3.1 Neurodevelopment Disorders

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• These disorders first appear in the early developmental period, generally before a child fist starts school
• The resulting deficits cause difficulties in personal, social, and academic functioning
• Some disorders are discrete (e.g., specific learning disorders), while others disorders involve global deficits or delays (e.g., autism spectrum disorder)
• Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder)—formerly known as Mental Retardation
• Intellectual Disability Disorder (IDD) Rosa’s Law—U.S. Federal Law Public Law 11-156 which replaces the term mental retardation with intellectual disability
  • Deficits in cognitive abilities and adaptive functioning
  • Diagnostic criteria emphases the IMPORTANCE of assessing both cognitive abilities and adaptive functioning
  • IDD severity levels (mild, moderate, severe or profound) across three domains—conceptual, social and practical Pages 34-36 of DSM 5
• Autism spectrum disorder describes patients previously divided among autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, Childhood disintegrative disorder, Retts Disorder and Pervasive Developmental disorders—NO LONGER CONSIDERED SEPARATE CLINICAL ENTITIES
  •  The new criteria includes:
    • Persistent and pervasive deficits in social communication and social interaction
    • Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities
    • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is now subcategorized by the presence or absence of intellectual impairment and or associated medical condition
      • There are now Three Severity Levels which helps clarify the need for additional social/occupational
      • Restricted repetitive behaviors, interests and activities (RBSs)
      • Severity level for autism spectrum disorder is determined along a continuum on the basis of degree of impairment for social communication impairments and RBSs
        • Level 1—Requiring support
        • Level 2—Requiring substantial support
        • Level 3—Requiring very substantial support
      • Communication Disorders –follows a steady course and could be a lifelong functional impairment
        • Language
        • Speech sound disorder
        • Childhood-onset fluency disorder (stuttering)
        • Social (pragmatic) communication disorder—new disorder
        • Unspecified Communication disorder
      •  Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
        •  ADHD subtypes are now referred to as specifiers
        •  A co-occurring diagnosis with autism spectrum disorder is now allowed
        •  The cutoff symptoms for adults diagnosis of ADHD is set at five symptoms rather than six symptoms required for a younger person

Please go to your Canvas Course page and read the Case of Ashley #1