Diagnosing and Treating ADHD and Autism Early Leads to Understanding

There are many intelligent children that have a hard time succeeding in school, not just academically, but in their relationships as well. Often these children head home not only with homework, but with labels such as lazy, spaz, or freak by their peers. Authority figures, like teachers, principals, and even counselors are bit more tactful, adding "underachiever." or "disruptive" to the list. But none of these labels makes these children feel any better. Often they hear more of the same at home, and they start to believe those labels are true.

A child being subjected to this type of labeling may have Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or they may fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. 

ADHD in Las Vegas

In cases where ADHD is the issue causing behavioral problems or poor school performance actually identifying and accepting the disorder is the first step in learning to live with it, and finding a way to work within its confines in order to succeed. According to The Centers for Disease Control, up to 9.5% of children and adolescents are eventually diagnosed with ADHD.

 

Kids with ADHD don't always seem hyper, although they are often the first to be diagnosed. There is an inattentive type of ADHD too, where the "hyperactivity" in mainly internal causing the person who has it to forget things, lose things, have trouble organizing, and not completing instructions. They may be in their own world, and often this does not affect the rest of their class, but it does impair their own ability to absorb and retain knowledge. The might be quiet, not because they don't have anything to say, but because there is so much activity going on inside their mind they don't know where to start.

When outward hyperactivity is present for a child, teen, or adult with ADHD Las Vegas, they might talk constantly, fidget, and move around when they are supposed to stay still. They have a hard time playing quietly, and have tendency to blurt things out and interrupt others. 

Autism in Las Vegas

In professional circles, Autism Las Vegas is referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder, because there are a range of behaviors and symptoms that a child might experience in varying levels of severity. At the high functioning end of the spectrum a child may seem quirky and may be obsessed with a handful of their favorite things. Social interaction might be something that doesn't seem to matter much at all, especially if the other person doesn't share their interests. A person with a more severe case of autism may be unable to speak, may engage in behaviors such as swaying, chanting, and may be more likely to experience outbursts. Physical contact may be very upsetting and even seem painful.

Autism in Las Vegas, and across the country is highly prevalent, CDC statistics indicate that more than 14% of children land somewhere along the autistic spectrum. Boys are diagnosed five times more often than girls.

 

On average, autism is diagnosed at age 4, but reliable diagnosis can occur as early as 2 years of age. Children have trouble with social skills, can't make friends, and may have difficulty empathizing with the feelings of others. They also have trouble reading nonverbal cues as to how another person feels. They often take the world around them very literally, and they may speak in an unusual way or not at all. Within the Autism Spectrum Disorder, the most common diagnosis are Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).

Regardless of where a child falls on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, the best chance of limiting their difficulties in life is to be diagnosed as early as possible and begin intensive therapy. Science Daily reported on one study involving over a thousand children and adolescents with ASD, more than 95% showed improvement in social and language skills when they received treatment, with younger children showing the most improvement.