The term neurodevelopmental disorder is a relatively new term and includes a group of disorders with severely affected behavioral features caused by alterations in early brain development. Most neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with a life-long endurance and have a severe impact on normal brain functioning, leading to affected behavior often resulting in large economical, emotional and physical problems, not only for the individual but also for the family and society as a whole. The various neurodevelopmental disorders show similar features, including brain dysfunctioning (such as difficulties in sensor and motor systems, problems with speech and language) and a number of cognitive impairments (e.g. in learning and organizational skills). Schizophrenia, autistic disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, mental retardation and Tourette’s syndrome are some of the more common neurodevelopmental disorders, but also Rett syndrome, immunodeficiency, centromeric region instability, facial anomalies (ICF) syndrome and X-linked alpha thalassemia/mental retardation (ATR-X) syndrome are considered neurodevelopmental disorders (Table 1).
