These are ‘hot’ topics of interest

Is it Autism, ADHD, or Both?

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A parent recently brought her 10-year-old child to me to answer the question, “Is it Autism, ADHD, or Both?” Her son was having difficulty in school with friendships, concentrating, transitioning, and his teacher was labeling him as a problem child. This parent tried to find answers on Dr Google but was left feeling more confused than clear. She wanted answers to know how to help her child and stop the downward spiral.

Autism and ADHD Characteristics

Autism and ADHD share many overlapping characteristics such as difficulty concentrating, friendship struggles, rigidity, quirky behaviors, and emotional dysregulation. Two key features of identifying autism include looking for a child’s restricted interest and repetitive behaviors as these often interfere with social skills.

Ongoing Restricted Interests

A restricted interest is an interest that is unusually strong and hyper focused to the extent the child only wants to discuss, play, or research the topic. This boy had heightened interest, but they changed about every month. He obsessed about Legos, then Fortnite, and then Star Wars.  These short intense, and then move on, interests were unlike a child with autism who would rather have one extended hyper focused interest such as planets.

Self-Stimulating Behavior

Many children with autism also have repetitive behaviors or self-stimulating behaviors. These could be hand motions when they get excited or moving their body in a certain way. This boy’s movements were related to low impulse control rather than the same repetitive behavior.

Tests of Social Perception

In addition to looking at symptoms via interview and rating scales, we completed interactive tests of social perception. We assessed if he could recognize a child’s facial affect and understand another child’s frame of reference.

The overall conclusion was this boy had ADHD, which interfered with his ability to concentrate, maintain his impulses, and was the root cause of friendship difficulty. Other kids rejected him due to his unpredictable behavior and intense emotional reactions.v We created recommendations to help him learn to regulate his attention and emotions. The parents also shared the testing results with the school for an accommodation plan.

I’ve written books on autism and ADHD for parents like you and you can find them on Amazon .

Call (561) 625 4125 to discuss your child.

Do Students with Disabilities Attend College?

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The high school to college transition is a huge step in a teen’s life and independent living. With hard work students with learning disabilities, mild autism, ADHD, and other disabilities attend and graduate from college.

College Planning

In addition to your student’s hard work, college planning is an important factor to set your student up for success.  Expert college planners such as those at Class101.com help all high school students, including those with disabilities, identify the right college. They specialize in supporting families through the entire process from identifying colleges for their unique needs, applying, essay writing, and ensuring that accommodations are available.  Class 101 college planners even guide families on available scholarships for making college more affordable.

College Executive Functioning Support

While many college students live on campus, some live in off campus housing with support. The organization called College Living Experience.com provides off campus housing along with coaching or mentoring to students with disabilities.  They help facilitate the transition to college by providing tutoring, executive functioning skills coaching, and socialization for students.

Developmental Disabilities and College

Students with developmental disabilities or Intellectual Disabilities also attend college.  Florida Atlantic University offers the Academy for Community Inclusion on the Jupiter and Boca Raton campuses. This program allows students to participate in college activities, clubs, and organizations as they take college courses to earn certificates. Students receive a college experience while gaining skills for independence and employment.

College Alternatives

Of course, college is not the right fit for everyone and there are plenty of well-paying jobs that don’t require a degree. Mike Rowe is a television personality and host of Dirty Jobs. He is a huge advocate of the trades and has resources on his website or podcast.

We know students with disabilities who are successful in college and life because of caring parents, family, and mentors. Reach out if we can help you as we test students from preschool through graduate school. If you need updated testing or are concerned about a potential learning disability, autism, or ADHD, call (561) 625 4125.

When Kids Say, “I’m Better Off Dead.”

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A concerned parent came to us for testing because on more than one occasion her son said, “I shouldn’t be alive. I’m better off dead.” Before contacting us, this mom had already hid all the sharp knives in her home.  She was wise to seek professional support rather than dismissing or scolding her child for saying that since suicide in children is a real concern. According to the Center for Disease Control’s website and Youth Risk Survey Data, among adolescents aged 12-17, 18.8% had seriously considered attempting suicide, 15.7% made a suicide plan, and 8.9% attempted suicide. These percentages are higher for youth of color and those identifying as LGBTQ.

