Neurodevelopmental Disorder

Intellectual Developmental Disorder (Intellectual Disability):

For this diagnosis the person must have

(a) deficits in intellectual functioning as determined by the results of

• a clinical assessment and

• individualized, standardized intelligence testing;

(b) deficits in adaptive functioning that cause a failure to meet developmental and socio-cultural standards for personal independence and social responsibility; and

(c) an onset of deficits during the developmental period.

A specifier

is used to indicate level of severity (mild, moderate, severe, or profound), which is based on adaptive functioning in conceptual, social, and practical domains and is useful for determining the amount of support the person needs.

Intellectual Developmental Disorder (Intellectual Disability): Testing

The DSM-5-TR notes that individuals with this disorder ordinarily obtain a score that is two or more standard deviations below the population mean on a standardized intelligence test. 

The cause of intellectual disability

is known in 25 to 50% of all cases.

Of cases with a known etiology, about 80 to 85% are due to prenatal factors (which includes chromosomal and other genetic causes),

5 to 10% are due to perinatal factors (e.g., asphyxia),

and 5 to 10% are due to postnatal factors. The most common chromosomal causes are Down’s syndrome followed by fragile X syndrome,

and the most common preventable prenatal cause is fetal alcohol syndrome (Kilgus, Maxmen, & Ward, 2015).

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

ASD is characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction, alongside restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities.

What are some associated features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Associated features include intellectual and language impairments, self-injurious behaviors, motor abnormalities, and disruptive or challenging behaviors.

What types of motor abnormalities may be observed in individuals with ASD?

Motor abnormalities can include clumsiness and walking on tiptoes.

How do individuals with ASD often perform in recognizing faces and emotions?

Individuals with ASD often have impaired face recognition and difficulties in recognizing emotions, affecting their social relationships.

What did the study by Fridenson-Hayo et al. (2016) reveal about emotion recognition in children with ASD?

The study found that children with autism had deficits in recognizing both basic and complex emotions across face, voice, and body expression modalities.

What are self-injurious behaviors in individuals with ASD?

Self-injurious behaviors include actions like head banging and can be a response to frustration or sensory overload.

What is the significance of motor abnormalities in ASD?

Motor abnormalities such as clumsiness and walking on tiptoes can affect daily functioning and increase the risk of injury.

Why is emotion recognition important for individuals with ASD?

Emotion recognition is crucial for building social relationships and interacting effectively with others.

What did Dawson et al. (2002) find regarding children with autism's response to familiar faces?

Dawson et al. found that children with autism did not differentiate their reactions to novel versus familiar faces, in contrast to typically developing children.

What can impairments in face and emotion recognition lead to?

Impairments in these areas can lead to significant challenges in forming and maintaining social relationships for individuals with ASD.

What are the common age of onset and peak severity for tic disorders?

Tic disorders typically onset between ages four and six, with peak severity occurring between ages 10 and 12.

What distinguishes Tourette’s disorder from other tic disorders?

Tourette’s disorder requires at least one vocal tic and multiple motor tics persisting for more than one year and onset before 18 years of age.

What are the treatments available for Tourette’s disorder?

Treatment options may include antipsychotic medications, medications for comorbid conditions, and behavioral interventions like comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT).

What common symptoms are associated with childhood-onset fluency disorder (stuttering)?

These symptoms include sound repetitions (repeating sounds, like "b-b-b-ball"), sound prolongations (stretching sounds, like "sssssssoup"), blocking (pausing or getting stuck before speaking, like when the mouth is ready, but no sound comes out), circumlocutions (finding a different way to say something to avoid a tricky word, like saying "the thing you write with" instead of "pen"), and words pronounced with excessive tension (forcing out words with extra effort, making speech sound tight or strained).

What is the most common treatment for childhood-onset fluency disorder?

The treatment of choice is habit reversal training (a structured therapy that helps replace unwanted speech patterns with more controlled ones), which includes strategies like regulated breathing (learning to control airflow while speaking to reduce tension) through competing response training (practicing a new, smoother way of speaking to interrupt and replace stuttering behaviors).

What are the criteria for diagnosing Specific Learning Disorder?

Criteria include persistent difficulties in reading, writing, or math skills, significantly below age expectations, and onset during school years.

What is dyslexia, and how is it related to Specific Learning Disorder?

Dyslexia is a specific reading disorder, the most common type within Specific Learning Disorder, characterized by difficulty connecting sounds to letters.

What is the heritability rate of ADHD, indicating its genetic contribution?

ADHD has a heritability estimate of approximately 76%, making it one of the most heritable psychiatric disorders.

What are some non-genetic factors linked to an increased risk for ADHD?

Non-genetic factors include low birth weight, premature birth, and maternal substance use during pregnancy.

How prevalent is ADHD among youth in the United States?

ADHD is identified as the most prevalent diagnosed disorder among youth aged 3 to 17 years.

What is Intellectual Developmental Disorder (Intellectual Disability)?

A diagnosis characterized by significant deficits in intellectual functioning, adaptive functioning that fails to meet developmental and sociocultural standards, and an onset of these deficits during the developmental period.

What are the key components of the diagnosis for Intellectual Developmental Disorder?

The diagnosis requires: (a) deficits in intellectual functioning as assessed by clinical assessments and standardized tests, (b) deficits in adaptive functioning impacting personal independence and social responsibility, and (c) an onset of these deficits during the developmental period.

The prognosis for ASD

is best when the person has an IQ over 70, functional language skills by age five, and an absence of comorbid mental health problems.