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

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