About Developmental Disorders

A developmental disorder isn't something that is there from one day on the other like a broken leg. It's something that in most cases you were born with or something that has developed in your early child years. A baby with a developmental disorder may be more quiet on the overal than a normal baby, but this doesn't necessarily mean a quiet baby is a baby with a developmental disorder.

A developmental disorder is caused by aberrant growth in certain parts of the brains between 0 and 18 years old. The stimulus and information processing in the brains is being disturbed by this. Because the brains work in a slightly different way from 'normal' people, people with a developmental disorder will often show some behaviour that is slightly different from 'normal' people.

Causes of aberrant brain growth:

Though it's still not very certain what causes the aberrant growth of the brains, in a lot of cases it has proven to be heriditary. If you have a developmental disorder, there's a 30% chance your brother or sister has one as well. And as a parent with a developmental disorder, there's a 50% chance of your child having a disorder as well. If you have a child with a developmental disorder, but you nor your partner has one, there's also a chance one of your child's grandparents has one.

But smoking, use of alcohol or a high bloodpressure during the pregnancy have also proven to be risk factors that higher the chance of your child having a developmental disorder.

And personality and temperament can also strengthen the symptoms of a developmental disorder. Some children are naturally more impulsive, more active or more of a dreamer than others and combined with their developmental disorder, it will really show up in their personality.

Effects of developmental disorder:

Children with a developmental disorder are slightly different from other children. They may show different interests or slightly different personality traits at an early age. Children are quick to pick up when a child is different and to children that are insecure about themselves, children that are different are an easy prey for teasing or even bullying to hide their own insecurities.

Children with a developmental disorder might also hear things from people around them that they themselves can't help it, like "You're such a lazy child, you never do anything." It's not like they don't want to do anything, they are unable to do it. They are often in need of more guidance than the averrage child, even with tasks that we find so common in daily life, especially when it comes to how to behave in public. "You never listen to anything I say to you." is also a thing that is often said to children with developmental disorders. It's not that they don't want to listen, they do listen, but often it goes in one ear and out the other. This is something that happens in the brain not because they want it to happen, but it just happens.

Later on in life, people with developmental disorders may struggle with social contacts, their study, their work and even with turning the house they bought or rent into a place called home.

Treatment of developmental disorders:

Unfortunately there is no cure for developmental disorders, but with the right help, life can be made a lot easier for children and adults with developmental disorders.

Here in the Netherlands, when you suspect your child to have a developmental disorder, you can ask at your child's school for a referral to a specialist. When you're an adult, you can ask your doctor for a referral instead. I don't know if it works that way in every country, but I think you could at least try to ask and if they can't give you a referral, they most likely will have more information for you on how to get an appointment with a specialist.

After several tests and interviews with you about your child's behaviour, you will get a diagnosis. This may or may not be a developmental disorder. In case of a developmental disorder, you will get the option to give your child medication designated for the specific developmental disorder your child has. Please do discuss with the specialist if this may or may not be the right desicion for your child in your opinion.

As a parent you can get special training on how to live with your child with a developmental disorder in a way that greatly improves your child's skills to addept to society, especially on a later age.

And there are also special training for children with developmental disorders that will improve their ability to socialize with other children, especially outside of school.

This will not 'cure' their developmental disorder, but they will function better in society. And though some people may seem to show less of the symptoms as they grow older, even with treatment over 50% of the children with developmental disorders will grow into adults with developmental disorders.