Developmental disorder list
Childhood Developmental Disorders: Types and Symptoms
Our differences make us unique. For some children, individuality may include living with a developmental disorder.
Developmental disorders affect everyone differently. Your child might experience mild impairment, or they may need mechanical assistance during the day.
Living with a lifelong condition doesn’t mean quality of life is absent, however. Children can lead full, happy lives, even when faced with developmental challenges.
Developmental disorders, sometimes referred to as childhood disorders, are physical or brain-based conditions that affect a child’s progress as they grow and develop necessary life skills.
These disorders may impact areas such as:
- mobility
- biological function
- cognition (learning)
- physical or emotional independence
- language
- the five senses and perception
- social skills
Many childhood developmental disorders are present before birth and last throughout life. They may also occur as the result of injury, trauma, or other medical factors during childhood.
What’s the most common childhood developmental disorder?
Childhood developmental disorders can affect anyone of any race, gender, or national origin.
In the United States, approximately 17% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 live with at least one developmental disorder.
A 2019 review examining studies between 2009 and 2017 revealed that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was the most commonly seen developmental disorder in children.
Any condition that impacts development in childhood and persists into adulthood may be classified as a childhood developmental disorder.
Not all developmental disorders impact a large number of children. Your child may live with a rare genetic trait or experience an injury that causes long-term, unique effects.
Common developmental disorders include:
- autism spectrum disorder
- learning disorders
- ADHD
- fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
- language disorders
- physical challenges
- other developmental delays
Autism spectrum disorder
While often lumped in under “learning disorders,” autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder and doesn’t always affect your child’s ability to learn.
Instead, behavior, communication, sensory, and social skills challenges may be the most noticeable signs.
While there may also be learning difficulties in some skill areas, many autistic children are gifted.
Learning disorders
There are three main types of learning disorders that can affect how well your child processes information.
These disorders can be present no matter what your child’s intelligence level is. Learning disorders have to do with academic weak spots, not smarts.
Reversing letters while reading or difficulty distinguishing left from right could indicate a learning disorder.
Some children may also find math challenging or may have difficulty with writing skills.
Common learning disabilities include:
- dyslexia
- dysgraphia
- dyscalculia
ADHD
Like autism spectrum disorder, ADHD is often incorrectly considered a learning disorder.
Symptoms of ADHD can include hyperactivity and difficulty focusing on the task at hand.
These could lead to challenges in a learning environment, but they aren’t a learning disability.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders result from a birthparent consuming alcohol during pregnancy.
Known as FASDs, these conditions may cause a number of side effects for the growing fetus and baby, including:
- low body weight
- non-typical facial features
- vision and hearing problems
- cognitive difficulties
- executive functioning challenges
Common types of FASDs include:
- fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
- alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD)
- alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorder (ARND)
- neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (ND-PAE)
Language disorders
If your child experiences challenges related to communication, a language disorder may be the cause.
Language disorders can include symptoms such as:
- stuttering or stammering
- not understanding words
- inability to express themselves
- difficulty speaking words or making sentences
- delayed ability to speak
Common language disorders include:
- auditory processing disorder
- aphasia
Intellectual disorders
Intellectual disorders aren’t the same as learning disorders.
Intellectual disorders are diagnosed when a child has lower capacity for reasoning, learning, and applying skills. This refers to “IQ”, or intelligence quotient.
Lower than average IQ can be reflected in daily functioning and is the primary trait of intellectual disorders.
Your child may experience an intellectual disorder as the result of a different, co-occurring developmental disorder, such as fetal alcohol syndrome.
Physical challenges
Childhood developmental disorders often present as physical challenges.
It may be something obvious, such as a physical difference that requires the use of a wheelchair, or it may be something less visible, such as a change in brain structure.
Common childhood developmental disorders with physical challenges include:
- cerebral palsy
- muscular dystrophy
- spina bifida
Other developmental delays
Not every delay is a disorder. Some children may take longer than others to develop certain skills or hit specific developmental milestones.
Your child may take an extra 3 months to start walking, for example, but this may never develop into something that impacts adult life.
In some cases, your child may present with a developmental disorder that can’t be clearly defined. This doesn’t mean what they’re experiencing isn’t real.
Your child may be living with a developmental disorder that shares traits with many other conditions and can’t be classified as a single diagnosis.
