Category: M

Evaluation of a person’s financial resources to judge eligibility for a benefit. Assistance programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), for example, are available only to those who do not have the means to pay for them otherwise. The same is true of some kinds of scholarships. Some…

Unpaid time off for a mother before and after childbirth, ideally without prejudice to the mother’s returning to her job on the same level and promotion track. In many large corporations, maternity leave (often of about three months) and related fringe benefits are routinely provided to pregnant women. But in many others, especially smaller firms,…

The period from conception to about six weeks after childbirth. In terms of medical care, the cycle is divided into three periods: prenatal, or antepartal (before the birth); intrapartal (during labor); and postnatal, or postpartal (after the birth), with care offered in the 28 days after the birth also being termed perinatal.  

A free-standing institution one not directly attached to a hospital where women come to give birth, often attended by certified nurse-midwives; also called alternative birthing centers or simply birthing centers. Maternity centers have been developed with the resurgent midwife movement, partly in response to what was seen as the cold, invasive, impersonal nature of what…

Use of expressive gestures of hands, face, and body to communicate with others, whether as part of a “private language,” fingerspelling, or a widely taught and used SIGN language. Some people believe that children with ear and hearing problems should not be allowed to use any form of manual communication but should instead be trained…

A genetic disorder of the autosomal dominant type in which a person has an often-fatal reaction to anesthesia. In those affected, the temperature rises dangerously (sometimes to 110°F or higher), metabolism is speeded up, and the muscles become rigid. Treatment involves attempting to bring down body temperature and right resulting imbalances. Parents with MH in…

In family law, adulthood. The age of majority is the age at which a child is no longer considered a minor and can legally act and be treated as an adult, set by state law but usually around 18.  

A mild traumatic brain injury results from a change in brain functioning due to physical trauma with possible permanent sequelae. There are open head injuries, when the skull is penetrated, and closed head injuries, when the skull is not penetrated. After one head injury, the risk of a second injury is tripled; and after a…

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism in which a person cannot metabolize phenylalanine (Phe) into tyrosine and its constituent components. As a result, Phe accumulates in the blood, causing widespread brain damage, consequent severe mental retardation, and other organic problems. Before birth, nutrients are metabolized by the mother and transmitted through…

Myotonia congenita is a hereditary muscle disease that belongs to a group of myotonic disorders seen in children. Myotonia congenita comes in two forms; autosomal dominant form (DMC), also known as Thomsen’s disease, and autosomal recessive form, or recessive generalized myotonia (RGM). The autosomal dominant myotonia congenita is slightly less severe, although both forms are…