Neurodevelopment Interrupted: Signs And Symptoms
Functional neurology results from the completion of the developmental sequence. If there is any interruption, injury, or disruption to the developmental sequence, a functional deficit will result. For some individuals, it creates a small impact on their lives. However, the majority of serious emotional, behavioral, and academic concerns have a neurological basis due to disrupted development. Below is a list of signs and symptoms of functional deficits, all of which can be resolved through a program of NeuroDevelopmental Movement®.
Pons Level Dysfunction:
• A profound sense of displacement, isolation, and mistrust, with statements such as, “You don’t love me,” “I shouldn’t be alive,” etc.
• Anterior head carriage (head juts forward)
• Anxiety
• Avoidance of eye contact
• Bed wetting (beyond what is age appropriate)
• Clingy
• Constantly hungry, even if he has just eaten an adequate amount of food
• Controlling
• Creates chaos in her environment
• Difficulty bonding with parents, siblings, and other caregivers
• Fight or flight response to inappropriate situations, such as acting as if her life is threatened when a small issue has occurred. (Example: child trips on a toy, gets angry, and blames it on the closest available person)
• Fool-hardy risk-taking, such as leaping off of high structures or diving off of high structures or diving off of furniture
• Gets seriously hurt and makes little to no fuss, such as the baby who teethes without getting fussy
• Hunched shoulders
• Inappropriate perception of danger
• Lack of empathy
• Little or no appetite
• Manipulative
• Midbrain-level and cortical dysfunction, as neurology is cumulative
• Night terrors
• Overly affectionate with strangers
• Picks on others, including animals
• Pigeon-toed
• Uses finger to track text across the page
• Skips words or parts of words while reading
• Self-abuse, such as picking at scabs, biting fingernails until they bleed, and other forms of extreme self-stimulation
• Superficially charming
• Violent rages
Midbrain Level Dysfunction:
• Allergies
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Auditory processing issues
• Autoimmune disorders
• Bipolar disorder• Bladder and/or bowel issues, such as constipation and irritable bowel syndrome
• Clumsiness
• Depression
• Depth perception issues, including seeing blurry or double
• Difficulty accessing words
• Difficulty maintaining balance
• Difficulty reading non-verbal social cues. For example, asks people if they are feeling happy or sad, rather than reading their emotion
• Difficulty responding to prompts when engrossed in a task. If doing something he is interested in, one has to be right in his face to get his attention
• Difficulty tracking text down a page while reading or doing math
• Difficulty with reading comprehension; unable to remember or recall a story
• Disrupted or inconsistent sleep patterns
• Distractibility; every little thing catches her attention
• Drama queen
• Feet point outward
• Heartburn or stomach aches
• Hyperactivity; she can’t sit still even for a moment
• Immense frustration, generally resulting in outbursts
• Impulse control issues. Will do something that she has been repeatedly instructed not to do and, when asked, says, “I didn’t know” or “I forgot”
• Inappropriate spatial boundaries; is in your face or hangs way back
• Inarticulate, atonal, or slurred speech
• Muscles which are too loose or too tight, such as the person who is extremely double-jointed and limber
• Neurochemical imbalance
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Out-of-sync in social settings. Can’t seem to follow what is discussed or shared
• Poor temperature regulation, as in the person who never wants to wear a coat even when in a cold environment
• Rages that are seemingly out-of-nowhere
• Reversal of letters and/or numbers
• Short attention span
• Says “yes” to every obligation, even when already over-extended
• Sensitivity to textures of clothes or clothing tags
• Sensitivity to textures of food or difficulty chewing
• Short attention span
• Trouble remembering and following through on tasks. If told to do three tasks in a row, cannot complete all three of them with prompts or reminders
• Verbal and/or physical tics, such as a rapid eye blinking or repetition of the same word or phrase
Cortical Dysfunction:
• Difficulty recognizing symbols, such as letters and numbers
• Difficulty walking and running
• Difficulty sequencing information, especially in abstract situations
• Immature language skills, such as the use of incomplete sentences, incorrect pronouns, or difficulty expressing needs
• Memory problems
• Poor fine motor skills
Note: No individual is going to demonstrate all of these symptoms of neurological dysfunction. And just a few symptoms in a given category may indicate a problem. Early trauma (including separation from birth mother and foster families, moves and transitions, chronic stress, or a head injury) can cause neurodevelopmental disruption.
If you have concerns, contact a NeuroDevelopmental Movement® Consultant.