Neurodevelopmental Disorder
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
‘Neurodevelopmental disorders’ sounds like a complicated mouthful, doesn’t it? Yet, it’s a common term used in early interventions. To best help your child, it’s essential to know exactly what neurodevelopmental disorders mean and entail.
That’s why we at ONE Intervention are here to help you! We’re going to briefly break down what neurodevelopmental disorders are, and list the types of disorders and their symptoms*.
Basically, a neurodevelopmental disorder is a group of conditions that affects the brain’s development and function. This impacts your child’s ability to learn, communicate and regulate their emotions and behaviours.
It’s crucial to understand what neurodevelopmental disorders are, because early identification and intervention can significantly improve your little one’s life trajectory. Together, we can empower them to reach their full potential.
*Do note that the symptoms listed for all neurodevelopmental disorders are by no means an exhaustive list. Also, it’s not necessary for an individual to exhibit every symptom in order to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder!
This is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction. Autism is typically characterised by repetitive, restricted behaviours, shown from early childhood.
Since it’s a spectrum disorder, the severity of symptoms can differ from person to person. Some individuals exhibit milder symptoms, and others require extensive support. (Click on this article to find out more!)
Common characteristics of ASD
Social Challenges
- Difficulty building and maintaining relationships with others
- Difficulty understanding and responding to the emotions and feelings of others
- Difficulty with eye contact and nonverbal communication
- Difficulty making friends and participating in group activities
Communication Difficulties
- Speech or language delay
- Repetitive language patterns, such as echolalia (repeating what is heard) or scripting
- Difficulty understanding and using abstract language
- Nonverbal communication challenges, such as difficulty interpreting facial expressions and body language
Repetitive and Restricted Behaviours
- Repetitive actions or gestures, such as hand flapping or rocking
- Intense focus on specific interests
- Insistence on routines and predictability
- Over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to sensory stimuli
This neurodevelopmental disorder affects the individual’s ability to focus, control their impulses, and regulate their attention levels. It’s usually diagnosed in childhood, though adult diagnoses do occur.
When not managed, ADHD can severely impact one’s quality of life, including their work, academic performance, and interpersonal relationships. Below is a breakdown of some of the more common symptoms of ADHD.
Common characteristics of ADHD
Attention Deficit
- Difficulty focusing attention: Children struggle to maintain focus on a task or activity, even for things they find interesting. They are easily distracted by their surroundings or other stimuli.
- Forgetting instructions: Children frequently forget instructions given by teachers or parents, resulting in incomplete tasks or mistakes.
Hyperactivity
- Fidgeting: Even while seated, children tend to fidget with things in their hands, such as playing with pens or crumpling clothes.
- Constant movement: Children with ADHD are typically energetic and full of vitality. They have difficulty staying still.
- Unable to engage in quiet activities: Participating in activities requiring stillness, such as doing homework, becomes difficult because restlessness.
Impulsivity
- Acting without thinking: Children often act impulsively without fully considering the consequences, leading to accidents or mistakes.
- Interrupting conversations: Children frequently interject while others are speaking, disrupting conversations.
- Blurting out answers: In class, children may rush to answer questions before the teacher finishes asking, even if their answers are incorrect.
Learning Disabilities
These are neurodevelopmental disabilities that affect the way an individual processes information.
Every child is unique and progresses at their own pace of learning. However, a child with a learning disability will encounter more difficulty in learning than one without a learning disability.
Skills Learning Disabilities Can Affect
Reading
Difficulty decoding words, reading fluency, or comprehending content
Writing
Issues with spelling, grammar, or clearly expressing thoughts
Mathematics
Challenges in understanding and applying mathematical concepts
Information Processing Disorders
Difficulty with verbal instructions, retain informationing, or focusing attention.
Types Of Learning Disabilities
Of course, a learning disability isn’t a reflection of an individual’s intelligence. It simply means that the individual requires more support and specialised teaching methods to achieve their full potential.
Dyslexia
This is the most widespread learning disability, affecting around 10% of children. Children with dyslexia struggle with decoding words, reading fluency, or comprehending reading content. They may skip lines, miss words, or have difficulty understanding the meaning of sentences and paragraphs while reading.
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia presents challenges in spelling, grammar, or clearly expressing thoughts. Children with dysgraphia may exhibit spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or difficulty organising their ideas when writing.
Dyscalculia
Children with dyscalculia may encounter challenges in calculations, solving math problems, or grasping mathematical concepts.
Information Processing Disorders
Children with these disorders may struggle to understand verbal instructions, retain information, or focus their attention.
Intellectual Disabilities
An intellectual disability is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by limited cognitive function and adaptive skills. This is not a reflection of low intelligence.
Rather, this means that an individual with an intellectual disability may require additional support in learning, reasoning, problem-solving, communication and self-care.
The severity of the intellectual disability can range from mild to severe. It may also have underlying mental and/or physical health conditions.
Common characteristics of Intellectual Disabilities
Developmental Delays
Children may reach developmental milestones like sitting up, crawling, walking, or speaking later than their peers.
Learning Difficulties
Learning new skills, grasping concepts, and following instructions may be challenging. For instance, they might struggle with reading, writing, or math.
Speech And Language Impairment
Children may have difficulty understanding or using language, or their speech development might be delayed compared to expectations.
Social and Emotional Challenges
Social interaction, making friends, or managing emotions might be difficult. They might appear withdrawn, avoid social activities, or experience frequent emotional outbursts.
Poor Coordination
Fine and gross motor skills may be underdeveloped, impacting tasks like writing, drawing, or participating in sports. For example, they might struggle with holding a pencil, kicking a ball, or catching objects.
Causes of Intellectual Disabilities
The causes of intellectual disability are diverse and not fully understood. Some common factors include:
Genetic Factors
Intellectual disability may be caused by genetic factors, such as chromosomal abnormalities or gene mutations.
Prenatal factors
Certain prenatal factors like maternal infection, premature birth, or difficult childbirth can contribute to intellectual disability.
Postnatal factors
Conditions like prematurity, low birth weight, brain injury, or infections after birth can also be potential causes.