Is it a developmental disorder? What to do when you're worried about your child's words and actions

Due to the difference in the way the brain works, certain characteristics may appear among infants in terms of behavior and emotions of children with developmental disabilities.

Treatment is not the only solution for developmental disorders

In the last column (a misunderstanding of the "developmental disorder" that is prevalent in the world), symptoms of developmental disability can apply to anyone, and there are cases where there is no need to be conscious of disability depending on environmental adjustment. However, I think there will be parents who are actually thinking of counseling with specialized institutions because they are curious about their children while raising children. The first thing I want to say is that even if you think our child may have a developmental disorder, you don't have to hurry to see a doctor.

Developmental disorders are continuous with normal conditions, so "treatment" in hospitals is not the only solution. In the first place, I don't think many professions related to people with developmental disabilities, including myself, recognize that they are "diseases" that need to be cured of developmental disabilities. The general direction of supporting developmental disorders is to think about solutions to the difficulties of yourself and your family while identifying individual characteristics and supporting smooth social participation or self-reliance toward the future. Because it is very different from the conventional medical model of "healing a disease in a hospital," families need to be able to use support not only from medical institutions but also from welfare services and educational institutions.

The Big Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disease

The behavior characteristic of developmental disorders is that children are often recognized from an early age, but the youngest is a disease called the autism spectrum.

This condition has two main characteristics.

1. Communication difficulties
2. Very strong obsession (at a level that interferes with life)

Both are for everyone to some extent, so it's really hard to see what kind of behavior is ideal, but in the early stages of infancy, the environment surrounding the child and human relationships are simple, and the behavioral pattern that measures the child's sociality is limited. For example, there are characteristics such as difficult to meet eyes from a baby, excessive shyness, or not at all, not chasing after a mother, unwilling to share joy or surprise with a mother, and being sensitive to sound.

The reason why a specialist recommends a "welfare window" rather than a "hospital"

Recently, there may be parents who are worried after reading because developmental disorders are also described in detail in parenting. If you are concerned about your child's behavior, it is recommended to consult at the welfare window of the district and municipalities where you live. I think it's a good idea to consult with a 1-year-old half-child checkup or a 3-year-old child checkup. The health and psychologist consults and suggestions according to the content. If you consult at the welfare window, I think you may be offered a "treatment education" in some cases.

Cultivation refers to a place to support the growth and development of children by regularly implementing individual or small group programs aimed at independence or social participation in accordance with the degree and characteristics of individual disabilities. In principle, a diagnosis name is not required, and even at the "suspicious" stage, you or your family have some anxiety about social participation, so you can apply if you want to receive treatment education. In some cases, a doctor's note may be required, but even in that case, a "diagnostic name" is not required.

Details of the procedures for using treatment education can be found on the local government website. A lot of local governments are saying, "Second generationPre-school children can be used at a treatment facility named "Child Development Support Office" and "After-school Day Service" for 6 to 18 years old. I can't tell you all, but in general, it is often beneficial for preschoolers to use treatment services in the district and municipalities before receiving treatment at a medical institution.

As mentioned earlier, support for children with developmental disabilities has a large factor of "raising, growing," rather than "fixing," so busy hospital outpatients are not enough. Also, I think it is worth trying these welfare services first because there are children who have improved only by using pre-school treatment and have been living at the top level since elementary school.

A child who suddenly loses his composure after entering elementary school

When I was young, I didn't care at all, but after entering elementary school, there are children who walk standing up, don't do group actions well, or miss out on all orders. Since life, which has been centered on the family, has to adapt to school at once, it is not unreasonable to lose some calmness, and most of them gradually become calm as they get used to it.

However, some of them are children who cannot concentrate in the so-called ordinary Japanese class, or children who feel pain in staying within the large number of people in their generation. In that case, it may work well by consulting a school counselor or using a special support class or a supply guidance class.

In particular, there are many children attending my outpatient class, but since they belong to the regular class and can be used once or twice a week, it seems to be a place where even children who are not good at group can breathe with confidence.