Developmental disorder vs. intellectual disability
Intellectual disabilities are conditions that negatively impact a child’s IQ.
Developmental disorders, on the other hand, don’t necessarily have to do with intelligence.
While they can include intellectual disability, developmental disorders may also only affect behavior, mobility, or other aspects of a child’s development and growth.
Was this helpful?
The impact of a childhood developmental disorder on adulthood may depend on the type and severity of the condition and the area of development it impacts.
Some conditions, like anxiety or depression, can be treated and managed from childhood through adulthood.
Other conditions, such as those related to language, may be outgrown with the help of targeted therapy and repetition.
Genetic traits or physical challenges that result in a developmental disorder may require mechanical aids, such as prosthetics or mobility chairs.
Many children adapt to life with a developmental disorder. If it’s always been a part of their lives, they often learn early how to accomplish things in their own way. It’s also typical to see them develop additional skills in other areas that help them cope with their challenges.
When they reach adulthood, new situations may test that ability to adapt.
Adults living with developmental disorders, like learning disabilities, may meet challenges related to:
- employment
- education
- relationships
- independence
Assistance and symptom management are available in all of these areas.
Legislation and community support programs can help adults with developmental disorders gain employment, maintain relationships, and find ways to be independent in daily life.
Many childhood developmental disorders are treatable and can be managed throughout adulthood.
Therapy, medication, and the use of daily assistance will all depend on the disorder and impact it has on daily functioning.
If you suspect your child may be showing signs of a developmental disorder, a health professional can help.
Early diagnosis and intervention can make a difference and help your little one continue a developmental trajectory.
Physical assessments and baseline child development models can let you know how your child’s progress compares to others in their age group.
In most cases, symptom management is possible and helpful.
Every child is unique and will develop at their own pace. However, in some cases, factors like genetics, biology, and injuries may get in the way of them reaching certain milestones.
Developmental disorders can result in specific challenges for a child. These can affect mobility, learning, social interaction, sensory input, and other aspects of growing up.
In most cases, professional intervention and home stimulation can help your child overcome or manage these symptoms.
Childhood Developmental Disorders: Types and Symptoms
Our differences make us unique. For some children, individuality may include living with a developmental disorder.
Developmental disorders affect everyone differently. Your child might experience mild impairment, or they may need mechanical assistance during the day.
Living with a lifelong condition doesn’t mean quality of life is absent, however. Children can lead full, happy lives, even when faced with developmental challenges.
Developmental disorders, sometimes referred to as childhood disorders, are physical or brain-based conditions that affect a child’s progress as they grow and develop necessary life skills.
These disorders may impact areas such as:
- mobility
- biological function
- cognition (learning)
- physical or emotional independence
- language
- the five senses and perception
- social skills
Many childhood developmental disorders are present before birth and last throughout life. They may also occur as the result of injury, trauma, or other medical factors during childhood.
What’s the most common childhood developmental disorder?
Childhood developmental disorders can affect anyone of any race, gender, or national origin.
In the United States, approximately 17% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 live with at least one developmental disorder.
A 2019 review examining studies between 2009 and 2017 revealed that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was the most commonly seen developmental disorder in children.
Any condition that impacts development in childhood and persists into adulthood may be classified as a childhood developmental disorder.
Not all developmental disorders impact a large number of children. Your child may live with a rare genetic trait or experience an injury that causes long-term, unique effects.
Common developmental disorders include:
- autism spectrum disorder
- learning disorders
- ADHD
- fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
- language disorders
- physical challenges
- other developmental delays
Autism spectrum disorder
While often lumped in under “learning disorders,” autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder and doesn’t always affect your child’s ability to learn.
Instead, behavior, communication, sensory, and social skills challenges may be the most noticeable signs.
While there may also be learning difficulties in some skill areas, many autistic children are gifted.
Learning disorders
There are three main types of learning disorders that can affect how well your child processes information.
These disorders can be present no matter what your child’s intelligence level is.
Learning disorders have to do with academic weak spots, not smarts.
Reversing letters while reading or difficulty distinguishing left from right could indicate a learning disorder.
Some children may also find math challenging or may have difficulty with writing skills.
Common learning disabilities include:
- dyslexia
- dysgraphia
- dyscalculia
ADHD
Like autism spectrum disorder, ADHD is often incorrectly considered a learning disorder.
