Neurobehavioral/Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Some days you may look around and wonder why everyone around you seems to have life figured out but you just can’t seem to get it right. You try so hard, but there’s just so much to do and it feels like it all needs to be done at once. You try to prioritize but the true priority is like a moving target that feels so out of reach. Maybe you want to relate to people, but sometimes interactions just leave you feeling confused or uncertain. You wonder if you’re understanding an interaction as it was intended, and even more so you wonder if you are being understood. When unexpected things come up in your day, it completely throws you off and it’s so tough to get back on track now that your routine has been interrupted. You’re trying to get through your day, but the conversations around you, the music playing somewhere in your vicinity and the car horns honking outside all feel so overwhelming. We are happy to help, and work together toward having smoother days, feeling back in control, and harnessing all of that potential that you know you have within you instead of letting it slip away.
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) are both classified as neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions that arise from early brain development, typically presenting during early childhood. They are characterized by significant impairments in cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral functioning. Neurodevelopmental disorders result from disruptions in the normal growth and development of the brain, which can impact a person’s ability to learn, communicate, and interact with others. For these reasons, they can be easier to recognize in children – we typically refer older teens and adults for more comprehensive testing to be completed by a psychologist for these disorders, just because of the complexity of diagnosing as one gets older. There is significant overlap between ADHD symptoms, and those of other diagnoses – difficulty concentrating, being easily distracted, mind going blank, poor memory, brain fog, restlessness, trouble with motivation and initiating/completing tasks, racing thoughts, and numerous forms of executive dysfunction are prevalent throughout the entire DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and can all be attributed to alternate diagnoses, though many of those alternate diagnoses tend to present later in adolescence or adulthood. Because one never received a diagnosis of ADHD or ASD during childhood certainly does not mean that they must not have the disorder; these diagnoses are often missed or just simply were not talked about during one’s childhood. This is why we appreciate neuropsychological testing, for the sake of helping to provide us with diagnostic clarity.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD has three subtypes – predominantly inattentive type, predominantly hyperactive type, or combined type. What was previously considered “ADD” would now be categorized as ADHD, predominantly inattentive type.
Someone with ADHD has had a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development, with symptoms being present before the age of 12 and observed in multiple settings (e.g., home, school, work).
Symptoms of inattention include:
- Often failing to give close attention to details or frequently making careless mistakes
- Difficulty sustaining attention or completing tasks
- Difficulty staying organized
- Often having trouble following through on instructions
- Often losing or forgetting important items
- Avoiding tasks that require sustained mental effort over a long period of time
- Appearing easily distracted or as though they aren’t listening when spoken to directly
Symptoms of hyperactivity include:
- Excessive motor activity, such as fidgeting, squirming, restlessness while trying to remain still
- Difficulty engaging in activities quietly
- Often talking excessively or having difficulty waiting their turn
- A constant need to be “on the go” or having difficulty staying seated
- Impulsive behavior, including acting without thinking about potential consequences
- Blurting out answers, or interrupting others’ conversations or activities
- Struggling with waiting for their turn or frequently intruding on others
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Someone with ASD experiences challenges in two core areas: social communication/social interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These challenges must be present early in childhood, even if they may not become fully evident until later developmental stages.
Social Communication and Social Interaction:
- Challenges with social-emotional reciprocity, such as difficulty initiating or responding to social interactions and a lack of shared interests or emotions
- Difficulty interpreting or appropriately expressing nonverbal communication, such as limited eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures
- Difficulty developing, understanding and maintaining relationships appropriate to their developmental level
Restricted, Repetitive Patterns of Behavior, Interests, or Activities:
- Repetitive physical movements, such as hand flapping or rocking
- Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, rigid thinking patterns and distress with small changes
- Highly restricted, fixated interests with abnormal intensity or focus, perseverating on specific ideas
- Increased or decreased experience of and responsiveness to sensory input such as indifference to pain or extreme temperatures, aversion to or fascination with sounds, textures smells, etc