Double jeopardy: implications of neurodevelopmental conditions and adverse childhood experiences for child health

Addressing the health needs of people suffering from multiple health conditions, including those with complex psychiatric presentations, is an increasing global challenge [ 1 ]. Complex presentations are associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or trauma, but the focus on trauma and ACEs risks a loss of focus on heritable or temperamental factors that can shape the environment the child grows up in [ 2 ]. One such factor, often overlooked, is the presence of neurodevelopment conditions. Recent criticism of the term “neurodevelopmental disorders” [ 3 ] has pointed out that we all have neurodevelopment, and what we traditionally refer to as ‘neurodevelopmental disorders’ encompasses traits that are not entirely disadvantageous. For this reason, we use the term ‘neurodevelopmental conditions’ to avoid value judgements, while differentiating conditions such as ADHD and ASD from the neurodiversity that is in all of us.