Neurodevelopment is a normal process of progress in a person which involves in training the brain, so that it can form certain neurological pathways in order to improve a certain functioning or performance. Growth in reading abilities, intellectual processing, memory and attention span as well as social skills, all form a part of neurodevelopment. As a child learns to read and write, to when he acquires the ability to play a certain musical instrument, he is ultimately taking part in the process of neurodevelopment. Their progress becomes better with each try and repeated practice. The core aim of neurodevelopment is to reach the optimum capability of an individual in performing a certain task.
Curtis Cripepoints out the causes of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
In the simplest terms, Neurodevelopmental disorders are the defects in development or the growth of the brain or the nervous system. It includes the impairments in the function of the brain that affects the ability to learn, show emotion, have self-control, and strengthen the memory span and so on. In takes into account the functions a person develops as he grows with age.
Being an experienced neuro-engineer, who has worked in neuro-development programs and cognitive rehabilitation drives, that has been helping children with different development disorders like autism and ADHD, Curtis Cripe highlights few key causes which may cause defects in the neurodevelopment process of a person:
- Deprivation from emotional care: Humans are social beings. They need adequate social interaction and emotional support in order to mature properly. A person cannot be an island; he cannot live on his own. While this philosophy holds true for all ages, it is especially prominent in children. A child needs constant care and support to attain proper growth. A child who has been denied severely from emotional and social care has more chances of suffering from deficiencies in cognitive development and brain functioning. The longer they are deprived of proper care, the severe their ailments are likely to become.
- Genetics: When there is a case of neurodevelopment disorder diagnosed in a household, the chances of the other members having is quite high, if the problem is caused by abnormalities present in their genes. Down syndrome is one of the examples of this disorder which is genetically determined. Unfortunately this is one of the causes which cannot be controlled.
- Deficiency in nutrition: For a child to have a healthy growth and development, a proper nutrition is of utmost importance. Doctors always advice to take care a child’s nutrition during their growing years as deficiency in important vitamins can gravely hinder their progress. Spina bifda is one such type of neurodevelopment disorder which leads to critical physical disability.
- Immune dysfunction: According to Curtis Cripe , this is another cause which cannot be controlled, as it mostly occurs during pregnancies. These are due to immune complications caused during pregnancies which may affect both the mother and the child.
- Physical trauma: Suffering from a grave physical trauma or injury at a tender age is one of the most common causes of this disorder. This trauma may be a result of a complicated or premature birth, or from a physical injury taking place during infancy or childhood.
As stated by Dr.Cripe, these are few of the causes which can hinder the process of neurodevelopment in a child.
