Mental health articles

Regulatory disorders Regulatory disorders are characterised by the infant’s difficulties in regulating behaviour and physiological, sensory, attentional, motor or affective processes, and in organising a calm, alert or affectively positive state. Common difficulties involve feeding, sleeping and emotional control; for example, a toddler may be fearful or anxious. Parents may be concerned that their child is irritable, intolerant of change, easily distressed and hypersensitive. Others are seen as inhibited and withdrawn, slow to engage and react. These characteristics are often seen as inborn or ‘temperamental’ variables, but a comprehensive assessment includes seeing how parental handling of the infant either reduces or contributes to the infant’s difficulties. The diagnosis of a regulatory disorder involves both a distinct behavioural pattern and a sensory, sensory-motor or organisational processing difficulty. The use of Axis II, Relationship Classification, will provide information about the relationship context in which the problems are occurring.

Tags: disorders, infant