Neuropsychological developmental disabilities

Approximately 4 million live births occur in the United States each year. Among those births, the approximate prevalence in the United States of various neuropsychological developmental disabilities in examined children—that is, those disabilities occurring in children that impair their cognitive development and function—is as follows1 ... 

An estimated 17 percent of American children less than 17 years of age are reported to have at least one neuropsychological developmental disability. That s about 1 out of every 6 children, or 11 million children under the age of 17 in America with a neuropsychological developmental disability. 

Such disabilities are usually diagnosed in the school-age population, and nearly all of them endure throughout the lifetime. Their prevalence among adults is unclear, but if we assume prevalence in American adults the same as that in children (17 percent), we can estimate that more than 50 million Americans have at least one neuropsychological developmental disability. 

I will focus in this chapter on major neuropsychological developmental disabilities that may involve a prenatal environmental impact cerebral palsy, epilepsy, vision and hearing deficits, speech deficits and learning disabilities, ADHD, and, in greater detail, autism. Childhood emotional or behavioral problems will be discussed in a later chapter. Mental retardation and growth delay are discussed in the book in various places. 

Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Children with autism or one of the other pervasive developmental disorders can be impulsive and inattentive much like those with ADHD. However, the severe social disability and language problems of children with an autistic disorder usually far exceed that of ADHD. These differences are usually sufficient to clarify the diagnosis. When one is unsure, neuropsychological testing can help clarify matters. 

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