Developmental Behavior In Illness

Behavioral and Developmental Disorders are extensive. Developmental illness is not understood properly by society. This lack of knowledge adds to the cumulative stigma that accompanies behavioral disorder or developmental diagnosis. Physicians and parents must educate themselves and people in society about the different developmental disorders and the opportunities for their treatment and intervention. Early identification of the child's disorder or delay in the development will help to the best possible results.

The most common disorder present among children is mental retardation. As per the statistics in CDC, In the United States, more than one of every 100 school children have a form mental retardation. The second most common disorder is Cerebral Palsy, which is followed by autism spectrum. The latter is neurobehavioral and characterizes by inattentiveness, impulsiveness or combination of both. These problems are called AD/HD. It occurs in childhood and continues into adulthood. Well tested interview methods help in their early diagnosis. Aside this the third most common developmental illness is Angelman Syndrome. The children with this syndrome have delays in development. It is evident in 6 to 12 months of age. The diagnosis is possible with DNA tests. The symptoms show difficulty in maintaining balance while in movement. Observational techniques and interviews help in diagnosing this syndrome.

Till recently, the research on mental disorders aims at the adults. However in the past decade, the mental research community is focussing on the illness in children. There is research in childhood development considering what is normal and what is not normal. They are trying to identify the factors that affect the development and will have an influence on mental health. Their aim is to identify and hence, eliminate the developmental problems that have a possibility to lead the children to mental illness. A major contribution in this research comes from identifying the risk factors. These risk factors are the ones that increase the chances of generating a mental disorder. Additionally, the mental health Community is also insisting on initiating research on medications for the treatment of developmental ailments in children at an early age itself. It is also true that such disorders are an outcome of a combination of factors and cannot be prevented entirely. If the symptoms are identified early, it will enable early treatment and multiple disabling, and distressing outcomes of these developmental disorders will be eliminated or prevented.