Neurodevelopmental disorders result when complex genetic and environmental factors come together to change brain development. In some ...SkiptocontentWhatisaNeurodevelopmentalDisorder?Home/DiagnosingDLD/WhatisaNeurodevelopmentalDisorder?PreviousNextWhatisaNeurodevelopmentalDisorder?KarlaMcGregor,Ph.D.BoysTownNationalResearchHospitalDevelopmentalLanguageDisorder(DLD)isa“neurodevelopmentaldisorder.”Otherneurodevelopmentaldisordersare:AttentionDeficitHyperactivityDisorderDevelopmentalCoordinationDisorderTicDisorderslikeTourette’sDisorderIntellectualDisabilityAutismSpectrumDisorderSpecificLearningDisorderChild-onsetFluencyDisorder(Stuttering)SpeechSoundDisorderAlthoughneurodevelopmentaldisordersareusuallydiagnosedduringchildhood,theycanlastintoadulthood.Inmildercases,sometimestheproblemisnotdiagnoseduntiladulthood,eventhoughitwasalwayspresent.WhatCausesNeurodevelopmentalDisorders?Neurodevelopmentaldisordersresultwhencomplexgeneticandenvironmentalfactorscometogethertochangebraindevelopment.Insomecases,weknowwhatthosegeneticandenvironmentalfactorsare.Inmanycases,wedonot.Neurodevelopmentaldisorderstendtoruninfamilies.ThefathermighthavealearningdisabilityandhissonmighthaveADHD.AbrothermighthaveDLDandhissistermighthaveautism.Thissuggeststhatsomeneurodevelopmentaldisordershavecommoncauses.NoonehasidentifiedtheexactcausesofthebraindysfunctionsthatleadtoDLD,althoughresearchersareworkingonthisquestion.Ofcourse,everyone’sbrainisdifferentfromeveryoneelse’sbrain.Forthisreason,itisimportanttoconsiderhowmuchtheprobleminterfereswithsocial,academic,oroccupationalsuccessbeforediagnosingDLD.Someimportanttake-awaymessages:PeoplewithDLDarenotlazy;theyhavetroubleusingorunderstandinglanguagebecausetheirbrainsworkdifferently.Theword“developmental”doesNOTmeanthatpeoplewilloutgrowtheproblemastheydevelopfromchildrentoadults.ItDOESmeanthattheproblememergesearlyindevelopment.DLDandotherneurodevelopmentaldisorderswillchangewithdevelopmentbecausesomeareaswillimprovewhilenewchallengesmakeotherweakare