Further Thoughts on the Introduction to Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Learning Differences

Neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disorders are both categories of conditions that affect cognitive, emotional, and social functioning. It should be noted that sensory processing issues accompany many of these and are one of the biggest challenges but also one of the most manageable. Our whole nervous system relies on the ability to register and dampen sensory stimulation coming in so that it is the just right amount of information for our nervous system to handle to make adaptive responses to the environment, which happens at the neuronal level, but more on that later. There are neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter differences that cause over and under stimulation and impact initiation and carry through on tasks, which is often described as laziness or procrastination, but is really a physiological deficit in dopamine seen in disorders of executive function and ADHD. Sensory processing and ADHD with EF challenges are seen in many neurodevelopmental and learning differences. They make everyday functioning quite challenging for everyone involved, but there are ways to make life easier. I will go through each learning difference and developmental issue in subsequent posts and will then focus on healing. Here's a breakdown of each issue as an outline:

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions that typically manifest early in development, often during the developmental period before the age of 18. They are characterized by developmental deficits that produce impairments in personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning. Common neurodevelopmental disorders include:

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A complex disorder characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. High Functioning Autism is often invisible while the person who struggles with it struggles in connecting with people, knowing how they feel and comunicating their feelings. Asperger's Syndrom was recently dropped from the DSM which is unfortunate.

2. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Marked by persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interfere with functioning. This is not only a disorder of attention and focus but of executive functioning that impacts al areas of life, since we need time management, initiation, planning and organization, lfexible thinking, inhibition, and working memory for almost everything we do.

3. Intellectual Disability: Previously known as mental retardation, this disorder involves below-average intellectual functioning and a lack of skills necessary for daily living.

4. Specific Learning Disorders: These include difficulties in specific areas of learning, such as reading (dyslexia), writing (dysgraphia), or mathematics (dyscalculia).

5. Communication Disorders: Includes conditions like language disorder, speech sound disorder, and social (pragmatic) communication disorder.

6. Motor Disorders: Such as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Tourette's Disorder, which affect motor skills and movement control.

Learning Disorders

Learning disorders are a subset of neurodevelopmental disorders specifically focused on significant difficulties in learning and using academic skills. They can affect various areas of learning, including:

1. Dyslexia: A specific learning disorder that involves difficulty with reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words.

2. Dyscalculia: Difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, and performing mathematical calculations.

3. Dysgraphia: A writing disorder characterized by difficulty in handwriting, spelling, and organizing ideas.

4. Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: These involve challenges in understanding nonverbal cues and skills, such as body language and social interactions, often accompanied by strong verbal skills.

5. Executive Functioning includes workign memory, cognitive flexibility, self control or the brain's ability to inhibit, and self monitoring in order to observe and evaluate their behavior in a situation.

Summary

While neurodevelopmental disorders encompass a broad range of conditions affecting development, learning disorders specifically focus on difficulties in acquiring and using academic skills, social and executive functioning skills. Both types of disorders can significantly impact an individual's emotional functioning, since overload and frustration cause frequent meltdowns that can look like aggression. People are misunderstood and labeled as difficult, especially when others don’t understand the impact of these invisible differences. It is incredibly painful not to be able to navigate the world seamlessly, and to be misunderstood, and suffer the consequences of being more vulnerable to being bullied and abused. Narcissistic injury throughout the day feels traumatic and can have the same neurophysiological impact in the nervous system as a trauma. PTSD in people with learning differences looks the same in the nervous system as traumatic triggers from developmental abuse or neglect. It is my hope that this series will bring some light and understanding and a chance at healing for parents, therapists and individuals with these invisible challenges. In subsequent posts I will go into more detail on these invisible differences.