Neurodevelopmental disorders in children

Key words: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), Psychological function, Diagnosis management

In clinical practice the onset of a new pathology mostly draws the patients’ and physician’s attention. New manifestations that interrupt the pre-existing healthy condition of a child are easily noticed by their parents or paediatricians, but the bio-psychic condition in the age of development is not so stabilized as in adulthood. Therefore, it is extremely important to focus the attention on the negative symptoms that are usually insidious and difficult to recognise because they present themselves as “shortcomings” and that can be the onset of a disorder. The non-development of a psychological function expected for the age may not be a simple retardation, but it may be the first symptom of an atypical development. By using selected examples, the article briefly summarises the most recent tendencies of the literature and clinical practice for the early diagnosis and treatment of the neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). It also suggests some instruments that paediatricians can use to identify the risk of onset of NDD.