Our school neuropsychological testing revealed he had ADHD and learning disabilities which caused significant school problems. This boy was viewed as the class clown and became the one people pointed to and assumed was the disruptive cause when there was a problem. This contributed to him feeling rejected by most of his peers and teacher. Furthermore, his learning disabilities interfered with his reading, writing, and spelling so he was academically behind his peers. This caused embarrassment and he felt stupid.  His circumstances created the perfect storm for him to cry out to his parent that he was better off dead.  This boy had no suicidal plan but he did not have the appropriate words to express he wanted help and understanding.

This boy’s mom wanted to know how to help and our testing results report provided recommendations.  They obtained a public school plan called an Individualized Education Plan which provided specialized instruction. As a family they began working with a counselor to improve home communication and understanding.  Step by step they made changes to help their child’s mental health and learning.

If you or your child have suicidal thoughts or behaviors, call or text 988 for the suicide and crisis lifeline. You know your child best so if you are concerned about a potential learning disability, autism, or ADHD, call to discuss your child (561) 625 4125.

Stop Yelling at Your Child

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“Here we go again, mom’s rocket launcher went off and she’s yelling at me.” This statement captures how kids I work with often describe how their mom or dad deals with them when they are not acting right.  “Yelling is the only way I can get him to listen and behave,” is a common parent response.  All agree, yelling does not contribute to a peaceful home.

Yes, at times we parents must raise our voices and make it stern and serious. But yelling, shouting, screaming, and threatening is parenting by instilling fear into your child.  Unfortunately, fear and intimidation don’t produce lasting behavioral changes. Sure, your child might behave when you’re around but leave them with relatives or a sitter and prepare yourself for a bad report.  When you yell at your child to get him to do what you want, he is also learning that’s how he should treat his peers when he encounters someone who doesn’t do what he wants.  You are the example he looks to for learning how to interact with others.

Alternatives to Yelling

Do you yell at your child when he asks you to read an unknown word from his homework?  No, you teach him how to pronounce the word. Try to maintain this teaching mindset when it comes to his behavior.  Keep teach him over and over how to behave appropriately.  Perhaps you’ve thought, “Why does he act like that? Maybe there is something wrong with him. Is he autistic?”  Our testing process provides information to help answer your questions.

What?

Perhaps ask him questions instead of yelling commands. “Are you being helpful? Is this good for the family?  What will happen if you don’t stop?”  People tune out yelling but a question has an implied response requirement.  Being asked a question requires reflection and thought.  This helps your child’s mind to shift and transition. Parenting requires us to modify our behavior just like modifying our child’s behavior so keep learning and practicing.

Need Help?

Call to discuss your child as we test for autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, depression, learning disabilities, and anxiety.  Dial (561) 625 4125.

School Shouldn’t Be This Difficult

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“I hate school. School is like jail for kids.” Margaret’s son’s reaction captured how many boys perceive school. It can be a battle to get your child to school and a battle to get homework completed.  Many parents feel embattled by emails, texts, or phone calls about your child’s behavior or effort.  Learning is a slow process and your child’s behind.  Many parents come to us for school neuropsychological testing seeking answers because they realize school should not be this difficult.

It’s Not Laziness

Children struggle in school for various reasons and for adolescent boys I often hear, “He is just lazy and unmotivated.”  Many times our testing reveals a hidden learning disability and that your son is feeling inadequate.  When a boy does not feel good enough or that he can meet the academic requirement, he can’t work to his potential. Thus, he is not lazy but feeling inadequate and believes, “Why try?”  The good news is this can be changed with proper support at school and home.

15-20% of Children Struggle

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 15-20% of public-school students in the United States receive special education services. In Florida, 15% of public school students have an Individual Education Program (IEP). Thirty-three percent of special education students have a specific learning disability. Your child needs tested to receive public school help.  Public schools offer this but with many hurdles and a lengthy wait time.  We offer a more thorough evaluation and give you written results in two weeks or less.

Seek Support

Trust your parental instinct and seek additional understanding. A wait and see approach often delays getting your child the proper help and support. Tutoring, counseling, an IEP, or 504 Plan is often needed to start closing gaps and increasing independence and confidence.  The state of Florida provides money to help you offset these expenses. To learn more search Family Empowerment Scholarship Unique Abilities.

Call to discuss your child as we test for autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, depression, learning disabilities, and anxiety (561) 625 4125.