I. Definition
A neurodevelopmental disorder is defined as an impairment in the growth and development of the central nervous system. It affects the child’s brain function in controlling emotions, learning ability and memory, as well as social interaction. Today, one in six children is diagnosed with some type of developmental and behavioral disorder. It is recommended that parents get their child diagnosed early if they find that their child is withdrawing from the social world, failing to learn basic communication skills, or struggling with emotional regulation, etc. Otherwise, the child may be at risk of becoming severely disabled for life.
II. Most common types of brain development disorders
1. Autism disorder
Autism is a more common form of brain development disorder and one in 166 children is diagnosed with some form of autism. It is defined as a medical condition in which a child has any of the following impairments
a speech
b) Social and communication skills
c) Limited interest
d) Repetitive behavior
2. Asperger syndrome
Children with Asperger’s syndrome have no problems with speech development, but have very poor communication and social skills. they can talk a lot, but they don’t concentrate or keep up with the topic. they also have very limited interest, as they can talk about a single topic for months or years. Some children with Asperger syndrome may also engage in repetitive behaviors, such as hand flapping.
3. Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Children who have developed some mild forms of autism are considered to have a pervasive developmental disorder. Although they are missing some important symptoms or signs of autism, they are likely to be diagnosed with autism or Asperger’s syndrome later in life.
4. Rett syndrome
Rett syndrome, which primarily affects girls, is defined as a condition in which children lose communication and social skills, as well as deliberate use of the hand. It can also be accompanied by symptoms of repetitive hands and seizures.
5. Childhood Integrative Disorder
Children with childhood integration disorder may gradually lose their language, social communication, and self-help skills over the period of 2 to 4 years.
6. Sensory integration dysfunction
Sensory integration dysfunction is a condition in which a child does not react to information gathered from the scene, caused by abnormal brain function in information processing. In general, most children with sensory integration syndrome may be insensitive in reaction to pain or noise or hypersensitive in reaction to certain environments such as noise, bright light, or often both.
7. Auditory Processing Disorder
Auditory processing disorder is defined as damage to neurological structures and sound perception pathways, therefore children with this disorder can hear sounds but have trouble interpreting what they hear.
8. Expressive language disorder
This is defined as a condition in which children have a limited vocabulary and difficulty remembering words or expressing themselves through the use of complex sentences.
9. Apraxia of speech
It is caused by the breakdown of the interplay between the brain to control the speech muscles during speech. Children with apraxia of speech know what they want to say, but they cannot speak through their voice, and their words are difficult to understand.
10. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
ADHD is defined as a psychological condition in which a child has short attention span, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity. The symptoms may seem like innocent but bothersome nuisances to other children. It affects between 3-5% of children worldwide and most of them are diagnosed later in their childhood life.
11. Attention Deficit Disorder
Unlike ADHD, children with attention deficit disorder are only diagnosed with symptoms of inattention and impulsive behavior. Although the symptoms may seem just annoying to other children, they can affect the ability of children in the classroom to learn.
12. Mental retardation
Metal retardation is considered a generalized disorder. Children with mental retardation usually fail to adapt or adjust to another type of behavior or situation. They also have a below average IQ (70 or below) and difficulty performing routine activities.
13. Hearing impairment
Hearing impairment is characterized when a child has a reduced ability to detect or understand sounds. Since children cannot hear well, it can interfere with the normal progress of communication and social skills and lead to disruptive behavior.
14. Seizure Disorder (Epilepsy)
Since the normal function of neurons is to generate electrochemical impulses to act on other neurons, glands, and muscles to produce human thoughts, damage to or abnormal function of neurons in a seizure disorder interferes with sensation, emotion, and thinking. behavior, which causes a delay. or loss of social and communication skills.
15. Nonverbal learning disorder
The problems of nonverbal learning disorder are not in speech and memory, they may seem normal when they speak and understand what they hear, but in abstract thinking such as nonverbal problem solving, changing daily routines, and social skills.
16. Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury usually caused by physical shocks such as a car accident or a lack of oxygen circulating in your body for a certain period of time that damages certain areas of the brain in the control of speech, thought, behavior and social skills.
17. Fragile X syndrome
Fragile X syndrome is defined as a genetic defect. Children with this syndrome have difficulty controlling physical, intellectual, emotional, and behavioral aspects of their daily activities as a result of an inherited cause of mental retardation.
18. Tuberous sclerosis
This is another type of genetic disease, which causes the tumor to grow in the brain and other organs, leading to seizures, developmental delay, behavioral problems, and sometimes mental retardation.
19. William syndrome
William syndrome is a genetic defect caused by the deletion of about 26 genes from the long arm of the chromosome. Children with William syndrome appear to have unusual language skills and are anxious about social interaction, but may also have mental retardation and heart problems.
20. Angelman syndrome
This is a condition caused by the deletion or inactivation of genes on chromosome 15 inherited from the mother. Children with this type of syndrome have severe mental retardation that affects their intellectual abilities and interferes with normal development. The syndrome is also accompanied by inexplicable smiles and laughter.
21. Prader-Willi syndrome
Prader-Will syndrome is also another genetic defect caused by all or part of the seven genes missing on chromosome 15. Children born with Prader-Willi syndrome have developmental delay and feeding difficulties in infancy and they develop compulsive eating and an obsession with food after their first birthday. .
22. Phenylketonuria
Phenylketonuria is a genetic metabolic disorder caused by deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase, leading to accumulation of phenylalanine, which interferes with brain development and causes severe brain damage, mental retardation if not controlled with a special diet in the early years of life.
23. Early Onset Childhood Bipolar Disorder
It is also known as manic depression. Children diagnosed with this disorder have symptoms of frequent mood swings, alternative thinking, and behavior.
24. Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by a child’s life being interrupted by unwanted, unnecessary, and repetitive thoughts, as well as an overwhelming need to do certain things compulsively, such as washing hands many times a day, drinking a glass of water before leaving home, etc. .
25. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
It’s kind of an anxiety disorder. Children with generalized anxiety disorder are always worrying about something, restless, and afraid for no reason.
26. Selective Mutism
Selective mutism is defined as another type of anxiety in which a child who is normally able to speak is unable to speak or becomes silent in certain situations or in front of specific people.
27. Oppositional defiant disorder
Oppositional defiant disorder is defined as an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward parents and authority.
28. Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS)
It is defined as a condition in which the immune system attacks the child’s central nervous system, causing problems with behaviour, thinking and movement.
29. Reactive Attachment Disorder
Reactive attachment disorder is defined as inappropriate social behavior caused by severe early experiences of neglect, abuse by parents or caregivers between the ages of six months and three years.
30. Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is described as a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality caused by a child’s inability to cope with change in the internal or external environment, leading to hallucinations and delusions.