About Developmental Disabilities

ADHD - Is a chronic psychiatric condition that affects a person's behavior and can continue into adulthood. It's characterized by a pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity that can interfere with a person's development or functioning.

APERT SYNDROME - Also known as acrocephalosyndactyly, is a genetic disorder that causes fusion of the skull, hands, and feet bones. It is characterized by deformities of the skull, face, teeth, and limbs.

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE - A general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities, serious enough to interfere with daily life.

ANXIETY - Is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal reaction to stress.

ARTHRITIS - Is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis is joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsens with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

AUTISM - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.

BIPOLAR DISORDER - Bipolar disorders are mental health conditions characterized by periodic, intense emotional states affecting a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. 

CEREBRAL PALSY - Is a group of conditions that affects movement and posture. It's caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, most often before birth. 

DEPRESSION - Is a mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life. 

DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY - Refers to a child who has not gained the developmental skills expected of him or her, compared to others of the same age. Delays may occur in the areas of motor function, speech and language, cognitive, play, and social skills. Global developmental delay means a young child has significant delays in two or more of these areas of development. 

DEVELOPMENTAL HEARING LOSS - Is a problem with a child’s ears that reduces their ability to detect sound. Hearing loss can affect one or both ears and ranges from mild to profound. Even mild hearing loss can interfere with a child’s speech and language skills. 

DOWN SYNDROME  - Down syndrome is a genetic condition where a person is born with an extra chromosome. This can affect how their brain and bodies develop. 

DYSLEXIA - Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems, identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called a reading disability, dyslexia is a result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language. 

DYSPRAXIA - Is a lifelong developmental coordination disorder that affects gross and fine motor skills, and sometimes cognitive function. 

EPILEPSY - Is a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures. 

FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER - Is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother's pregnancy. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause the child to have disabilities related to behavior, learning and thinking, and physical development. 

GOUT - is a type of arthritis in which small crystals form inside and around the joints. It causes sudden flares of severe pain and swelling.

HEARING LOSS - is a common problem that often develops with age or is caused by repeated exposure to loud noises.

INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY - Is a term used when a person has certain limitations in cognitive functioning and skills, including conceptual, social and practical skills, such as language, social and self-care skills. 

JOINT HYPERMOBILITY - some or all of a person’s joints have an unusually large range of movement.

LANGUAGE AND SPEECH DISORDERS - A speech disorder is a condition in which a person has problems creating or forming the speech sounds needed to communicate with others. This can make the child's speech difficult to understand. Speech disorders are different from language disorders in children. Language disorders refer to someone having difficulty with: Getting their meaning or message across to others (expressive language) Understanding the message coming from others (receptive language) 

LEARNING DISORDERS - A neurodevelopment disorder that can make it difficult for a person to learn and perform academically. 

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) - Is a long-lasting (chronic) disease of the central nervous system. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake. MS is an unpredictable disease that affects people differently. Some people with MS may have only mild symptoms. 

MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY - Is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. In muscular dystrophy, abnormal genes (mutations) interfere with the production of proteins needed to form healthy muscle. 

NARCOLEPSY - is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to control sleep-wake cycles.

NEUROLEPTIC MALIGNANT SYNDROME (NMS) - is a rare and life-threatening reaction to the use of almost any kind of neuroleptic (antipsychotic) medication. It causes a high fever and muscle stiffness.

NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER - are grouped into three subcategories: Delirium.

MILD NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER - some decreased mental function, but able to stay independent and do daily tasks. 

MAJOR NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER - decreased mental function and loss of ability to do daily tasks. Also called dementia.

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) - is a long-lasting disorder in which a person experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), engages in repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or both.

PHYSICAL DISABILITY - Is a physical condition that limits a person's ability to function and perform activities ranging from moving to communicating to taking care of themselves 

 POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) - Is a disorder in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. 

QUADRIPLEGIA (TETRAPLEGIA) - Is a symptom of paralysis that affects all a person’s limbs and body from the neck down. The most common cause of quadriplegia is an injury to the spinal cord in your neck, but it can also happen with medical conditions.  

RETT SYNDROME - Is a disorder of the nervous system that leads to developmental reversals, especially in the areas of expressive language and hand use. Rett syndrome occurs almost exclusively in girls and may be misdiagnosed as autism or cerebral palsy. 

SCHIZOPHRENIA - Is a serious mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. 

SPINA BIFIDA - Is a condition that affects the spine. It is usually apparent at birth. It is a type of neural tube defect (NTD). Spina bifida can happen anywhere along the spine if the neural tube does not form properly or close all the way. 

TOURETTE SYNDROME - Is a neurological disorder that may cause sudden unwanted and uncontrolled rapid and repeated movements or vocal sounds called tics. TS is one of a group of disorders of the developing nervous system called tic disorders. 

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY - Is an injury to the head that affects the way the brain works. TBI can range from mild to severe. 

VERTIGO - is a symptom, rather than a condition itself. It’s the feeling that you, or the environment around you, is moving or spinning.

VISION IMPAIRMENT - Is a term experts use to describe any kind of vision loss, whether it's someone who cannot see at all or someone who has partial vision loss. 

WILLIAMS SYNDROME - Is a rare genetic condition characterized by unique physical features, delays in cognitive development and potential cardiovascular problems.