Category: I

Alternate name for a type of communication disorder.  

A course in which students focus entirely and intensively on one subject area for a certain period of time, as in a weeklong course where students speak only a foreign language.  

Inability to read and write, but more specifically the inability to read and write so as to operate effectively in our information-packed society—reading signs, filling out forms, calculating figures, and dealing with words and numbers in all of their many aspects. Adults who cannot read, write, or calculate beyond eighth-grade level are often considered functionally…

A type of mental disorder that affects young people, in which the child is unable to mesh the various aspects of self into a coherent and acceptable identity (called borderline personality disorder if it persists into adulthood). Though many people have uncertainties about such questions as long-term goals, sexual orientation, religious and moral beliefs, and…

A form of adoption in which an adoption agency handles arrangements for an adoption that originated privately.  

Idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) is an acquired disorder of platelets, which are cellular fragments that circulate in blood. Platelets play several important roles in the clotting of blood (hemostasis). ITP causes platelet counts to fall below normal levels (thrombocytopenia), resulting in hemostatic abnormalities typified by bruising (purpura) and bleeding from the gums and mucous membranes…

Myositis is a rare disease that comes in multiple forms and is one of the inflammatory muscle myopathies. As with other inflammatory myopathies, myositis is believed to be an autoimmune disorder in which inflammatory cells surround, invade, and destroy muscle fibers resulting in muscle weakness or rash. Inclusion body myositis or myopathy is similar to…

Myelofibrosis is said to occur when there is a formation of fibrous tissue or fibrosis within the bone marrow. Idiopathic myelofibrosis is the term used when the cause of the fibrosis within the bone marrow is unknown. Myelofibrosis may be a reaction to injury that results in the death of bone marrow tissue. In some…

Hypomelanosis of Ito (HMI) is a rare skin condition characterized by hypopigmentation (unusual lack of skin color) caused by lack of melanin. Hypopigmentation may appear on any area of the body except the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and the scalp. Numerous other congenital defects may be present including neurological, skeletal,…

Isovaleric acidemia is characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme isovaleryl CoA dehydrogenase. This enzyme is essential to normal metabolism of the amino acid lysine. Clinical manifestations of this disorder are caused by accumulations of large amounts of isovaleric acid and its metabolites in tissue and body fluids. A rare autosomal recessive metabolic disease affecting…