Putting It Together: Neurodevelopmental Disorders

In this module, you covered neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, autism, and learning disorders.  By this point, you should have a basic, yet firm grasp on understanding how each is unique in its presentation of symptoms, how they affect children and adults, and common treatment methods. Take a look at some of the popular treatment methods. What might a treatment plan look like if you were to develop one based on a certain psychological perspective? Or how might one’s theoretical background or way of thinking about a disorder, prompt the research of a helpful method for treating it? How might you respond if you were a therapist treating someone with symptoms similar to those outlined in this module? How would you respond to the idea that some disabilities may simply be a matter of social construct or the perspective of neurodiversity?

As you reflect on what you’ve gleaned from this module, spend a moment reviewing the disorders discussed in this module:

• Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21.
• Fetal alcohol syndrome is a disorder caused by environmental factors due to ethanol exposure while developing in the womb.
• Fragile X syndrome is a genetic disorder resulting from a single gene mutation in FMR1. 
• 
• Autism spectrum disorder is a childhood disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and repetitive patterns of behavior or interests.
• Neurodevelopmental disorder is one of the disorders that are first diagnosed in childhood and involve developmental problems in academic, intellectual, social functioning.
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is childhood disorder characterized by inattentiveness and/or hyperactive, impulsive behavior