Chapter 23: Children and Adolescents

Nurses should be aware of the ways that neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders affect the brain and neurological systems function (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2023). These disorders most often begin during a person’s developmental stages, such as in toddlers, children, and adolescents, but they persist into adulthood (Blain, 2022). Neurodevelopmental disorders have a genetic component, but can also be associated with environmental factors, such as lead exposure (EPA, 2023). Nurses have a role in educating clients about environmental factors that have the potential to cause or exacerbate these conditions. A child with a neurodevelopmental disorder can have “difficulties with language and speech, motor skills, behavior, memory, learning, or other neurological functions” (EPA, 2023, About the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Indicators section, para. 2). Nurses also have a role in performing and staying attuned to continued research on new treatments, medications, and preventive strategies for neurodevelopmental disorders.