Neurodevelopmental disorders refer to any impairment and disorder of the brain and nervous system growth and development. Disorder in the brain and nervous system can affect the emotional, physiological, psychological ability and overall timely development of a child. With advanced technology and continuous study in the medical field, one can now assess the neurodevelopment of his/her children. Neurodevelopmental Assessment concentrates on the overall growth and development of a child including his/her weaknesses and strengths. A complete developmental profile is generated with the help of various tests and examinations. This assessment is used to analyse the various developmental factors including social and communication skills, functional and motor skills, cognition and learning abilities, and language and speech development. Neurodevelopmental Assessment involves a team of child s close people including parents, guardians, and family members who help to understand the medical history if any. It helps doctors to provide appropriate ways to assist the child in his/ her growth and development.

Tests and Examinations

Tests for the Neurodevelopmental Assessment may vary from child to child depending upon their condition. But, there are usually some tests that are done to understand the overall development of the child. These tests may include speech tests, hearing tests, blood tests, physical examinations, and questionnaires, which may be given before or during the assessment process.

Assessment

The assessment processes and sessions may vary depending upon the need of the child. However, usually, there are three major sessions that help the pediatrician understand the concerns of the family and parents. These sessions include consulting about the detailed medical history of the child, understanding the problem and its possible cause, and providing proper ways and treatment options for the patient. 

In the first session, parents and guardians are asked about any medical concern they have and the medical examination of the child is carried out accordingly. A standardized assessment with the child will be carried out by a clinical psychologist and the parents and guardians are asked to complete a questionnaire for the assessment. Depending upon the age, questionnaire may be sent to school for teacher/s to complete.

The next session is usually led by language and speech therapist to discuss and understand the current language and speech concerns of the child. Previous assessments and medical examinations are taken into account to carry out further assessments. An occupational therapist will assess the child s ability to perform self-care activities and other tasks according to his/her age. The session may include the assessment of a child s motor skills and abilities and reflection on any probable sensory-based problems that may be affecting the child s occupational performance.

The last session mainly includes the discussion with the parents and guardians to help them understand the problem, its causes, and treatment options. If the child requires any further assessment or/and recommendations, then the parents are told about that too.

Takeaway
Neurodevelopmental Assessment of children is often performed on kids who do not show the developmental signs according to their age. Parents and guardians should not hesitate to consult their children to clinical psychologist and therapist as the early intervention and assessment can help in the timely growth and development of the children.

Neurodevelopmental Assessment (0-5 Years)  - What Should You Know?

Raising a child with dyslexia can stir up a lot of emotions. You may look ahead and wonder if this learning issue will affect your child's future. But dyslexia is not a prediction of failure. Dyslexia is quite common, and many successful individuals have dyslexia.

Research has proven that there are different ways of teaching that can help people with dyslexia succeed. There's a lot you can do as a parent too.

What are the symptoms of dyslexia?

Because dyslexia affects some people more severely than others, your child's symptoms may look different from those in another child. Some kids with dyslexia have trouble with reading and spelling. Others may struggle to write or to tell left from right.

Dyslexia can also make it difficult for people to express themselves clearly. It can be hard for them to structure their thoughts during conversation. They may have trouble finding the right words to say.

Others struggle to understand what they're hearing. This is especially true when someone uses nonliteral language such as jokes and sarcasm.

The signs you see may also look different at various ages. Some of the warning signs for dyslexia, such as a speech delay, appear before a child reaches kindergarten. More often, though, dyslexia is identified in grade school. As schoolwork gets more demanding, trouble processing language becomes more apparent.

