Functional neurological disorder (FND) happens in children and young people as well as in adults. It is essential that families, education and health care work collaboratively to help support them.
It occurs when the brain has trouble sending and receiving signals to and from the body. This disrupts normal pathways used for movement, sensation, speech, and thinking. As a result, children and young people can develop a wide range of symptoms such as tremors, memory difficulties, fainting, or temporary paralysis.
It is not caused by injury, disease, or anything the young person is doing intentionally. The symptoms are real and not “fake,” “in their head,” or behavioural. The exact cause of FND is still unknown.
International Charity FND Hope have created some very useful materials that you may wish to have a look at and share with your child or young person. Click on their logo to find out more.