Symptoms of ADHD can include hyperactivity and difficulty focusing on the task at hand. These could lead to challenges in a learning environment, but they aren’t a learning disability.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders result from a birthparent consuming alcohol during pregnancy.
Known as FASDs, these conditions may cause a number of side effects for the growing fetus and baby, including:
- low body weight
- non-typical facial features
- vision and hearing problems
- cognitive difficulties
- executive functioning challenges
Common types of FASDs include:
- fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
- alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD)
- alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorder (ARND)
- neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (ND-PAE)
Language disorders
If your child experiences challenges related to communication, a language disorder may be the cause.
Language disorders can include symptoms such as:
- stuttering or stammering
- not understanding words
- inability to express themselves
- difficulty speaking words or making sentences
- delayed ability to speak
Common language disorders include:
- auditory processing disorder
- aphasia
Intellectual disorders
Intellectual disorders aren’t the same as learning disorders.
Intellectual disorders are diagnosed when a child has lower capacity for reasoning, learning, and applying skills. This refers to “IQ”, or intelligence quotient.
Lower than average IQ can be reflected in daily functioning and is the primary trait of intellectual disorders.
Your child may experience an intellectual disorder as the result of a different, co-occurring developmental disorder, such as fetal alcohol syndrome.
Physical challenges
Childhood developmental disorders often present as physical challenges.
It may be something obvious, such as a physical difference that requires the use of a wheelchair, or it may be something less visible, such as a change in brain structure.
Common childhood developmental disorders with physical challenges include:
- cerebral palsy
- muscular dystrophy
- spina bifida
Other developmental delays
Not every delay is a disorder. Some children may take longer than others to develop certain skills or hit specific developmental milestones.
Your child may take an extra 3 months to start walking, for example, but this may never develop into something that impacts adult life.
In some cases, your child may present with a developmental disorder that can’t be clearly defined. This doesn’t mean what they’re experiencing isn’t real.
Your child may be living with a developmental disorder that shares traits with many other conditions and can’t be classified as a single diagnosis.
Developmental disorder vs.
intellectual disability
Intellectual disabilities are conditions that negatively impact a child’s IQ.
Developmental disorders, on the other hand, don’t necessarily have to do with intelligence.
While they can include intellectual disability, developmental disorders may also only affect behavior, mobility, or other aspects of a child’s development and growth.
Was this helpful?
The impact of a childhood developmental disorder on adulthood may depend on the type and severity of the condition and the area of development it impacts.
Some conditions, like anxiety or depression, can be treated and managed from childhood through adulthood.
Other conditions, such as those related to language, may be outgrown with the help of targeted therapy and repetition.
Genetic traits or physical challenges that result in a developmental disorder may require mechanical aids, such as prosthetics or mobility chairs.
Many children adapt to life with a developmental disorder.
If it’s always been a part of their lives, they often learn early how to accomplish things in their own way. It’s also typical to see them develop additional skills in other areas that help them cope with their challenges.
When they reach adulthood, new situations may test that ability to adapt.
Adults living with developmental disorders, like learning disabilities, may meet challenges related to:
- employment
- education
- relationships
- independence
Assistance and symptom management are available in all of these areas.
Legislation and community support programs can help adults with developmental disorders gain employment, maintain relationships, and find ways to be independent in daily life.
Many childhood developmental disorders are treatable and can be managed throughout adulthood.
Therapy, medication, and the use of daily assistance will all depend on the disorder and impact it has on daily functioning.
If you suspect your child may be showing signs of a developmental disorder, a health professional can help.
Early diagnosis and intervention can make a difference and help your little one continue a developmental trajectory.
Physical assessments and baseline child development models can let you know how your child’s progress compares to others in their age group.
In most cases, symptom management is possible and helpful.
Every child is unique and will develop at their own pace. However, in some cases, factors like genetics, biology, and injuries may get in the way of them reaching certain milestones.
Developmental disorders can result in specific challenges for a child. These can affect mobility, learning, social interaction, sensory input, and other aspects of growing up.
In most cases, professional intervention and home stimulation can help your child overcome or manage these symptoms.
HIA I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII types and their interpretation - article - Corporation Russian textbook (Drofa-Ventana publishing house)
Breakdown of HIA categories in education
The pedagogical interpretation of the types of HIA is set out in the Federal Law on Education of the Russian Federation.
