​Val's Take/Conjecture When we think of accommodating "DISABILITIES" we think of accommodating the weaknesses. But it is just as important to accommodate the STRENGTHS. We have not appreciated how important it is for people to EXERCISE their STRENGTHS. On the other hand, neuro-diverse people cannot SURVIVE if we don't get our weaknesses such as idiosyncratic Bioenergetics, and Executive Functioning  ​Etc.              out on the table. Strength-Based Approach 19th Century Painters and Imagine Dragons --- "I'm Gonna say all the words inside my head"

​Dr. Saltz recommends 80% of the time spent on STRENGTHS DEVELOPMENT and 20% of the time on WORK-AROUNDS for WEAKNESSES. ​"WORK-AROUNDS for WEAKNESSES" for DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES in Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders is a lot different than "Behavioral Modification."​ Further, addressing: pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, dysregulated microglia and dysfunctional mitochondria might be the more direct medical approaches to improve behavior and well-being in people with Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders.

​Val's Take/Conjecture This view of Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders as multi-system conditions is relatively new and has many ramifications. In addition, Neuro-Degenerative Disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's Disease and Alzheimer's are now viewed as multi-system disorders. What are the ramifications of Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders as Multi-System Disorders? For Treatment For Criminal Justice Involvement and Homelessness  ​If we don't know, who bears the burden? Burden of Proof Schizophrenia, a disease of impaired dynamic metabolic flexibility: A new mechanistic framework (2024)  "Mounting evidence from a variety of transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomics and brain imaging studies points toward the possibility that schizophrenia is a systemic disorder and involves abnormal glucose and energy metabolism both in the periphery and in brain." ​Pathway Network Analyses for Autism Reveal Multisystem Involvement, Major Overlaps with Other Diseases and Convergence upon MAPK and Calcium Signaling (2016)

Psychoneuroimmunology of Mood Disorders (2025) ​Abstract Recent research has shed light on the intricate relationship between mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), and inflammation. This chapter explores the complex interplay involving immune and metabolic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of these disorders, emphasizing their association with autoimmunity/inflammatory conditions, chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, T cell overactivation, and immunosenescence. ​This perspective underscores the notion that MDD [Major Depressive Disorder] and BD [Bipolar Disorder] are not solely brain disorders, highlighting their nature as multi-system conditions. ​ADHD symptoms in neurometabolic diseases: Underlying mechanisms and clinical implications (2016)

​Val's Take/Conjecture Most of us understand that Down Syndrome is a "MULTI-SYSTEM DISORDER." Neuro-Developmental Disorders such as Autism, and/or ADHD and Psychiatric Disorders such as Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Depression are also MULTI-SYSTEM DISORDERS. Further, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Depression are now recognized as NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. Additionally, Down Syndrome, Autism, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Depression are all NEURO-IMMUNE DISORDERS. ​Maternal Immune Activation and Schizophrenia–Evidence for an Immune Priming Disorder (2021) ​"Schizophrenia is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting around 19. 8 million people worldwide." ​​ ​Towards a neurodevelopmental model of bipolar disorder: a critical review of trait- and state-related functional neuroimaging in adolescents and young adults (2025) ​ ​Minor physical anomalies in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder and the neurodevelopmental continuum of psychosis  (2014)

​ ​Psychoneuroimmunology of Mood Disorders (2025) ​Abstract ​Recent research has shed light on the intricate relationship between mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), and inflammation. ​This chapter explores the complex interplay involving immune and metabolic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of these disorders, emphasizing their association with autoimmunity/inflammatory conditions, chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, T cell overactivation, and immunosenescence. This perspective underscores the notion that MDD [Major Depressive Disorder] and BD [Bipolar Disorder] are not solely brain disorders, highlighting their nature as multi-system conditions. ​ ​Brain methylome remodeling selectively regulates neuronal activity genes linking to emotional behaviors in mice exposed to maternal immune activation (2023) "Thus, MIA [Maternal Immune Activation] induces maladaptive methylome remodeling in brain and selectively regulates neuronal activity gene methylation linking to emotional behavioral abnormalities in offspring." How we unwittingly put ourselves and others in catch 22s The Legal System, Trauma-Informed Care and the Living Hell of Catch 22s

Val's Take/Conjecture A significant percentage of Neuro-Diverse YouTubers were identified "gifted" as kids and subsequently got a LATE DIAGNOSIS of a Neuro-Developmental Disorder in Adulthood. May have done very well Academically, and/or Had some Special Ability or Talent. That Adulthood was often a lot different than they expected and often different than what the people around them expected of them. ​What researchers are discovering is that Neuro-Diverse "BURNOUT" issues and "MELTDOWN" issues are related to ENERGY ISSUES. Further, this isn't happening in a VACUUM in which there are nice, neat distinctions between people with Neuro-Developmental Disorders and those without --- this often involves Neuro-Developmental Inflammation and how that impacted one person. There are many gradations and combinations -- but biomarkers are being identified. Further, it is not necessarily that hard to recognize associations among Neuro-Developmental, Psychiatric and Neuro-Degenerative Disorders in 2025. Researchers also recognize Psychiatric Components of other disease and/or disorder issues such as: Multiple Sclerosis Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) Type 1 Diabetes​ Cancer  Down Syndrome Substance Issues Cerebral Palsy Etc. All the biological components are NOT IDENTICAL --- but some of the biological components are IDENTICAL or SIMILAR. People with Neuro-Developmental &/or Psychiatric issues are often facing PHYSICAL issues that are not as dramatic as other diseases or disorders but nonetheless relevant and significant. ​The need to integrate PHYSICAL  HEALTH & MENTAL HEALTH & DEVELOPMENTAL HEALTH is great.

From Neuro-developmental to Neuro-degenerative Disorders: The Vascular Continuum (2021) Structural and functional integrity of the cerebral vasculature ensures proper brain development and function, as well as healthy aging. The inability of the brain to store energy makes it exceptionally dependent on an adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients from the blood stream for matching colossal demands of neural and glial cells. Key vascular features including a dense vasculature, a tightly controlled environment, and the regulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) all take part in brain health throughout life. As such, healthy brain development and aging are both ensured by the anatomical and functional interaction between the vascular and nervous systems that are established during brain development and maintained throughout the lifespan. During critical periods of brain development, vascular networks remodel until they can actively respond to increases in neural activity through neurovascular coupling, which makes the brain particularly vulnerable to neurovascular alterations. ​The brain vasculature has been strongly associated with the onset and/or progression of conditions associated with aging, and more recently with neurodevelopmental disorders. Our understanding of cerebrovascular contributions to neurological disorders is rapidly evolving, and increasing evidence shows that deficits in angiogenesis, CBF [Cerebral Blood Flow] and the blood-brain barrier [BBB] re causally linked to cognitive impairment. Moreover, it is of utmost curiosity that although neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders express different clinical features at different stages of life, they share similar vascular abnormalities. In this review, we present an overview of vascular dysfunctions associated with neurodevelopmental: autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, Down Syndrome And neurodegenerative multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s diseases) disorders,