A developmental disorder is a psychological or neurological condition in children and adults that represents an abnormality in normal development. Developmental disorders that may occur during childhood include mental developmental delay, speech disorders, learning disabilities, autism, ADHD. Below is an explanation of the most common developmental disorders in children. DSM-IV
Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , the American Psychiatric Association’s international classification system for psychiatric disorders.
I.Q
Intelligence Quotient ; outcome of an intelligence test administered to a child. The average of verbal and performance intelligence.
Attention disorders
Attention disorders are divided into three groups. The first group is characterized by concentration problems (ADD). In the second group there is mainly hyperactivity and impulsivity (HD). The third group consists of a combination of concentration problems, hyperactivity and impulsivity (ADHD).
ADD
Attention Deficit Disorder ; literally ,attention deficit disorder,. A form of ADHD in which hyperactivity and impulsivity are absent. Children suffer from concentration problems. People with ADD live a life full of frustrations, they are labeled as stupid, lazy, uninterested. It is difficult for them to bring themselves to do anything. That costs them much more energy than others. About 70% of people with ADD also have other disorders .
HD
Hyperactivity Disorder ; literally ‘hyperactivity disorder’. Busy and impulsive.
ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ; attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity and impulsivity. Children with ADHD cannot focus their attention long enough on a stimulus and they have difficulty ignoring unimportant external stimuli. ADHD occurs in four percent of young people. In three quarters it is combined with other disorders, such as learning disorders and aggressive behavioral disorders. Children with ADHD are usually normally gifted. Medication is more or less effective for seventy to eighty percent of these children . Children with ADHD are not always busy or easily distracted. They can concentrate, it just takes more effort than other children.
Pervasive developmental disorders
ASS
Autism spectrum disorder ; another name for pervasive developmental disorders. Pervasive means that these disorders manifest themselves in multiple areas of a child’s development. The brain functions differently, mainly when processing information from the environment. These disorders are also referred to as autism or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Children with Asperger’s have problems with communication, socialization and motor skills. Children with Asperger’s have average to high intelligence . In addition, they have good language skills. Children with Asperger’s suffer from aggression, depression and anxiety more than average.
DCD
Developmental Coordination Disorder , disorder of motor coordination. DCD is also known as dyspraxia, sensory integration problems or Clumsy Child Syndrome . Children with this disorder have poorly developed motor skills. It is a disorder in which devising, planning and executing movements is problematic. Motor actions are not automated or are insufficiently automated. DCD is often accompanied by problems with speech, language, perception, thinking and sensitive sense of touch . It is believed that DCD is caused by immaturity or delay in the development of certain areas of the brain. Children with DCD usually have normal intelligence.
PDD
Pervasive Developmental Disorder ; a developmental disorder that affects many functions (such as contact, emotions, motor skills or speech).
PDD-NOS
Pervasive Development Disorder ; PDD, cannot be classified with any of the other classified forms. People with this disorder exhibit many symptoms of an autistic disorder, but not enough or severe enough to be so diagnosed. Social understanding and social intuition in particular develop with difficulty in PDD-NOS. Children with PDD-NOS vary greatly in their skills, intelligence and behavior. It is therefore difficult to give generally applicable characteristics.
NLD
Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities ; disorder in processing non-verbal information. It is a neurological disorder in the right hemisphere of the brain, causing some information processing to become problematic. Auditory information is processed better than the information that comes in through seeing and feeling. Children with NLD have difficulty processing this non-verbal information. NLD is characterized by learning difficulties, especially in mathematics, problems with spatial insight, motor problems and social problems. Because these children process the information from feeling and looking poorly, they show little exploration behavior. The behavior of these children is characterized by a lot of talking and little action. This disorder is usually only identified at a later age. Children with NLD are often not noticed easily; because of their good verbal capabilities, abilities are often overestimated.
Aggressive behavioral disorders
CD
Conduct Disorder . CD is considered a severe form of ODD. Children with this disorder appear as if they have no respect for the feelings of others. They give the impression that they are not affected by the hurt of others. Violent behavior is often present .
ODD
Oppositional Defient Disorder ; a disorder characterized by an almost permanent ,against the grain,. Children with this disorder are difficult to raise, have difficulty keeping agreements and appear rebellious. Violent behavior is basically absent .
read more
- Developmental disorders in children: diagnosis/treatment
- Children with NLD
- Children with ADD
- NAH (acquired brain injury) in children and young people
- What is Autism?