Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Vocabulary flashcards covering the classification, diagnostic criteria, subtypes, and management of neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, communication disorders, and motor disorders.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs)

A cluster of conditions emerging during the developmental period that cause deficits that impair functioning.

Intellectual Disability (ID)

A condition with onset in childhood (usually appearing before school age) characterized by difficulties in intellectual functioning plus deficits in conceptual, social, and practical living skills.

Communication Disorders

A category of disorders defined by difficulties with language, speech, and verbal or nonverbal communication, including comprehension, social cues, facial expression, gestures, and emotional perception.

Language Disorder

A communication disorder subtype characterized by trouble acquiring and using spoken, written, or sign language, frequently involving struggles with syntax (word order).

Speech Sound Disorder

A communication disorder subtype characterized by pronunciation and articulation problems.

Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering)

A communication disorder subtype marked by disrupted speech fluency and rhythm, including speech blocks, prolonged sounds, and repeated sounds or syllables.

Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SCD)

A communication disorder subtype characterized by difficulty with the social use of language, such as interpreting context (pragmatics), understanding indirect or nonliteral speech (metaphors, humor), and knowing social norms like greetings.

Neurodevelopmental Motor Disorders

Neurological conditions affecting voluntary muscle movement and control that can delay milestones such as crawling, walking, and holding objects.

Cerebral Palsy

A motor disorder resulting from damage to the developing brain (often prenatal) that affects movement, coordination, posture, and balance.

Dystonia

A motor condition characterized by involuntary muscle contractions, twisting, repetitive movements, and abnormal postures that can affect a single muscle or the whole body.

Ataxia

A motor disorder characterized by a lack of muscle control during voluntary movement, caused by genetic defects, brain injury, or degenerative disease.

Muscular Dystrophy

A genetic condition characterized by progressive muscle weakening and loss of muscle mass.

Hypertonia

An abnormal muscle tone presentation characterized by stiffness.

Hypotonia

An abnormal muscle tone presentation characterized by floppiness.

Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy

A surgical treatment option used to manage stiffness, spasms, and involuntary movement in neurodevelopmental motor disorders.