Category: S

Nutritious substances other than fluids (such as breast milk or formula), generally introduced as supplements to infants after four to six months. By this time babies usually have matured enough to be able to sit up with some help and have some control over the head and neck, including tongue and lips. They can also…

Observations less clearly indicative of central nervous system malfunctions than are hard signs; a term neurologists sometimes use when talking about a child with learning disabilities or other developmental disorders. Any of a number of signs that, when considered collectively, are felt to indicate the presence of damage to the central nervous system. These signs…

Alternate term for automatic promotion.  

A kind of converted age-equivalent score that results from the Vineland Social Maturity Scale.  

Widely used test of distance vision, using a wall chart starting with a “big E,” normal vision being 20/20.  

The state of lessened consciousness, reduced metabolism, and limited activity of the skeletal muscles that we call sleep and the problems and disruptions associated with it. Not a single, uniform state, sleep goes through stages, which can be recognized on electroencephalographs (EEGs). The two main, alternating stages are named for their primary characteristics: NREM (nonrapid…

Problems related to the external covering of the body, a multilayered structure made up of the epidermis, the thin outer layer; the dermis, the thick inner layer; and subcutaneous tissue, which contains fat. Growing through these layers are hair and nails, which are actually special kinds of skin.  

A series of X-rays of all of a person’s bones to find evidence of old, as well as new, fractures, commonly done in cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. A radiographic study of the entire skeleton to look for evidence of occult fractures, multiple myeloma, metastatic tumor, or child abuse.  

A word that a student recognizes and understands in a reading selection without needing to sound it out.  

Words that a student can read and under¬ stand in a reading selection without looking them up, as in a dictionary.