What are degenerative disorders?

First off, it must be established that degenerative disorders are part of the canopy term developmental disability. These begin during the developmental period and often lasts an entire lifetime, significantly affecting a person’s everyday functioning, explains neuroengineering expert Dr. Curtis Cripe.

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The Center for Disease Control or CDC defines developmental disabilities as a group of conditions resulting from impairments in a person’s physical, language, behavior, and learning areas. Some common examples are Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, and vision impairment.

A degenerative disorder or disease is the result of a continuous process of deteriorating cells, affecting our organs and tissues. In neurology, cells affected by neurodegenerative diseases in one’s central nervous system will eventually cease from working. Alzheimer’s disease is a good example of this condition. Aside from neurodegenerative diseases, the other common degenerative disease types are neoplastic (like cancer) and those that affect one’s circulatory system (e.g., coronary artery disease).

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Again, while some are connected to aging and lifestyle choices, some degenerative disorders are partially or mainly genetic in nature (like Huntington’s disease). It could also be that the disease is caused by exposure to chemicals, viruses, and poison. In a nutshell, depending on the specific defect, degenerative disorders can lead to sensory, mental, and physical issues, adds Dr. Curtis Cripe.

Dr. Curtis Cripe is the director of research and development at the NTL Group. He has published two peer-reviewed papers and wrote two book chapters on neurotherapy and neuroengineering. For similar posts, visit thisblog.

Common causes of developmental disabilities in children

Developmental disabilities involve a wide array of disorders that lead to intellectual and physical impairments, speech disorders, and medical conditions. And while such disabilities often get diagnosed at birth, certain disorders may not be identified until a child turns three to six years old, explains neuroengineering expert Dr. Curtis Cripe.

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 While some developmental disabilities may be mild, some may be severe and require the full attention of parents and neurologists. The most common ones are autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Tourette syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, spina bifida, Velocardiofacial syndrome, syndromes related to drug use and fetal alcohol, and chromosome abnormalities.

Doctors may refer to developmental disabilities as developmental delays, but this umbrella term can be misleading. A child with a developmental disability may be the result of a genetic disorder, and it isn’t possible to grow out of it if such is the case. It is, of course, still possible to get treatment if, say, a child only exhibits a mild version of a disability. But this entails a great amount of therapy.

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Therapy will allow a child to function at age level for a certain period, but remember that their level of functioning, as well as their social and career success, will largely depend upon the type and severity of the disability, Curtis Cripe adds. As children with developmental disabilities turn into adults, much depends upon the quality of therapy they’ve had as children, as well as existing social network and support.

Curtis Cripe, Ph.D., heads research and development at the NTL Group, which works with neuroengineering technology to treat addiction, head injury (TBI), depression, anxiety, memory disorders, and neurodevelopmental delays in children with learning disorders. Visit this blogfor related posts.