Glossary

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): Potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood, such as violence, abuse, and growing up in a family with mental health or substance use problems.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact, communicate, learn, and behave.  The signs generally appear in the first two years of life. Individuals benefit from an array of services and supports.

Bibliotherapy: A behavioral intervention that uses books to help children express feelings in a supportive environment, gain insight into feelings and behavior, and learn new ways to cope with difficult situations.

Binge drinking: Episodic drinking of six to eight units of alcohol in a single session with the intent to become intoxicated.  Legal definitions vary by state. A unit of alcohol is one standard spirit shot or one cup of beer.

Black Box Warning:

Conduct disorder (CD): A behavioral disorder diagnosed when a child shows an ongoing pattern of aggression toward others with serious violations of rules and social norms at home, school, and with peers.

Developmental disabilities: A group of conditions with physical, learning, language, or behavioral impairments.

Developmental monitoring: Routine screenings for developmental delays during well-child visits based on observations of the child and discussion with parents.

Developmental screening: Formal questionnaires or checklists based on research that ask questions about a child’s development, including language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions.

Dyscalculia: A learning disorder with difficulty with math.

Dysgraphia: A learning disorder with difficulty with writing.

Dyslexia: A learning disorder with difficulty with reading.

Echolalia: Repeating certain behaviors or exhibiting unusual behaviors, such as repeating words or phrases.

Expressive language disorder: Difficulty communicating thoughts using language due to not knowing the words to use, not knowing how to put words together, or not being able to express the words.

Gender dysphoria:The persistent incongruence between an individual’s experienced gender and the biological sex they were assigned at birth.

Gender identity: An individual’s deep internal sense of being male, female, both, or neither.  It may not align with sex assigned at birth.

Gender roles: A set of attitudes, behaviors, and expectations that a culture considers appropriate for those of a specific sex.

Intellectual disability: A person’s ability to learn at an expected level and function in daily life is limited.

Learning disability: Difficulty in one or more areas of learning, even when a child’s overall intelligence or motivation are not affected.

Mental health disorders among children: Serious changes in the way children typically learn, behave, or handle their emotions, causing distress and problems getting through the day.

Motor tics: Sudden, repetitive, involuntary movements of a muscle or muscle group. Tics often involve the face, neck, and shoulders.

Music therapy: A behavioral intervention to improve an individual’s physical, psychological, cognitive, behavioral, and social functioning by listening to music, singing, or moving to music.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD): A behavioral disorder diagnosed when children act out persistently, causing serious problems at home, in school, or with peers.

Play therapy: A behavioral intervention that encourages children to express feelings such as anxiety, self-doubt, and fear through their natural play. It also allows them to work through painful or traumatic memories.

Receptive language disorder: Difficulty understanding what others say due to not hearing the words (hearing loss) or not understanding the meaning of the words.

Separation anxiety: A condition of children being very afraid when away from parents or caregivers.

Sexual identity: An individual’s sense of their own sexual orientation and gender identity.

Sexual orientation: An individual’s enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction to other people.

Substance use disorder: The persistent use of drugs, alcohol, or other substances compusively, despite negative consequences to self and others.

Tics: Sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do repeatedly with the inability to stop their body from doing these actions.

Temperament: The basic nature of an individual, thought to be largely biological that includes characteristics such as energy level, emotional responsiveness, demeanor, mood, and willingness to explore.

Vocal tics: Sudden, involuntary sounds or noises produced by the voice. Sounds can range from a single grunt to a complex phrase.