What is Neurodevelopment Disorder?

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions that affect the way the brain and nervous system develop. These disorders cause changes to thinking, feeling, language, and physical abilities such as movement and coordination. Neurodevelopmental conditions typically begin before adulthood and can persist into adulthood. They often accompany social impairments and problems in communication.

What are the different types of neurodevelopmental disorders?

Neurodevelopmental disorders often occur together. The following are the various types of neurodevelopmental disorders.

• ADHD- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD is a medical condition that characterizes an ongoing pattern of inattention and hyperactive-impulsive behavior. ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders affecting children.
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental and neurological condition characterized by persistent challenges with social interactions, repetitive behaviors, and limited interests.
• Cerebral palsy- Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of developmental disorders that affect muscle tone, balance, movement, posture, and coordination. It results from the failure of the brain to communicate with the muscles appropriately to give them instructions on how to move smoothly or coordinated.
• Communication disorders- Communication disorders are neurodevelopmental conditions that involve impairments in one's ability to send, detect, process, or comprehend information, language, or speech.
• Conduct disorders- Examples of neurodevelopmental disorders include conduct disorders, which are a group of behavioral and emotional disorders that involve a repetitive and persistent pattern of disregard for people and social norms.
• Intellectual disabilities- Intellectual disabilities are problems with cognitive functioning and skills and adaptive behavior. These include difficulties with communication, personal care, and social skills
• Learning disorders- Learning disorders come second in the list of neurodevelopmental disorders. Learning disorders are a group of neurologically-based disorders in which one or more learning areas are affected.
• Neurodevelopmental motor disorders- Neurodevelopmental motor disorders refer to the dysfunctions of the nervous system that cause abnormal, increased, or involuntary movements of the body. These conditions may also result in the absence of movements or repetitive extra movements.
• Schizophrenia- Shizophrenia is considered a mental disorder which reflects negative impact on how one views reality. This interferes with an individual's rational thinking ability, communication of emotions, and decision-making.
• Tourette syndrome- Tourette syndrome is an example of a neurological condition with sudden, repetitive, and sometimes uncontrollable vocalizations and movements known as tics. For example, one diagnosed with Tourette's keeps on blinking, twitching one's head, biting one's lip, or yelling out an objectionable sound or phrase.

What is the cause of a neurodevelopmental disorder?

The causes of neurodevelopmental disorder include different contributing factors that play a role in its development. The causes of neurodevelopmental disorder are listed below.

• Stress
• Illness
• Trauma
• Toxic chemicals in the environment
• Low birth weight
• Fetal exposure to smoking, alcohol, recreational drugs, or medications during pregnancy.

What are the symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders?

Neurodevelopmental disorder symptoms often begin to show during a child's preschool years. The most common symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders are listed below.

• Language and speech problems
• Impaired motor skills
• Abnormal behaviors
• Learning problems
• Speech problems
• Social skills deficits
• Poor emotional regulation

How is neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed in Teen, Children & Adults?

In Children:

A neurodevelopmental disorder is diagnosed in children with the help of various tests, such as developmental tests, neurologic examination, brain imaging, laboratory tests, and physical examination.

These test results will be useful to you in knowing how the illness your child is suffering from has affected his health and which treatments will work for him. The results will also help to determine the trend or path that the condition will take, which will better prepare a treatment plan specifically for the needs of your child.

The medical team who will be in the neurodevelopmental evaluation of your child may be a neurodevelopmental pediatrician, neurologist, ophthalmologist, or eye doctor, an audiologist, a physical therapist, and a nurse practitioner.

In Teenagers:

A neurodevelopmental disorder is diagnosed in teenagers by looking at the presence of odd behaviors or failure to reach developmental milestones and comparing these behaviors with those of similar teenagers the same age, sex, and culture.

These can be done with the help of comprehensive psychological assessments, such as intellectual, neuropsychological, adaptive behavior, and psychiatric comorbidities assessments.

In Adults:

A neurodevelopmental disorder is diagnosed in adults by assessing emotional-behavioral problems as part of the exam interview and conducting brain imaging tests, such as MRI or EEG, and also blood testing for seizure medicine.

In some instances, genetic tests are undertaken after a consultation with a certified medical genetics counselor.