He describes the specifics of the categories of "special" students and the special conditions for obtaining an education for each of them. Features of development are diagnosed by PPMK. These include visual, speech, and musculoskeletal disorders, mental retardation (MPD), intellectual development disorders, behavioral and communication disorders, including ASD and ADHD, and complex developmental disorders.
Upon confirmation, the PPMC recommends specific special conditions for the child's education.
Deciphering the categories of HIA in medicine
The medical decoding of the HIA categories is given in the International Classification of Functioning, Disabilities and Health of Children and Adolescents. ICF-DP” of the World Health Organization. Violations she calls problems in the development of the physiological and (or) psychological functions of the body (mental, sensory, speech) and its structures (nervous, digestive, endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, respiratory systems), their significant deviations and loss.
Forms of violations also include delays and lags in the development of children and adolescents.
The ICF-DP defines 5 levels of violations in percentage terms (from 0-4% for no or minor violations, to 96-100% for absolute violations) and 4 levels of delays, given that delays can disappear. Violations and delays are recorded by codes assigned to the functions and structures of the body, the ability to learn and apply knowledge in practice, social relations and the influence of the environment. The classification is published on the WHO website.
The summary table "Classification of children with disabilities" of the rosuchebnik.ru website gives a more detailed description of the features of all categories of disabilities.
"International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health of Children and Adolescents"
HIA according to GEF
The types of HIA according to the Federal State Educational Standards are determined in accordance with the options for adapted basic educational programs (AEP) for "special" students.
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deaf, 4 options AOOP LOO
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hard of hearing, 3 options
-
blind, 4 options
-
visually impaired, 3 options
-
with disorders of the musculoskeletal system (NODA), 4 options
-
with mental retardation (MPD), 3 options
-
with severe speech disorders (SNR), 3 options
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with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), 4 options
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with mental retardation (intellectual disabilities), 2 options(3)
The Federal State Educational Standard recommends teaching such children in inclusive schools and Centers for Psychological, Pedagogical, Medical and Social Assistance (PPMS). PPMS centers are most often organized on the basis of correctional schools and gradually come to replace them. At the same time, correctional schools of 8 types continue to fulfill their mission.
Let's get acquainted with the categories of their pupils.(2)
I category. Deaf, deaf children without speech
Children with profound persistent bilateral hearing loss: those who lost their hearing early, were born with hearing impairments, or who lost their hearing before the period of speech development. They do not perceive speech and cannot master it on their own. To speak, they need special training. Such children perceive the world with sight and touch. Their thought processes are based not on speech, but on images and actions. Therefore, it is difficult for them to determine causes and effects, properties and relationships. Their attention and memory are characterized by instability and low volume due to fatigue.
In teaching speech, the main role is played by special acoustic and deaf equipment. And although speech remains undeveloped, words denoting objects predominate and very few words describe qualities and movement, they can still speak. Let them make mistakes in sounds, replacing words with similar ones.
Children communicate with each other with gestures and try to transfer such communication to the world of those who hear, imitating various objects and their signs with gestures and facial expressions. Sometimes this is perceived as aggression, and the same aggressive response follows. This is one of the reasons why children with deafness have low self-esteem.
II category. Hearing-impaired children
Children with partial hearing loss, hearing loss and various degrees of speech underdevelopment. Children who have retained residual hearing and independent speech. They continue to build vocabulary.
The development of their mental and cognitive processes depends on how early they lost their hearing. The preserved low level of auditory perception creates the illusion that one can rely on it, but the information received is very distorted.
The main task in their training is to develop visual perception and teach them to concentrate on the lips of the speaker, while simultaneously teaching them to read.
As a result, the stability of attention will increase and visual memory will begin to develop.
Unlike deaf children, hearing-impaired children have high and even inflated self-esteem, since any slightest achievement of them is perceived by surrounding adults as an incredible success.
III and IV categories. Visual impairments (treated together)
Blind children, including those born blind and blind up to 3 years old, visually impaired and late blind, with strabismus and amblyopia.
Blind children perceive the world around them exclusively by hearing and touch, and have increased vibrational sensitivity. Having retained residual vision through vague and distorted images. This way of cognition impoverishes thought processes, interferes with their integrity. Children find it difficult to determine the distance, the location of not only objects, but also their own. As a result, they do not have clear, confident judgments.
