This chapter will attempt to shed light on the emotional and behavioral difficulties faced by children with neurodevelopmental disorders, mainly specific learning disorders (SLD) and ADHD during the developmental trajectory. Approximately, 30% of the diagnosed children suffer from behavioral and emotional problems, such as anxiety or depression, and are at high risk of ADHD, causing an additional burden on their social development and academic performance. The nature per se of SLD creates feelings of worry and concern for both parents and teachers of these children, mainly due to their diverse competencies, and weaknesses, as well.
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The term neurodevelopmental disorders refers to brain impairments and due to the influence of genetic and environmental factors during the course of development, initially affecting the functionality of the sufferers and the lives of their families (Khodosevich & Sellgren, 2023). According the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria, neurodevelopmental disorders concern “developmental deficits that produce impairments of personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning. The range of developmental deficits varies from very specific limitations of learning or control of executive functions to global impairments of social skills or intelligence” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The term is often used “to define chronic disorders that affect central nervous system function during the developmental period in the domains of motor skills, cognition, communication and/or behavior” (Ismail & Shapiro, 2019). Under the umbrella of neurodevelopmental disorders belong clinical conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disorders, Speech, Language and Mοtor Disorders, Tic Disorders and Intellectual Disability. The term “Neurodevelopmental disorders” appears in the DSM-V version and replaces the older “"Disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence.” while for the first time the term “Developmental Disorders” is mentioned in DSM III corresponding to the disorder of Autism (Morris-Rosendahl & Crocq, 2020).
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders tend to show internalizing and externalizing behaviors more often compared to the typical population (Alvarenga et al., 2016; Jacob et al., 2014; Jordan, Fernandez, Costa, & Hooper, 2020). The presence of such behaviors carries the risk of later encountering significant difficulties, in terms of their functioning at school, at home and in their relationships with others (Lamsal, Finlay, Whitehurst & Zwicker, 2020). These individuals, due to the social and emotional difficulties they face (Herring, Gray, Taffe, Tonge, Sweeney &Einfeld, 2006), have increased chances of exhibiting deviant behavior with elements of antisociality, often ending up in delinquency (Hughes, 2015). It is worth pointing out that from the period of puberty, a tendency is observed in populations with neurodevelopmental disorders to be involved in high-risk activities, such as early sexual experience, school avoidance, fighting, bullying, early smoking initiation, substance and alcohol use, gambling, property damage, etc., notably in SLD (Palfiova et al., 2016; McNamara, Vervaeke, & Willoughby, 2008) and ADHD (Dekkers et al., 2020; Shoham, Sonuga-Barke, Aloni, Yaniv, & Pollak, 2016).