Here are some signs to look out for:

Warning Signs in Preschool or Kindergarten

Has trouble recognizing the letters of the alphabet

Struggles to match letters to sounds, such as not knowing what sounds b or h make

Has difficulty blending sounds into words, such as connecting C-H-A-T to the word chat

Struggles to pronounce words correctly, such as saying 'mawn lower' instead of 'lawn mower'

Has difficulty learning new words

Has a smaller vocabulary than other kids the same age

Has trouble learning to count or say the days of the week and other common word sequences

Has trouble rhyming

Warning Signs in Grade School or Middle School

Struggles with reading and spelling

Confuses the order of letters, such as writing 'left' instead of 'felt'

Has trouble remembering facts and numbers

Has difficulty gripping a pencil

Has difficulty using proper grammar

Has trouble learning new skills and relies heavily on memorization

Gets tripped up by word problems in math

Has a tough time sounding out unfamiliar words

Has trouble following a sequence of directions

Warning Signs in High School

Struggles with reading out loud

Doesn't read at the expected grade level

Has trouble understanding jokes or idioms

Has difficulty organizing and managing time

Struggles to summarize a story

Has difficulty learning a foreign language

Skills that are affected by Dyslexia-

Dyslexia doesn't just affect reading and writing. Here are some everyday skills and activities your child may be struggling with because of this learning issue:

General

Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.

Labelled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough," or "behavior problem."

Isn't "behind enough" or "bad enough" to be helped in the school setting.

High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.

Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.

Talented in art, drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building, or engineering.

Seems to "Zone out" or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.

Difficulty sustaining attention; seems "hyper" or "daydreamer."

Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.

Vision, Reading, and Spelling Skills

Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.

Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.

Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.

Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.

Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem.

Extremely keen sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.

Reads and rereads with little comprehension.

Spells phonetically and inconsistently.

Hearing and Speech Skills

Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted by sounds.

Difficulty putting thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking.

Writing and Motor Skills

Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.

Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.

Can be ambidextrous, and often confuses left/right, over/under.

Math and Time Management Skills

Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on time.

Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows answers, but can't do it on paper.

Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.

Can do arithmetic, but fails word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math.

Memory and Cognition

Excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations, and faces.

Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.

Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).

Behavior, Health, Development and Personality

Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.

Can be class clown, trouble-maker, or too quiet.

Had unusually early or late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).

Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.

Can be an extra deep or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.

Unusually high or low tolerance for pain.

Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.

What can be done at home for dyslexia?

Helping your child with dyslexia can be a challenge, particularly if you're never been confident in your own reading and writing skills. But you don't have to be an expert to help work on certain skills or strengthen your child's self-esteem.

Keep in mind that kids (and families) are all different, so not all options will work for you. Don't panic if the first strategies you try aren't effective. You may need to try several approaches to find what works best for your child. Here are some things you can try at home:

Read out loud every day

Tap into your child's interests

Use audiobooks

Look for apps and other high-tech help

Focus on effort, not outcome

Make your home reader-friendly

Boost confidence

What can make the journey easier?

Dyslexia can present challenges for your child and for you. But with the proper support, almost all people with dyslexia can become accurate readers. Your involvement will help tremendously.

Wherever you are in your journey, whether you're just starting out or are well on your way, this site can help you find more ways to support your child. Here are a few things that can help make the journey easier:

Connect with other parents. Remember that you're not alone. Use our safe online community to find parents like you.

Get behavior advice. Parenting Coach offers expert-approved strategies on a variety of issues that can affect children with dyslexia, including trouble with time management, anxiety and fear, frustration and low self-esteem.

Build a support plan. Come up with a game plan and anticipate what lies ahead.

Understanding dyslexia and looking for ways to help your child is an important first step. There's a lot you can do just don't feel you have to do everything all at once. Pace yourself. If you try a bunch of strategies at the same time, it might be hard to figure out which ones are working. And do your best to stay positive. Your love and support can make a big difference in your child's life.

9 Dyslexia Signs & Symptoms - Your Kid is Suffering from it!

Alzheimer s disease is one of the most severe forms of dementia that is, memory loss which also comes with other disorders such as reduced muscle movement. A patient with the Alzheimer s disease practically forgets even the most basic day-to-day activities and hence, the disease interrupts the lives of people suffering from it and the ones who are related to them. A commonly observed pattern in the patients suffering from the Alzheimer s disease is that most of them are aged 60 years and beyond. In simple words, it is the death of the brain cells, that is, the nerve cells which causes the memory loss at first and then the cognitive decline of other bodily functions.

