The stage of Childhood is often one of the most complicated times of life because when it comes to medical and health-related care, it takes a lot of experience and research to be very sure of what could be the problem when there is one.
Children do not talk you don't you don't even know what to express when they have certain situations writing when they are younger.
In the med hive community this week we have a prompt to talk about childhood and the various disorders that might affect growth and cause diseases in them. It's been a busy week for me and I m sorry this had to come up on the last day. But there is much to learn here. I also expect posts from other people.
It may appear simple to say that the young shall grow. But it takes a lot of actions both active and passive consciousness to ensure that this happens. Parents are obliged to concentrate on these actions every day to ensure that their wards do not fall into danger of a growth disorder or a developmental disorder.
In this post, I will write about common developmental disorders and how they affect a child.
The growth of a child from infancy into teenage years involves 3 main categories they go physically, mentally and socially. People are often more conscious of the physical growth however until the child is doing well in these three domains that is hen we can say that this child is developing well.
A child may grow physically but still have cognitive impairment or difficulty in learning languages or even having behavioural issues. All of this should never be overlooked as they are just as important as their height and their weight and appetite. People often feel as long as a child is growing physically and they're eating well then nothing else matters but this is a myth and a lie.
There are expected milestones that a child must meet as they grow and if the small stones are not reached then there is an impairment and such child needs medical attention as urgently as possible.
Most of these developmental impairments are best managed early because if they are prolonged for attention then the harm will be irreversible.
For children, developmental issues are mostly related to the brain and if harmful causes are not quickly detected the harm might go on to last forever.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?
Speaking of the causes of these developmental issues they just send right from before the child was born, during delivery and afterwards.
If the mother was exposed to harmful infections, alcohol and other harmful substances abused. This could have led to impaired brain development or a congenital defect leading to developmental disorder after birth.
They could also occur at childbirth.
when the child spends longer than necessary within the birth canal, a condition called perinatal asphyxia could have happened this would result in the child being devoid of oxygen which a child needs. This condition will lead to Brain damage due to what is called hypoxia, reduced oxygen to the brain and this would result in certain developmental disorders.
After birth, your children could also develop developmental disorders from infections and injuries. This could be from genetic exposure and the use of toxic materials such as lead.
There is a wide range classification of developmental disorders the common ones include:
1. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is also known as ADHD
2. Autism spectrum disorder is also knownown as ASD
3. Cerebral palsy
4. Intellectual disability
Others include hearing loss visual impairment and learning impairment
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
This developmental disorder is commonly seen in children who have a hard time paying attention to ongoing matters or even in school when they have difficulty focusing on what is being taught. These kids are also characteristically hyperactive as they could throw tantrums at any time and this could affect the child's relationship with people and academic performances.
Because of their hyperactivity, it is thought that so many thoughts are going through their head and they have difficulty completing commands or easily get anxious when they are not expected to or even develop a kind of fear for something that doesn't matter. This may be common to most children but if these things persist for more than 2 months then they may need to see a physician.
Autism spectrum disorder
This is another class of developmental disorder which was previously known as Asperger's syndrome. Unfortunately, this is known to continue throughout life, unlike ADHD which could persists up till teenage. Autism mostly affects communication and behavioural skills and it has been associated with genetic risk factors, perinatal risk factors, as well as occurring in when the age of the parents at the time of conception is above 45 years.
Children in this category usually have a very good memory and are exceptional in subjects like maths, arts, science and music. They usually have routines that they follow and they may or may not show high intelligence. They are known to develop words of their own and even have special signs that only they know what it means.
Parents are mostly obliged to learn as they grow so fast to know what they want. Such children require close medical follow-up and they are mostly very very intelligent and can still have fulfilled lives.
Cerebral palsy
This spectrum of developmental disorders commonly affects the child's physical appearance and also affects mental capabilities sometimes. There are different types which are named based on the kind of manifestation. They are all commonly caused by perinatal asphyxia or exposure to toxins during pregnancy or even after delivery. This is why the serum bilirubin is often monitored seriously to avoid bilirubin encephalopathy in babies.
The child may have a head lag even at an age when they're supposed to have gained head control, there might also be over extension of the back or stiffness of the hands and legs.
They may also not attain motor milestones such as head control crawling, rolling or walking as normally as other children would.
The management of these three common developmental disorders requires the services of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, parents and even the entire community.
CALL TO ACTION
More people need to be aware of these conditions to reduce the stigma that follows them and also they need to know that these people deserve the love and the support they need for them to live fulfilled lives.
And the parents who have children with disabilities, it's often a great challenge dealing with them every day they need support and encouragement as well.
THANKS FOR READING MY POST
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