Neurodevelopmental Disorders

What are neurodevelopmental disorders

• Group of related conditions

• The growth and development of the brain is affected

• Developmental abnormalities with language, emotion regulation, memory, learning, and behavioral impulsivity

When are neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosable

• Early childhood to adolescence

• These disorders are persistent throughout life

Attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder

• Chronic condition of persistent lack of focus and concentration that is inconsistent with the child's appropriate age level

• Easily distracted by external stimuli and internal thoughts

• Prone to cycles of hyperactivity and impulsivity

• Poor executive functioning

• Inability to complete tasks (Starters not finishers)

Persistent motor or vocal tic disorder

• Chronic display of 1 or more motor tics OR chronic display of 1 or more vocal tics

• Motor tics and vocal tics can’t be simultaneous for this diagnosis

• 3% of the population

Tics

Compulsive, repetitive vocalizations (Vocal) or body movements (Motor)

Tourette’s disorder

• Chronic display of both motor AND vocal tics for at least a year

• 1% of the population

5 types of autistic spectrum disorders that were combined together to become 1 whole big spectrum

• Autistic disorder

• Asperger syndrome

• Pervasive developmental disorder

• Rett syndrome

• Childhood disintegrative disorder

Autistic spectrum disorder

• Broad spectrum of related cognitive disorders

• Dysfunctional abnormalities of social interaction, communication, and sensorimotor processing

• Contains a diverse range of symptom and severity

Primary symptoms of autistic spectrum disorder

• Don’t form close relationships

• Trouble talking and connecting with others

• Don’t develop speech for communication

• Difficulty understanding and responding to social cues

• Often lacks empathy to understand emotions of others

General symptoms of autistic spectrum disorder

• Act more like machines rather than beings with emotion

• Ritualistic tendency to arrange and organize objects

• Maladaptive to routine changes

• Do the same movements or actions over and over

• Obsessive thoughts and emotions

• Prone to frustration, irritability, and emotional outbursts

Difference between primary and general symptoms of autistic spectrum disorder

• Primary symptoms: Main signs used to diagnose autism, mostly about social and communication struggles

• General symptoms: Common traits, mostly about behavior, routines, and emotions, but they’re not always used for diagnosis

Suspected causes and factors of autistic spectrum disorder

• Genetic mutations during prenatal development

• Prenatal and neonatal teratogens

• Mather and father are at very old ages when baby is born

• Abnormalities with fusiform gyrus and Inferior gyrus

Fusiform gyrus

Helps recognize faces and expressions

Inferior gyrus

Helps with speech, empathy, and social understanding