Common Behavioural and Bevelopmental Disorders – SpecialKids Child Health & Development Clinic

Common Behavioural and Developmental Disorders

“Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.”

-Master Yoda, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Children with behavioural and developmental disorders are being recognized more often and earlier these days. Diagnosis is improved with better screening tools and standardized of assessment tools.

Children with any developmental delay need to have work-ups that may involve consultation, physical examination and investigations (blood tests, genetics, scans, hearing and visual assessments), leading to a formulation and recommendations for intervention. Tracking then becomes important to ensure the best progress and most appropriate educational placement in order to allow for the greatest learning opportunities. Long term follow-up with the child creates a greater chance of better outcomes.

Some quick screening tips that parents can check include:

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism describes a group of disorders with a wide spectrum of variability. Invariably though, the child will have impairments in the following key areas…

Learning Disabilities

Learning Disability (LD) is a broad umbrella term that describes several disorders affecting learning but does not equate with Learning Disorder, which is a general term.

Speech & Language Delay

Any child with a delay in speech onset or delay in language development warrants further assessment by a paediatrician experienced with children with speech and language delay.

Sensory Processing Disorder

An individual with a Sensory Processing Disorder may have problems registering the stimuli and be hypo or hyper-reactive to them.

Developmental Coordination Disorder

Developmental Coordination Disorder, under which Dyspraxia belongs, is a group of disorders that affect children primarily in all domains requiring coordination of movement in the execution of tasks.

Hearing Impairment

Hearing impairment is a common developmental disorder and can be easily missed if a high index of suspicion is not present.

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

“ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is characterised by the combination of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, to the degree that it impairs daily functioning and learning.”

Dyslexia

There are several different theories on what causes dyslexia; mainly biological and cognitive theories. In this section, we are going to look at 3 main biological theories.