[Early diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD)]

Comorbidity between NDD and chronic pain is common. For some pain patients, the NDD has not yet been diagnosed. Referral for diagnosis may interrupt and delay pain rehabilitation, which suggests that integration of such assessment could be beneficial. In 2022-2023 the Regional Pain Rehabilitation unit of Nyköping ran a project in which an external psychologist performed diagnostic assessments, together with the unit's psychiatrist, of 20 patients with a suspected diagnosis of NDD. Nine patients were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and 10 with ADD/ADHD. At follow-up, a majority of these patients reported significantly improved overall health and well-being. For these patients, what dominated the clinical picture were the secondary consequences of their underlying developmental disorders, and the energy expended to compensate for them. How to address the needs of these patients is an important field of research.