Symptoms:

A patient of the Alzheimer s disease might show one or more of the following mentioned symptoms. Read the symptoms carefully and help identify the symptoms if you see them in anyone in your surroundings. Most people mistake this symptom to be something else which causes a delay in the diagnosis. But if the disorder is diagnosed at an early stage it might help people survive, or at least have a little longer until their memory stays intact. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to know about the symptoms that are given below:

The inability to remembering the information 
Repeating questions or actions
Unable to find the way on a rather regularly visited road
The decrease in decision-making ability
Poor judgment
Unable to solve complex puzzles or do tough activities
Unable to recognize familiar people such as colleagues and relatives
Unable to dress up properly
Inability in speaking mother tongue or word formation
Uncontrollable mood swings
Rude and un-empathetic social behavior such as being outspoken
They will be unable to maintain their own finances unlike before.
Stages of Alzheimer s disease
It is not unknown a fact when someone says that detecting a disease at an early stage is beneficial than at a later stage. The reason being that if a disease is detected earlier, there are more chances of treating it successfully, or in case of the Alzheimer s disease there are more chances of a medication to work on slowing down the adverse effects of the disease since there is no permanent cure available for it. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that one is aware of the early onset of the disease and also, the symptoms to make a quick diagnosis. The disease affects people between the age of 30 and 60, generally, the symptoms begin at the very early age of 30 but they do not become persistent before reaching a later-on stage. The three stages are:

Preclinical when the individual hasn t recorded any symptoms
The beginning with mild symptoms
Complete dementia

Alzheimer's Disease - Know Its Symptoms!

Insomnia is the condition of acute sleeplessness, and it takes a heavy toll on your mood, your energy levels, and your ability to concentrate and work during the day. Some of the most common symptoms of the condition are:

You find it difficult to fall asleep even if you are tired
Once you wake up in the middle of the night, you cannot get back to sleep
You cannot work or concentrate on anything during the day
You stay mostly fatigued, or irritated throughout the day
You have to depend on pills or alcohol to fall asleep.
You wake up very early in the morning, no matter how late you sleep

What could be the causes for insomnia?

Insomnia might last just a few days if it is induced by some temporary cause, like stress at your workplace, or any other personal issue you can be facing. However, when the cause is a long rooted one, insomnia might persist for a long time. There can be a mix of many causes for that to happen:

Psychological stress or other emotional discomforts

Common psychological problems like anxiety, depression, chronic work stress, grief, and also bipolar disorder can be the causes for insomnia.

Illness or other medical problems

There can be many medical causes or other illnesses at the root of insomnia like allergies, acute asthma, hyperthyroidism, Parkinson's disease, kidney related diseases and cancer as well.

Medications

There can be many drugs, which might be prescribed by your doctor, but still be responsible for insomnia. These include antidepressants, corticosteroids like thyroid hormone medicines, few blood pressure medications, certain contraceptives and stimulants for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

Sleep Disorders

Insomnia, though in itself is a sleep disorder, can also be the symptoms for other sleep disorders like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and other disorders related to jet lag or if you are working on a late night shift.

In addition to these causes, some daily lifestyle habits might act as triggers to insomnia, which include:

Consumption of large amounts of caffeine on a regular basis
Developing irregular sleep schedules
Taking your smartphone to bed and ending up spending a lot of time with it in the night
Eating late in the evening

Causative Factors Behind Insomnia

Acoustic neuroma is the development of noncancerous and slow-growing tumors on the main, vestibular nerve that travels from the inner ear to the brain, connecting the two organs. They are also known as vestibular schwannoma, as it arises from Schwann cells covering the vestibular nerve. It rarely grows rapidly or attains a large enough size that can press against the brain and interfere with the vital functions of the brain. Since the tumor is benign, the patient can be assured that it won t spread to the other parts of the body; however, they can grow large enough to disrupt the normal function of the body.

The pressure from the acoustic neuroma on the main nerve can cause loss of hearing, a constant ringing in the ear and unsteadiness. As per a report published by the Acoustic Neuroma Association, 1 out of every 50,000 people suffers from this condition.

