Info: Common Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders are categorized through abnormal brain development and/or environmental factors growing up or in the womb.


Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder 
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD, is a neurodevelopmental spectrum disorder in which the affected has impulsive and hyperactive behaviors only, inattentive and distractibility only, or mixed (which is the most common form).


Impulsive and hyperactive symptoms

Impulsivity:
  • Interrupts conversations
  • Impatient with waiting their turn
  • Calling out answers without being asked 
  • Takes excessive risks
  • Acting without thinking
Hyperactivity:
  • Constant motion
  • Difficulty staying still
  • Difficulty sitting in one place
  • Fidgetting or squirming in seat
  • Excessive talking
  • Hard to be in quiet situations or activities
  • Forgetting and losing objects repetitively
  • Difficulty staying on one task at a time or finishing a task before starting a new one
Inattentive symptoms
  • Short attention span
  • Troubles with listening 
  • Hard to focus on details and specifics
  • Distractible 
  • Lower study skill than average in age group
  • Difficulty organizing 
  • Forgetting 
  • “Zoning out” excessively




Autism spectrum

Autism is a disorder in which it’s core symptoms affect a person’s social communication and interactions, as well as restricts or repeats their behaviour. It is a spectrum disorder, which means that the symptoms vary between those who have it. 

 

 

Social Communication/Interaction symptoms 

  • Does not show facial expressions or reply when name is called (by 9 months)

  • Doesn’t participate in interactive games or use gestures (by 12 months)

  • Doesn’t share you their interests (by 15 months)

  • Doesn’t point to objects to show you (by 18 months)

  • Not noticing when others are hurt mentally or physically (by 24 months)

  • Does not interact or join to play with other children (by 36 months)

  • Doesn’t play with make-believe scenarios (by 48 months)

  • Does not pretend to be something else, like a teacher or superhero, during play by 48 months of age

  • No singing, dancing, acting (by 60 months)

  • Difficulty maintaining eye contact or avoids it

  • Speech and language skills are delayed

  • Voice is flat or has a repeated rising and falling of tone

  • Echolalia

  • Pronoun mixups

  • Rarely or not using gestures 

  • Moving from topic to topic frequently in conversations

  • Unable to understand sarcastic or joking behavior

  • Difficulty expressing (ex: unable to vocalize needs)

  • Not understanding body language, tone, expressions 

  • Nonverbal

  • Inappropriate facial expressions 

  • Difficulty recognizing their own emotions

  • Feeling overwhelmed in social situations

  • Difficulty maintaining a personal space between others

 

Restricted/repetitive symptoms

  • Ritualistic behaviors (ex: Orders objects and gets frustrated when the order is changed)

  • Echolalia 

  • Focussing on certain details of objects 

  • Obsessing and having narrow interests

  • Having to follow a certain routine 

  • Playing with toys in routine manner

  • Unusual sensory reactions (ex: sensitivity to touch, sound, and light)

  • Repetitive behaviors like hand-flapping, rocking, jumping, or spinning

  • Hyper and/or impulsive behaviour

  • Picky eating

  • Clumsiness

  • Aggressive to themselves and others

  • Inattentive 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/adhdadd

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647153/#:~:text=Complex%20neurodevelopmental%20disorders%2C%20such%20as,between%20genetic%20and%20environmental%20factors.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-are-symptoms-autism

https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/symptoms-of-autism

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html




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