Glossary of terms: P

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R
S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Paediatrics

Black's medical dictionary, G Macpherson ed; 38th ed

Branch of medicine dealing with diseases of children.

PANDAS

Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus. This is a hypothesis that when some children are exposed to the common group-A beta-haemolytic streptococcal bacteria, which occur in the throat, they develop antibodies which attack the basal ganglia in the brain as well as those bacteria.

Parent-child interactions

NAS

Interpersonal interactions between parents and their children.

Pathogenesis

Black's medical dictionary, G Macpherson ed; 38th ed

The mode of production or development of a disease.

Pathological demand avoidance

Fulton special education digest, Ann Worthington ed

An autism spectrum disorder where individuals resist and avoid the ordinary demands of life, using skilful strategies which are socially manipulative (distracting adults, using excuses, appearing to become physically incapacitated).

Pathology

Black's medical dictionary, G Macpherson ed; 38th ed

Science which deals with the causes of, and changes produced in the body, by disease.

Peer interactions

Interpersonal interactions between children within the same set, age range or school.

Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified

ICD10

Disorders which fit the general description for pervasive developmental disorders, but in which contradictory findings or lack of adequate information mean that the criteria for other pervasive developmental disorders cannot be met.

Pharmacology

Black's medical dictionary, G Macpherson ed; 38th ed

That part of medical science dealing with knowledge of the action of drugs.

Pharmacotherapy

Children with autism, Trevarthen et al

Treatment by means of drugs.

Phenomenology

OED

The science of phenomena, ie, those things of which a sense or the mind directly takes note.

Phenotypes

NAAR glossary

The way a person looks or acts because of his or her genes.

Phenylketonuria

Children with autism, Trevarthen et al

Genetic disorder that results from lack of a single gene that normally codes for the enzyme required for the body to process phenylalamine, an amino-acid present in most foodstuffs. Affected individuals, unless given a special diet with low levels of phenylalamine, present with developmental delay and often with autism.

Pivotal response training

Child language teaching and therapy 1999 15(1)

A tool for increasing play skills in children with autism.

Portage

Dictionary of mental handicap, M Lindsey

An early intervention programme devised to encourage mothers to stimulate deprived children in Wisconsin, USA. It consists of a developmental checklist which focuses attention on strengths and needs and a set of guidelines and suggestions about what to teach next.

Pragmatics

Encyclopedia of special education; 2nd ed

Study of language use independent of language structures, rules and principles, which relates to the structure of language and its use.

Prevalence

Black's medical dictionary, G Macpherson ed; 38th ed

One of the main ways to measure the frequency of a disease in a particular population - it is the total number of cases that are present at any one time - covering both old and new cases.