CH-14-Neurodevelopmental Disorders – Comprehensive Study Notes

A set of essential vocabulary terms and definitions to review major concepts, disorders, causes, and treatments discussed in the neurodevelopmental lecture notes.

Conditions with neurological origins that emerge during childhood and disrupt normal development of cognition, language, or behavior.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The study of how psychological disorders arise and change across the lifespan, emphasizing early developmental disruptions.

Developmental Psychopathology

A neurodevelopmental disorder marked by persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that impair functioning.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Difficulty sustaining focus, losing materials, seeming not to listen, and making careless mistakes.

Inattention (ADHD)

Excessive motor activity such as fidgeting, leaving seat, or being ‘on the go’ when stillness is expected.

Hyperactivity

Hasty actions without forethought, including blurting out answers and difficulty waiting turns.

Impulsivity

Diagnostic subtype in which criteria for both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity are met.

ADHD Combined Presentation

Subtype characterized mainly by inattention symptoms; sometimes informally called ADD.

ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Presentation

Subtype in which hyperactive and impulsive symptoms predominate without significant inattention.

ADHD Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive Presentation

Genetic mutations involving deletions or duplications of DNA segments; implicated in ADHD and other disorders.

Copy Number Variants (CNVs)

Gene regulating dopamine reuptake; variations are linked to ADHD and targeted by methylphenidate.

Dopamine Transporter Gene (DAT1)

Measurable components (e.g., poor inhibitory control) that lie between genetic risk and outward behavior.

Endophenotype

Significant difficulty learning and using academic skills (reading, writing, or math) despite normal intelligence and instruction.

Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

Model identifying SLD by inadequate response to empirically validated instruction rather than IQ-achievement discrepancy.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

Structured teaching method using scripted lessons, small groups, and mastery learning to remediate learning deficits.

Direct Instruction

SLD subtype involving impaired word recognition, decoding, and reading fluency.

Dyslexia

SLD subtype involving persistent difficulties with number sense, calculation, and math reasoning.

Dyscalculia

SLD subtype characterized by impaired spelling, grammar, or clarity/organization of written expression.

Dysgraphia

Communication disorder involving stuttering: repeating syllables, prolonging sounds, or blocking on words.

Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder

Limited and below-age-level expressive language despite adequate comprehension, not due to sensory deficits.

Language Disorder

Difficulty using verbal and nonverbal communication socially (e.g., verbosity, poor turn-taking) without ASD’s repetitive behaviors.

Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder

Condition featuring multiple motor and one or more vocal tics occurring for at least one year.

Tourette’s Disorder

Neurodevelopmental disorder with deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Shared focus on an object or event; its absence is an early social deficit in ASD.

Joint Attention

The rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech; often atypical in individuals with ASD.

Prosody

ASD trait involving distress over small changes and insistence on routines.

Maintenance of Sameness

Automatic repetition of others’ words or phrases; in ASD reflects delayed language development.

Echolalia

Child-initiated behavioral methods that embed instruction in everyday activities to promote language and social skills.

Naturalistic Teaching Strategies

Disorder with deficits in intellectual functioning (IQ ≈70 or below) and adaptive behavior, onset before age 18.

Intellectual Disability (ID)

Practical, social, and conceptual skills used in everyday life; impaired in ID.

Adaptive Functioning

Area of adaptive functioning involving language, reading, writing, and reasoning abilities.

Conceptual Domain

Adaptive area covering empathy, social judgment, and the ability to form relationships.

Social Domain

Adaptive area including personal care, money management, and job responsibilities.

Practical Domain

Recessive metabolic disorder causing ID if untreated; managed by lifelong diet low in phenylalanine.

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

Dominant gene disorder with tumors and seizures; about 60% of affected individuals have ID.

Tuberous Sclerosis

X-linked disorder with ID, spasticity, and self-injurious behavior such as finger-biting.

Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome

Leading inherited cause of ID; mutation on X chromosome producing moderate ID, especially in males.

Fragile X Syndrome

Chromosomal disorder with extra 21st chromosome causing characteristic appearance and varying ID severity.

Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)

Prenatal test analyzing amniotic fluid to detect chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome.

Amniocentesis

Early prenatal procedure removing placental tissue to screen for genetic disorders.

Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

Mild ID linked to psychosocial disadvantage, poverty, or low stimulation rather than identifiable biological cause.

Cultural–Familial Intellectual Disability

Extraordinary abilities (e.g., calculation, memory) present in a minority of individuals with ASD.

Savant Skills

40-hour-per-week behavioral treatment for young children with ASD focusing on language and social skills.

Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI)

Neuropeptide influencing social bonding; lower blood levels and receptor gene variants are linked to ASD.

Oxytocin

Hypothesis that early amygdala overgrowth and later neuronal loss contribute to social withdrawal in ASD.

Amygdala Theory of Autism

Stimulant medication that blocks DAT1, increasing dopamine and reducing core ADHD symptoms.

Methylphenidate (Ritalin)

Study of how genetic differences influence individual responses to psychiatric medications.

Psychopharmacogenetics

Large trial comparing medication, behavioral therapy, and their combination; found combined and medication alone superior for core symptoms.

Multimodal Treatment of ADHD (MTA Study)

Highly structured, script-based educational approach that groups students by progress and uses frequent assessment.

Direct Instruction (DI)