Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders arise from differences in the development, organization, connectivity, and regulation of the nervous system. Dr. Funk diagnoses and treats a broad range of neurodevelopmental conditions and associated neurological differences, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental coordination disorder, learning disorders, tic disorders and Tourette syndrome, sensory processing abnormalities, executive function difficulties, attention and processing-speed deficits, motor-development abnormalities, oculomotor and visual-processing abnormalities, vestibular dysfunction, and other developmental neurological presentations.

Dr. Funk goes beyond assigning a neurodevelopmental diagnosis based solely on a collection of behavioral, cognitive, or developmental symptoms. He performs a comprehensive neurological evaluation to characterize each patient's individual neurological presentation and localize differences involving the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, brainstem, sensory and motor systems, vestibular and oculomotor systems, autonomic nervous system, and the neural pathways and functional networks connecting them.

This neurological localization is particularly important because autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental conditions are neurologically heterogeneous. Two patients with the same diagnosis may demonstrate very different patterns of sensory processing, motor planning and coordination, attention, executive function, eye movements, visual processing, balance, autonomic regulation, cognition, and functional neurological connectivity. Dr. Funk identifies the specific neurological systems involved in the individual patient rather than assuming that a diagnostic label defines a single pattern of brain function.

Sensory and motor systems are especially important components of this evaluation. Neurodevelopmental differences can involve multisensory integration, proprioception, motor planning, postural control, coordination, visual-motor integration, and the ability to integrate sensory information with movement. Oculomotor and visual-attention differences may also provide clinically useful information about how neurological systems involved in attention, sensory integration, motor control, and higher-order processing are functioning.

A polysubspecialty approach is particularly important because neurodevelopmental conditions frequently intersect with multiple neurological and physiological systems. Dr. Funk integrates Neurodevelopmental Neurology with Neuroimmunology, Neuroendocrinology, Neuro-Ophthalmology and Oculomotor Neurology, Vestibular Neurology, Dysautonomia, Movement Disorders, Neuroimaging, Neuromuscular Medicine, and other relevant neurological subspecialties. When clinically appropriate, he also investigates metabolic, nutritional, endocrine, neuroimmune, inflammatory, gastrointestinal, infectious or post-infectious, and other physiological factors that may contribute to the patient's neurological presentation.

Diagnostic investigation is individualized. Depending on the clinical presentation, Dr. Funk may integrate advanced laboratory testing, neuroimaging, comprehensive neurological examination findings, vestibular and oculomotor assessment, autonomic findings, developmental history, previous neuropsychological or educational testing, medical records, medication effects, and other objective diagnostic information to establish or refine the diagnosis and identify contributing neurological and physiological mechanisms.

Treatment follows the neurological localization and the individual patient's findings. Rather than applying the same treatment protocol to every patient with autism, ADHD, or another neurodevelopmental diagnosis, Dr. Funk develops individualized neurological rehabilitation and neuromodulation directed toward the specific sensory, motor, vestibular, oculomotor, autonomic, cortical, subcortical, and network-level findings identified during the evaluation.

Depending on the neurological localization and clinical presentation, treatment may incorporate individualized vestibular and oculomotor rehabilitation, neuro-optometric rehabilitation, sensory and motor integration, balance and coordination rehabilitation, peripheral nerve stimulation, transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), transcranial photobiomodulation, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), and other targeted neurological rehabilitation and neuromodulation strategies when clinically appropriate. These interventions are selected according to the patient's specific neurological targets and response rather than simply because the patient carries a particular neurodevelopmental diagnosis.

Dr. Funk may also incorporate individualized nutraceutical, over-the-counter medication, dietary, lifestyle, metabolic, and physiological strategies when clinically appropriate. When prescription medication or additional specialty management is indicated, he may make recommendations and coordinate or co-manage care with the patient's prescribing clinicians and other appropriate healthcare providers.

The objective is not simply to manage a diagnostic label or apply a standardized neurodevelopmental treatment protocol. Dr. Funk characterizes and localizes the patient's individual neurological differences, investigates the mechanisms contributing to their presentation, establishes or refines the diagnosis, and develops an individualized treatment strategy directed toward the specific neurological systems, pathways, and networks identified during the evaluation.