Two different things.



Neuro Developmental Delay

An article by Triona O'Farrell DCRR; DRI; DMU; MSc.

Childhood is a joyous and exciting time for most children. New and progressively complicated skills are acquired with relative ease. The child experiences a constant feedback of achievement and satisfaction, which facilitates the growth of confidence and self-esteem.

Some children, however, find certain skills difficult or almost impossible to master. They see their peers riding bicycles, reading, playing football, tying shoelaces, being in "the gang" while they struggle to acquire basic skills. Comments such as "not trying", "lazy", "useless" add to their own feelings of frustration and inadequacy.

Parents and teachers wonder why the child cannot learn a skill that seems to be well within his ability. They often sense that "something is wrong" but cannot identify a specific problem. Many children with such difficulties have a mild neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) - some parts of the brain are late in maturing.

The brain develops in stages, beginning with lower levels of function. Optimal function of each stage is dependent upon complete development of the preceding levels. If there is a disruption or delay in early development, the higher brain cannot function at its potential and this can result in difficulties, particularly with learning.

Identification of a developmental delay brings great relief to the child, parents and teachers. All too frequently, the problems associated with NDD (such as dyslexia and dyspraxia) only become obvious relatively late in childhood or early adolescence when a cycle of failure or underachievement have developed, with subsequent emotional, psychological or behavioural problems. In many children the early signs can be overlooked, as there is no one specific identifiable manifestation. NDD has been described as a syndrome of many and varied symptoms that co-exist in all combinations and severities. Children with a developmental delay generally have average or above average levels of intelligence and can develop compensatory mechanisms which mask the underlying problem, making its identification difficult.



1) Neuro-developmental disability definition: Neuro-developmental disabilities are a diverse group of severe chronic conditions that begin at any point in development up to 22 years of age, usually lasting throughout a person’s life time and include the following specific conditions or syndromes: mental retardation, autistic spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disorders, epilepsy, hearing impairment, vision impairment, cerebral palsy and neuromuscular disorders. Many children have multiple disabilities that is, combination of two or more disabilities. Neuro-developmental disabilities currently represent a large proportion of childhood morbidity.