Paediatrics
A branch of medicine dealing with the medical care of children.
Paired associative learning
When a learner experiences two stimuli at once and begins to associate them.
PANDAS (Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus)
A condition whereby children develop antibodies which attack the basal ganglia in the brain.
Pathogenesis
The origins and development of a disease.
Pathology
A branch of medicine dealing with the causes, nature and effects of diseases.
Patterning therapies
A group of therapies which are based on a series of movement patters designed to facilitate neurological feedback to the brain.
PBS (Positive behavioural support)
When individuals are supported in overcoming maladaptive behaviours and in acquiring adaptive, socially meaningful behaviours.
PDA (Pathological demand avoidance)
A condition whereby individuals resist and avoid the ordinary demands of life by using strategies which are socially manipulative.
PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder)
A range of disorders which are associated with autism.
PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)
A therapy which teaches individuals to exchange a picture card for something they like or want.
Peptide
Proteins which are created by the incomplete breakdown of gluten and/or casein in the digestive system.
Perceptual isolation therapy
An intervention based around sensory deprivation, eg minimizing sensory inputs such as smells, sounds and lights.
Pet therapy
A therapy which involves the use of animals, such as dogs and horses to help individuals to communicate and relate.
Pharmacology
A branch of medicine dealing with knowledge of the action of drugs.
Phenomenology
A study of the things of which the mind directly takes note.
Phenotypes
The characteristics of an organism as a result of the interaction of its genotype (see Genotype) and the environment.
Phenylketonuria
A rare hereditary condition which can cause severe learning disabilities (and some say, autistic symptoms) as a result of the amino acid, phenylalanine, not being properly metabolized.
Phenytoin
A group of anti-convulsant drugs.
Photo stimulation therapy
A type of lightwave stimulation whereby an individual looks at coloured light from a special machine called a Lumatron or Photron Light Stimulator.
Photocurrent deficit
A deficit of the nerve currents which help to regulate vision.
Phototherapy
Light wave stimulation (see photo stimulation therapy).
Photron therapy
Light wave stimulation (see photo stimulation therapy).
Physical therapies
Interventions which involve the body. These include physiotherapy, exercise and sports.
Physiotherapy
A therapy which uses physical agents such as massage and exercise.
Pica
An eating disorder whereby the individual persists in eating non-nutritive substances for a period of at least one month when it is developmentally inappropriate.
Picture symbols
Line drawings, often accompanied by the written word, used to enhance the spoken word.
Pivotal response training
A form of training whereby certain behaviours are considered crucial, ‘pivotal’, for other behaviours.
Placebo
A substance or procedure which is inactive and which is usually given to a patient or participant of a trial to compare the effects with real drugs or interventions.
Play therapy
A group of therapies which use play as a medium for learning and resolution of problems.
Prevalence
A measure of how many cases of a disease or disorder are present in a given population.
Prism lenses
Lenses which refract light. They can be used to change an individual’s field of vision.
Pro-biotic
Live micro-organisms which are thought to be healthy in a diet.
Prognosis
A prediction of how an individual will progress and develop.
Prompting device
A device used to prompt an individual to do something.
Psychiatric disorders
Patterns of psychological or behavioural symptoms which cause individuals distress and impairs their ability to function in life.
Psycho-educational
A term used for a group of interventions which use behavioural and teaching techniques to change behaviours.
Psychodynamic therapy
A form of depth psychology which aims to reveal the unconscious content of an individual’s psyche in order to alleviate psychic tension.
Psychopharmacology
The study of drugs which affect the mind.
Psychopharmacotherapy
The clinical treatment of psychiatric disorders using drugs.
Psychosis
A condition whereby the perception of reality by an individual becomes distorted. This can be accompanied by delusions and/or hallucinations.
Psychotherapy
The process of treating mental and/or emotional disorders by talking about the condition with a trained psychotherapist.