Training in this category is based on creating a polysensory experience for them: the missing analyzer is replaced by the activation of others.
First of all, with the help of speech. But it must be taken into account that visually impaired children acquire speech skills later than their healthy peers, their vocabulary is poor and spoken words do not always coincide with real images. Any verbal description for them requires tactile research.
Studying develops their unstable attention, which does not have a target orientation. Its volume, concentration and arbitrariness increase. The same is with memory, primarily verbal-logical.
Blind and visually impaired children are conflicted, unrestrained, and have no goals. But communication, joint educational and labor affairs with seeing peers develop their independence and competitiveness.
V category. Severe speech pathology
Children are mute, with phonetic and phonemic underdevelopment of speech and impaired pronunciation of individual sounds: alalia, aphasia, dysarthria, rhinolalia. With alalia, normal hearing and intelligence are preserved, but due to organic lesions of the speech areas of the brain, the development of speech is disturbed.
Agrammatisms, difficulties in reading and writing appear, vocabulary decreases.
Aphasia is characterized by the destruction of already formed speech, when the motor or speech center of the brain is affected. In the first case, speech is completely absent or is preserved in the form of separate phrases and words with pronunciation defects. In the second, the differentiated perception of sounds and words is disturbed. The child ceases to understand what is said to him, but normally perceives non-speech sounds.
Dysarthria and rhinolalia are a violation of pronunciation. With dysarthria - due to insufficient development of the speech apparatus, with rhinolalia - due to anatomical defects in the structure of the organs of articulation. As a result, all mental processes suffer, with the exception of logical, semantic and visual memory.
Education goes through the development of motor skills with the help of gymnastics, rhythm, music. As a result, a steady cognitive interest and adequate self-esteem are restored.
What else to read?
Adapted program for children with disabilities
Development of the potential of children with disabilities through electronic textbooks
Children with disabilities at school: how to create comfortable conditions for their learning and communication?
Inclusive education for autistic children
VI category. Musculoskeletal disorders
Children with cerebral palsy, congenital and acquired deformities of the OA, flaccid paralysis of the upper and lower extremities, paresis and parparesis of the lower and upper extremities. Lack of movement prevents them from perceiving reality with vision and kinesthetics. They have more developed verbal thinking compared to visual-effective. The system of formation of concepts and abstractions lags behind.
Often there are hearing problems leading to a decrease in auditory memory and auditory attention. There are alalia and dasatria.
It is useful for such children to combine education with feasible work activities. It teaches them to switch attention, reduces lethargy, and gives a sense of significance.
VII category. Children with mental retardation
Children with the possibility of intellectual development, but a slow pace of mental processes, high exhaustion, difficulty in acquiring knowledge: mental underdevelopment, mental retardation, damaged mental development, deficit development, distorted development (RAD, ADHD)
Common problems are slow, inconsistent perception, lagging verbal-logical thinking. It is difficult for them to analyze and generalize. As a result, speech suffers, devoid of clarity and logic.
Children with mental retardation are characterized by involuntary impulsive behavior and infantilism, combined with a low level of cognitive processes, including memory and attention. The causes of infantilism lie in the problems of the endocrine and nervous systems, the belated pace of mental development.
When training, it is necessary to take into account their physiologically conditioned fatigue, frequent changes in activity and passivity. If they are given interesting tasks that do not require mental strain, create an atmosphere of calm and goodwill, they show the results of solving intellectual problems that are close to the norm.
VIII category. Deviation of intellectual development.
Children with profound underdevelopment of cognitive processes. Most often in the form of oligophrenia (congenital mental defect syndrome) of 3 types. Only children with debility, a mildly correctable degree of mental retardation, are capable of learning.
Although their perception is distorted, it is difficult to rebuild and does not have sufficient meaningfulness, and the level of thinking is very low, they master speech, albeit with grammatical and phonetic errors. Children learn to write, read, count. But the main form of work with them is labor training and, subsequently, assistance in finding employment.
Regardless of the category of disabilities to which the child belongs, Russian inclusive schools, PPMS, correctional schools create all the conditions for their "special" students "to receive a quality education without discrimination, to correct developmental disorders and social adaptation"
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Disorders in the psychophysical development of children
Disorders in the psychophysical development of children is a general name for a variety of developmental difficulties in children of any age, which is gradually replacing the previously used term “developmental anomalies in children” (the term is also currently used as a synonym
Disorders in psychophysical development include various difficulties associated with hearing, vision, speech, musculoskeletal system, mental retardation, emotional, intellectual problems, etc. Broadly In a sense, all children with more or less pronounced difficulties can be considered children with disabilities in psychophysical development.
