Glossary N-O

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Neurobiology

Study of the biological processes in the nervous system.
(Schopler, E. and Mesibov, G. Neurobiological issues in autism)

Neurochemistry

Study of the chemical and metabolic processes in the nervous system.
(Schopler, E. and Mesibov, G. Neurobiological issues in autism)

Neuroendocrinology

Study of the endocrine system of the nervous system, the hormones it secretes and its disorders.
(Macpherson, G. (Ed). Black's medical dictionary, 38th Edn)

Neuroleptics

Medication used to treat a wide variety of mental illness. Most affect dopamine production or absorption, some work on serotonin.
(Waltz, M. PDD: finding a diagnosis and getting help)

Neurological disorders

Disorders of the brain and nervous system.
(Macpherson, G. (Ed). Black's medical dictionary, 38th Edn)

Neurology

The study of the brain, its diseases and disorders.
(Macpherson, G. (Ed). Black's medical dictionary, 38th Edn)

Neuropathology

Science which deals with the causes of, and changes produced in the nervous system, by disease.
(Macpherson, G. (Ed). Black's medical dictionary, 38th Edn)

Neurophysiology

The science of life processes in the nervous system, especially the transmission and processing of nerve impulses.
(Trevarthen et al. Children with autism)

Neuropsychiatry

Branch of medicine, the practitioners of which are skilled in the disciplines of both neurology and psychiatry.
(Walton, J., Beeson, P. B. and Bodley Scott, R. (Eds). Oxford companion to medicine)

Neuropsychology

The clinical discipline that employs psychological concepts and tests to understand the functions of the brain and the effect of injury and disease on the brain.
(Trevarthen et al. Children with autism)

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals released by neurons into the synapse to communicate with each other. Some neurotransmitters are "excitatory" and cause the next cell to fire, some are "inhibitory" and prevent the next cell from firing.
(NAAR glossary)

Nonverbal communication

Communication through use of facial expression, posture, gesture and body movement.

O

Obsessions

Ideas, images or impulses which enter a person's mind again and again in stereotyped form. They are almost invariably distressing.
(ICD10)

(OCD) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Anxiety disorder where an individual has to perform specific actions such as washing. These activities may reach such proportions that the individual's entire life is centred upon them.
(CaF directory of specific conditions and rare syndromes)

Occupational therapy

Method of treatment by means of purposeful occupation. The goals are to arouse interest and confidence and exercise mind and body.
(Walton, J.,& Beeson, P. B. and Bodley Scott, R. (Eds). Oxford companion to medicine)

Opiates

Naturally produced chemical in the body that has effects similar to morphine.
(Hutchinson encyclopedia)

Opioids

Substance with pharmacological action like that of opium or its derivatives.
(Macpherson, G. (Ed). Black's medical dictionary, 38th Edn)

Outreach

Services which are provided by an organization, usually in the person’s own home rather than in the organisation’s own buildings or Day Centres
(The Kingwood Trust)

Overselectivity

Responding to just one or two components of a stimulus rather than the large number of cues which make up a stimulus, eg, one letter of a word.
(Yule, W. and Carr, J. Behaviour modification for people with mental handicaps, 2nd Edn)