Developmental Disabilities

Clinic

• Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood.
• It causes language, mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living problems
• The most common developmental disabilities are:
  • Motor disorders and learning difficulties such as dyslexia, Tourette's syndrome, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, Irlen Syndrome, and dyscalculia.
  • Autism and Asperger syndrome
  • Down syndrome
  • Fragile X syndrome
  • PDD (Pervasive developmental disorders)
  • Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Intellectual disability / Mental retardation: IQ below 70
  • ADHD

2 Causes

The causes of developmental disabilities are varied and remain unknown in a large proportion of cases. Even in cases of known etiology, the line between "cause" and "effect" is not always clear, leading to difficulty in categorizing causes.

Genetic factors have long been implicated in causing developmental disabilities. These conditions are also believed to have a large environmental component, and the relative contributions of nature versus nurture have been debated for decades. Preterm birth is known to be a predictor for potential developmental disabilities later in childhood, which complicates the question of nature versus nurture, as

premature birth could already have resulted from earlier and longer existing difficulties. Second, being born at such an immature gestation could immediately have damaged the main organs (lungs and brain) or, third, such damage could arise in the neonatal period, for instance from the necessary intrusive treatment. Furthermore, exhaustion resulting from adaptation or stress could damage or disturb development. In addition, the highly stimulating hospital environment and the lack of social interactive experiences with the mother or the abundant interaction with others could add to the risk. In short, many reasons are conceivable that by itself or in different combinations could result in developmental problems of very preterm children.

Current theories on causation focus on genetic factors; more than 1,000 known genetic conditions include developmental disabilities as a symptom.

Developmental disabilities affect between 1 and 2% of the population in most western countries, although many government sources acknowledge that statistics are flawed in this area. The worldwide proportion of people with developmental disabilities is believed to be approximately 1.4%. Such disabilities are twice as common in males as in females, and some researchers have found that the prevalence of mild developmental disabilities is likely to be higher in areas of poverty and deprivation, and among people of certain ethnicities.

Remedies

Top remedy	Calc	Fatty, fair and flabby children . Slow in learning to walk and have slow dentition. They tend to be obese, with a big head and large belly. The skin often looks pale and chalky Sluggish, dull and lethargic. Fontanelles delayed closure in children who will respond well to this remedy. Another peculiar symptom is the tendency to perspire excessively, mainly on the scalp, neck, and chest.
	Calc-p	Natural medicine Calcarea Phos is among the best medicines for developmental and extremely useful in treating children with slow mental and physical growth. I have seen children make up for the delay in reaching their developmental milestones amazingly fast with the help of this medicine. Calcarea Phos is majorly effective in delicate, thin, emaciated children with noticeably slow progress. These children are late in learning to walk and talk, the teeth develop slowly and the posterior fontanelle may be slow to close. The skull is soft, thin and brittle in such instances, another key symptom to look out for before deciding on this medicine. The digestive system is also weak in such cases where Calcarea Phos works as the most suitable among medicines for developmental delay. The child that needs Calcarea Phos wants to be nursed all the time. Colic and vomiting post feeding are also observed. The child may suffer chronic diarrhea with watery, offensive and greenish stool.
	Bar-c	Baryta Carb is also one of the known medicines for developmental delay that has made a mark. In my clinical practice, I have seen children respond exceedingly well to it. The medicine shows excellent results in children who are dwarfish, both mentally and physically. These children often appear dull minded and are slow learners where speech and walking are concerned. Baryta Carb is one of the most effective medicines for development delay to use in such cases and has shown remarkable results where children show a marked fear of strangers as well. Baryta Carb is also majorly useful when the child shows retarded development after trauma or vaccination. Profuse sweat with offensive odor, mainly on the feet, may be present along with the above-mentioned symptoms in such instances of developmental delay. Baryta Carb is also one of the most preferred medicines for developmental delay in children who suffer from chronic tonsillitis attacks.
Low immunity & Autism	Tub	Natural medicines Tuberculinum and Carcinosin are also popular medicines for developmental delay that have shown satisfactory results. Tuberculinum works well in children who are weak, emaciated and mentally deficient due to retarded development. Like in all developmental delay cases, they learn to speak late. However, they have a tendency to catch a cold and suffer from recurrent upper respiratory tract infections. Excessive sweating, especially at night, may be noticed in children where Tuberculinum will be the ideal option. Carcinosin is equally effective in children with arrested growth. A child who needs Carcinosin would have very low immunity and thus, suffer from recurrent severe infections. Children in such cases of developmental delay have difficulty in falling asleep. Therefore, where the child needs to be carried around or rocked to sleep or where he specifically sleeps on the abdomen, Carcinosin is the most effective medicine to give. Carcinosin is also the medicine for autistic disease in children with development delay. Such cases show marked hyperactivity and restless behavior.
	Sil	Silicea and Aethusa are two top rated medicines that have shown marked improvement in children with developmental delay. Among them, Silicea is one of the most effective medicines for developmental delay that works best in children with a large head and thin legs. The sutures and fontanelles are slow to close in these children. Other key constitutional features that prompt use of Silicea are – emaciation, defective assimilation, distended abdomen, delay in learning to talk and walk. In addition to this, worm infestation may also be present in children who are prescribed Silicea.

5. Silicea and Aethusa – For Developmental Delay in Children

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