In practice, this term (as the term “abnormal children” used to be) is used to refer to the category of children who, due to psychophysical disorders, need special conditions for learning and upbringing (see See also “Children with Special Educational Needs”).
In the scientific tradition founded by L.S. Vygotsky in defectology distinguish between primary and secondary developmental disorders.
Primary disorders are damages (defects) of organs or systems that are biological in nature (for example, impaired auditory analyzer, visual analyzer, local or massive disorders of various parts of the central nervous system). They can be congenital or acquired. In the occurrence of congenital disorders, an important role is played by hereditary factors, harmful effects on the fetus during pregnancy (infections, intoxications, injuries), as well as asphyxia and birth injuries. Acquired disorders are the consequences of infectious diseases, injuries, intoxications, etc. suffered by the child.
Primary disorders are corrected by means of medicine. An important role is played by advances in the development of medical technology (for example, hearing aids and cochlear implantation in the correction of hearing impairment, correction of visual impairment with glasses or lenses). Great hopes in preventing the appearance of primary developmental disorders in children are associated with the development of immunology and genetic engineering, etc.
Secondary deviations by their nature are qualitatively different from the primary ones, although they are derived from them. Their relationship does not have an unambiguous organic nature and is not as unconditional as it seemed before to researchers of childhood handicap. (Thus, muteness is a possible but not necessary consequence of deafness, and “moral handicap” is a possible but not necessary consequence of mental retardation.)
Secondary violations occur only when the primary ones lead to the child's “falling out” of the system of transmitting socio-historical experience, which is obligatory for any society.
Calling such fallouts “social dislocations”, L.S. Vygotsky emphasized that they could be prevented if “workarounds” were found to provide the anomalous child with access to culture as a source and means of developing higher mental functions and specifically human abilities. In these cases, secondary violations do not become an inevitable consequence of primary ones.
In those cases where the education system is oriented, mainly, to the normal type of development, does not have such “detours”, organic disorders lead to the formation of a complex picture of deviant development.
One organic disorder can cause a complex of “social dislocations”, and accordingly, a complex of secondary disorders. Uncorrected secondary disorders lead to “social dislocations” of the next order, which result in tertiary and other developmental disorders. For example, hearing impairment gives rise to problems in the development of age-appropriate forms of communication, the uncorrected nature of these problems causes underdevelopment of verbal speech, which in turn entails a violation of all lines of the child's cultural development, all higher mental functions.
Since secondary (tertiary, etc.) disorders do not have a direct organic nature, they do not require correction by means of medicine (as, for example, dumbness in a deaf from birth and a specially trained person does not need medical treatment). The prevention and correction of such violations, social in nature, are within the competence of special psychologists and educators and are carried out by means of education, using “workarounds” to solve those tasks of cultural development that, under normal conditions, are achieved by traditional methods.
Special approaches have been developed in domestic defectology and experience has been gained in successful practical correction and prevention of the occurrence of secondary disorders in the mental development of children. So, in the conditions of special organized early education in a deaf child (even in the case of congenital neurosensory deafness), a full-fledged verbal speech can be formed, both in oral and written form; blind children can learn to read and write, freely, without outside help, navigate in space, etc.
To describe the origin, combination and relationship (interdependence) of various disorders in the development of each individual child, L.S. Vygotsky suggested using the terms “defect structure” or “violation structure”. Determining the structure of disorders is one of the most important tasks of complex medical, psychological and pedagogical diagnostics. The effectiveness of complex assistance to the child depends on the accuracy of its solution.
To determine the strategy and tactics of such assistance, it is fundamentally important to distinguish combinations of one primary and a complex of secondary and tertiary disorders from possible various combinations of multiple (two or more) different primary developmental disorders. In these cases, they speak of complex, complex, or combined disorders (for example, impaired hearing and vision, hearing and intelligence, hearing and the musculoskeletal system, etc.).
Differentiation of primary and secondary disorders in the development of the child, the logic of their complex relationship is quite clearly presented and comprehended in various branches of modern defectology, but is not yet sufficiently reflected in its terminological apparatus.