The objectives of these studies include, among others, diagnostic confirmation for a neurodevelopmental condition, defining anatomical structural abnormalities in the brain that can be causing problems in the neurobehavior of an affected individual, identification of origins of a disorder through the genetic senses, and can help one make referrals concerning psychiatric services.

Which therapy options are available for neurodevelopmental disorders?

The majority of NDs' available medicines help control their symptoms. Treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders include the following lists:

1. Behavioral therapy
2. Transcranial magnetic stimulation
3. Medication
4. CAM

Behavioural therapy

Behavioral therapy is a term used to describe a wide array of psychological approaches aimed at shifting self-defeating behaviors. Forms of behavioral therapy commonly used for neurodevelopmental disorders include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), applied behavior analysis (ABA), psychotherapy, speech therapy, and developmental therapy.

Behavioral therapy helps treat individuals with NDs by helping them feel more in control of their behavior as they identify and challenge unhelpful behaviors that may be contributing to their condition.

It is one of the treatments for many neurodevelopment disabilities because behavioral therapy is focused on patterns of behavior and how these patterns influence one's actions, thoughts, and moods.

Behavioral therapy is very effective in the treatment of a variety of mental disorders. In fact, an article titled, "Understanding Psychotherapy and how it works," by the American Psychological Association notes that psychotherapy is effective for 75% of participants who receive it.

The number of sessions of therapy may differ with the condition and the type of treatment to be administered by your therapist; however, on average, the behavioral therapy lasts between 6 and 20 sessions before most patients begin feeling better.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation:

It helps treat some neurodevelopmental disorders in terms of sending magnetic waves to a part of the brain which requires additional stimulation. Most of these conditions are caused by either smaller amounts of neurotransmitters or else excessive neural activity in the brain.

TMS is one of the treatments for some NDs because electrical charges enable brain activity, and this method influences the electrical activity in the brain but without using painful electric current.

TMS can be used safely with patients who have neurodevelopmental disorders, and it has been promising to use in such cases. However, it is still in infancy as far as a wide range of disorders are involved, and much more needs to be done to prove other potential uses it may have.

The first cycle of TMS typically runs for four to six weeks, and sessions are undertaken five days a week, with an average session lasting 15-45 minutes. Following the first cycle, there's a continuation phase, where session numbers are reduced to twice a week for eight to 12 weeks.

Medicine:

These medicines help manage NDs primarily by helping to manage or cope with symptoms, and they are part of the treatment for such conditions because since they have no cure, just treating the symptoms that can interfere with the daily lives of those with NDs may significantly improve their functioning.

Symptomatic drug treatment is also helpful for patients suffering with NDs as it enhances their ability to improve daily living skills and extend their life expectancy. Depending on the condition, some pharmacological treatments could be administered for months or years for lifelong disorders such as NDs.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM):

Complementary and alternative medicine, in simple terms, means medicines and health practices not traditionally used by doctors to cure various ills. These include supplements, acupuncture, and physical exercise, alteration of lifestyle habits, massage, herbal medicine, and meditation.

CAM may help treat subjects with NDs to enable them to establish healthier lifestyle habits in which they can participate along with other forms of treatment. It is also considered as one of the treatments for neurodevelopmental disabilities because some patients prefer not to have the side effects of conventional medical treatments.

There is still a lacuna of data about the CAM practices, but it is increasingly becoming more popular treatment for patients suffering from ASD.

The complementary and alternative medicines had no time duration. How long any one can be engaged into CAM practice is totally subjective and can be widely varied. However the sessions of mindfulness meditation generally take eight weeks.

What are the early preventions for neurodevelopmental disorder?

Early preventions exist for most neurodevelopmental disorders. However, when the problem has to do with both genetic factors and environmental influences, adequate antenatal care would improve the chance of getting a healthy baby full-term, hence having fewer chances of suffering neurological complications.

Making healthy choices while pregnant and developing healthy habits before conception can make it more likely for you to give a healthy beginning to your child and helps you feel better.

Is there a permanent neurodevelopmental disorder?

Yes, neurodevelopmental disorders are permanent and to this date, there is no known cure for these conditions, but therapeutic strategies can be availed for NDers to help them manage and cope with these symptoms.

As with most medical conditions, early identification and intervention are crucial to enhancing the quality of a child's life that shows signs and symptoms of neurodevelopmental delay.

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