17. Childhood PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH IN USE FOR MEDICINE

PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH IN USE FOR MEDICINE

17. Childhood

A	Milestones Childhood is the period during which a person is a child. It ends with puberty – the onset of sexual maturity. Infant is another word for a young child; infancy is the period from birth until about five years of age. The milestones in a child’s development and the ages at which they usually occur are: A sitting: by 9 months B crawling: by 12 months C first words: by 18 months D walking: by 18 months E talking (two word sentences) – by 3 years
B	Common infectious diseases Disease Common name morbilli/ rubeola measles rubella German measles varicella chickenpox infectious parotitis mumps pertussis whooping cough acute laryngotracheitis croup scarlatina scarlet fever rheumatic fever rheumatic fever tetanus lockjaw poliomyelitis polio
C	Coeliac disease A medical student has made some language notes while reading her textbook. Coeliac disease is a disease of the small intestine caused by sensitivity to gluten. It can present at any age but in infancy it appears after weaning on to cereals containing gluten. The clinical features include diarrhoea, malabsorption and failure to thrive. There may be signs of malnutrition and there may be some abdominal distension. There is delayed growth and delayed puberty, leading to short stature in adulthood.

17.1	Complete the table with words from A and C above. Then complete the sentences with words from the table. 1 Babies with the fetal alcohol syndrome may present with ___________ to thrive. 2 Abdominal ___________ may be due to an enlarged liver. 3 Small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy can affect fetal ___________. 4 Mortality from measles can be reduced by better ___________. 5 ___________ in one or more of the milestones may be the first sign of disease.
17.2	Complete the sentences. Look at A and C above to help you. 1 After sitting, babies learn to __________ and then to walk. 2 A child who has started eating solid food has been __________. 3 Someone who is not very tall is said to be of short __________. 4 The stages in a child’s development are known as the __________. 5 A child who is beginning to develop sexually has reached __________.
17.3	Write the common English name for each disease, using your medical knowledge.

Answer key