clump together, causing the cloudiness

Often leads to poor vision at night, especially while driving, due to glare from bright lights

Cataracts are most common in older people, but can also occur in young adults and
children

Cataract treatment is very successful and widely available

Risk and Prognostic factors

Risk for cataracts goes up as you get older. You’re also at higher risk if you:

Have certain health problems, like diabetes

Smoke
Drink too much alcohol
Have a family history of cataracts
Have had an eye injury, eye surgery, or radiation treatment on your upper body
Have spent a lot of time in the sun
Take steroids — medicines used to treat some health problems, like arthritis or
allergies
CORTICAL VISUAL IMPAIRMENT (CVI)/CORTICAL BLINDNESS

Cortical blindness (CB) is defined as loss of vision without any ophthalmological

causes and with normal pupillary light reflexes

Caused due to bilateral lesions of the striate cortex in the occipital lobes

Cortical blindness is a part of cerebral blindness, defined as loss of vision

secondary to damage to the visual pathways posterior to the lateral geniculate
nuclei

The patient may present with Incomplete Visual Field, Difficulty Navigating Space,
Impaired Object Recognition, Visual Distortions, Color Perception Issues, Inability to
Recognize Images
Etiology

Cortical blindness can affect both children and adults. In children, common causes include:

Traumatic brain injury to the occipital lobe of the brain

Congenital abnormalities of the occipital lobe
Perinatal ischemia

In adults, it is seen in lesions of the primary visual cortex of the occipital lobes secondary to
multiple disorders, including:

Stroke
Cardiac embolism
Head trauma
Occipital lobe epilepsy
Hyponatremia
Severe hypoglycemia
Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
Infection e.g., HIV
 TYPES OF HEARING DISABILITY
A hearing loss can happen when any part of the ear or auditory (hearing) system is not working in the usual
way

The degree of hearing loss can range from mild to profound:

Mild - A person with a mild hearing loss may hear some speech sounds but soft sounds are hard to hear.
Moderate - A person with a moderate hearing loss may hear almost no speech when another person is
talking at a normal level.
Severe - A person with severe hearing loss will hear no speech when a person is talking at a normal level
and only some loud sounds.
Profound - A person with a profound hearing loss will not hear any speech and only very loud sounds.

The type of hearing loss you have depends on what part of your hearing is damaged

There are three basic types of hearing loss:

1. Conductive hearing loss

2. Sensorineural hearing loss/Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD)
3. Mixed hearing loss
 CONDUCTIVE HEARING LOSS
A conductive hearing loss happens when sounds cannot get through the outer and middle ear

It may be hard to hear soft sounds; Louder sounds may be muffled

This type of hearing loss can be caused by the following:

- Fluid in middle ear from colds or allergies
- Ear infection, or otitis media
- Poor Eustachian tube function
- A hole in the eardrum
- Benign tumors
- Earwax , or cerumen, stuck in the ear canal
- Infection in the ear canal, called external otitis
- An object stuck in outer ear
- A problem with how the outer or middle ear is formed
 SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS
Sensorineural hearing loss, or SNHL, happens after inner ear damage; problem within the cochlea or the neural
pathway to the auditory cortex

Also called as Nerve Deafness

Soft sounds may be hard to hear; Even louder sounds may be unclear or may sound muffled

This is the most common type of permanent hearing loss

This type of hearing loss can be caused by the following things:

- Illnesses - Meniere’s disease, Usher syndrome etc

- Drugs that are toxic to hearing
- Hearing loss that runs in the family
- Aging
- A blow to the head
- A problem in the way the inner ear is formed
- Listening to loud noises or explosions
 MIXED HEARING LOSS
Sometimes, a conductive hearing loss happens at the same time as a sensorineural hearing loss, or SNHL

This means that there may be damage in the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear or nerve pathway to the
brain

Anything that causes a conductive hearing loss or SNHL can lead to a mixed hearing loss

If the condition only occurs in one ear, it is known as unilateral mixed hearing loss; If it presents on both ears, it
is known as bilateral mixed hearing loss

Mixed hearing loss can also be described in terms of the frequencies at which hearing is most affected

High-frequency hearing loss means that it's difficult to distinguish higher-pitched sounds; Low-frequency hearing
loss refers to challenges hearing sounds with lower pitches