NEURODEVELOPMENT INTERUPTED: SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

By Emily Beard Johnson, BA, CD, Asst. Assoc. of ECE, Neurological Reorganization Practitioner

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 neurological reorganization:

Pons 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 stomachaches
• 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 neurological reorganization practitioner.