Objective <p>The aim of the study was to investigate the use of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly the value of fractional anisotropy (FA) in assessing neurological dysfunction.</p> Materials and methods <p>In total, 91&#xa0;children with neurodevelopmental disorders and 21&#xa0;children without neurodevelopmental disorders were enrolled and underwent DTI.</p> Results <p>The FA values were significantly (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05) decreased in both the globus pallidus and the posterior limb of the internal capsule in the neurodevelopmental disorder groups (193.08 ± 31.10 and 480.02 ± 29.08 in the mild–moderate, 183.26 ± 21.89 and 469.54 ± 27.02 in the severe, and 161.28 ± 16.13 and 407.18 ± 42.27 in the extremely severe subgroups, respectively) compared to the control group (206.12 ± 12.05 for the globus pallidus and 487.12 ± 21.06 for the posterior limb). The FA values were significantly (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05) decreased in the globus pallidus (165.33 ± 19.02) and the posterior limb of the internal capsule (441.21 ± 51.23) in the neurodevelopmental disorder group compared with the control group (189.05 ± 29.20 for the globus pallidus and 492.57 ± 28.10 for the posterior limb).</p> Conclusion <p>The use of DTI provides critical insights into neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Changes in FA in the globus pallidus and posterior limb of the internal capsule are closely associated with the severity of neurological dysfunction and may serve as effective biomarkers for assessment.</p>