Risk factors for acoustic neuroma
Acoustic neuroma does not have quite as many risk factors. The only established risk factor for acoustic neuroma is having a parent who suffers from the rare genetic disorder neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2). However, having said that, neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) accounts for only 5 percent of the reported cases. In most of the cases, it has been found that the tumors appear spontaneously without any indication of a family member having this disease or any medical history of the same.

The development of noncancerous tumors on the ear nerves as well as other nerves in the body is scientifically supported as a characteristic indication of neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2). Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is also termed as an autosomal dominant disorder, which indicates that the mutated gene can pass from just one parent. Each of the children has a fifty-fifty chance of inheriting the disease.

However, scientists and doctors have failed to identify why specific people get these tumors. They have reached a generic conclusion about the risk factors, which may include:

Loud noises near the ear.
A parathyroid neuroma, which is a similar benign tumor of the thyroid.
A chance of exposure to low levels of radiation in the childhood.
How to diagnose the risk factors for acoustic neuroma?
If you are experiencing loss of hearing or other neurological symptoms, try to keep track of them. Later on, mention them to your doctor for a proper diagnosis. A detailed history of the symptoms will help your doctor. Your doctor will perform a hearing test to check whether you have an acoustic neuroma. Then the doctor may perform a brainstem auditory evoked response tests along with an electronystagmography to detect any changes in eye movement, caused due to the inner ear. MRI and CT scans are also quite common diagnoses methods for acoustic neuroma.

Acoustic Neuroma - What Are The Risk Factors?

Cerebral ischaemia or brain ischemia is a medical condition that restricts the flow of blood to the brain, resulting in an unmet metabolic demand. This leads to limited oxygen supply in the brain, which could result in the death of brain tissues, cerebral infarction or an ischemic stroke. Thus, a cardiorespiratory arrest, a stroke, and irreversible brain damage are few possible consequences of cerebral ischaemia.

People with compressed blood vessels, low blood pressure, congenital heart defects or sickle cell anaemia have a high risk of developing cerebral ischaemia since compressed blood vessels or very low pressure can lead to restricted blood flow. Also, sickle-shaped cells have a greater tendency to clot, causing obstructed blood flow.

Patients with cerebral ischaemia experience a host of symptoms, such as weakness in the body, problems with coordination and movement, vision and speech impairment and unconsciousness.

Cerebral congestion, on the other hand, refers to the excessive quantity of blood in the brain vessels, causing pressure on the cerebral substance. Cerebral congestion is of two types. It is termed as active when there is too much arterial blood flow and passive when there is undue quantity of venous blood in the veins of the brain. Both conditions cause symptoms, such as a severe headache, insomnia, irritability and unconsciousness. The patient gets little sleep and is disturbed often followed by dreams. When awake, the patient s mental activity in the brain is very high.

Homeopathy is now a well-established school of medicine backed with years of research and practice. Gone are the days when homeopathy was considered no more than an extension of herbal home remedies.

Homeopathic laboratories around the world produce a large number of medicines covering almost all ailments. The benefits of homeopathic treatment are now well established due to its holistic approach and minimal side effects. Homeopathy is undoubtedly a ray of hope for patients with cerebral ischaemia and cerebral congestion, as it delivers a comprehensive treatment plan designed to target the signs and symptoms of the disease and address its non-occurrence.

The medications deal with mild to severe symptoms, including inflammation of the brain, headache, vomiting, insomnia, stroke/convulsions and seizures. The stramonium drug, for example, deals with seizures. Belladonna is an effective remedy for sharp shooting headaches, a common symptom of cerebral congestion. Ferrum is believed to be a valuable remedy for brain ischaemia. Few drugs deal with the symptoms of both ischaemia and congestion nux is a suitable drug for the treatment of ischaemia as well as for passive cerebral congestion. Similarly, phosphorus can be used to treat brain ischaemia and congestion. Zincum metallicum is a highly recommended drug for chronic cases of ischaemia.

The treatment is comprehensive and long term and shows substantive results. Regular follow-ups and consultation with a homeopath specialist is the key to an effective treatment.

Homeopathy Treatment Of Cerebral Ischaemia & Cerebral Congestion

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