Neurodevelopmental Disorders

12 guides

Intellectual disabilityClinical name: Intellectual Developmental DisorderLimitations in learning and everyday skills, from mild to profound. Defined by support needs, not an IQ number, and much of it is preventable.10 min read Developmental delay (under 5s)Clinical name: Global Developmental DelayWhen a young child is behind across several areas. A signal to look and help early, not a final verdict.8 min read Language disorderClinical name: Language DisorderPersistent difficulty learning and using language, beyond a late start. The engine of school learning, and it responds to therapy.9 min read Speech sound disorderClinical name: Speech Sound DisorderWhen a child’s speech stays hard to understand past the expected age. Speech therapy, and a hearing check first.9 min read StutteringClinical name: Childhood-Onset Fluency DisorderInterruptions in the flow of speech. Not nervousness or weak character, and people who stutter can speak powerfully.9 min read Social communication disorderClinical name: Social (Pragmatic) Communication DisorderDifficulty with the social side of language, without the other features of autism. Speech therapy targets the social machinery of talking.9 min read AutismClinical name: Autism Spectrum DisorderA lifelong difference in how a person communicates and experiences the world. Not a disease, not caused by vaccines, and not anyone’s fault.7 min read ADHDClinical name: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity DisorderNot laziness or weak discipline. A brain-based difference in attention and impulse control, and one of the most treatable conditions there is.11 min read Learning disorders (reading, writing, maths)Clinical name: Specific Learning DisorderDyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia. Specific difficulties out of step with overall ability, not low intelligence, and accommodations are access.9 min read Coordination disorderClinical name: Developmental Coordination DisorderMarked difficulty with coordination, beyond ordinary clumsiness, affecting daily life. Sometimes called dyspraxia; occupational therapy helps.8 min read Stereotypic movement disorderClinical name: Stereotypic Movement DisorderRepetitive movements like rocking or head-banging that interfere with life or risk injury. Behavioural strategies help; punishment does not.8 min read Tourette syndrome and tic disordersClinical name: Tourette’s DisorderSudden repeated movements and sounds, involuntary and waxing and waning. Not naughtiness; many tics fade, and behavioural therapy helps.10 min read