By Site Admin Community Outreach • Testing 0 Comments

Mental Health Awareness Month

With May being Mental Health Awareness month and April 2nd which was Autism Awareness our office would like to share more information to help educate our community on some of the most prevalent conditions facing our children. Testing for Autism and ADHD is a critical step in understanding difficulties you or a loved one might face. Our revolutionary testing approach will examine every aspect from the patient to the parents and teachers and other observers if present. We factor in all information possible to form an accurate diagnosis and eliminate potentials for misdiagnosis and missing other issues that might be present along with the presenting issue. In certain cases we see other symptoms included with ADHD and Autism like depression, anxiety, learning or language disorders, schizophrenia, and a few others that can create additional underlying issues.

Mother helps child with homework
Parents who are involved with their child’s education have a higher chance of detecting early signs of Autism or ADHD.

It is our mission to provide the best mental healthcare possible for you and your family. Mental health issues can affect anyone. From individuals, couples and family counseling, we care for the family as a whole. With decades of experience within our community we have rigorously developed peer reviewed diagnostic assessment batteries. These series of tests can help generate an in-depth multi-step treatment plan to help you and your child start the healing process with a simple straight forward approach. While there is no known cure for either condition we develop a treatment plan that focuses on help from all aspects including educational assistance, medication management, parental coaching, emotional therapies, occupational therapies, speech therapies, wellness and nutrition management, and more.

Our team thoroughly vets and analyzes the materials we use. Each test instrument is carefully reviewed for evidence-based results and medically substantiated research. We will never use unproven questionable methods of testing or pseudoscientific techniques like brain mapping or brain scans. Our revolutionary approach focuses on examining the individual as a complete person, not just focusing on one single presenting issue. Examining each person to discover every aspect of their adversity and eliminating factors of common misdiagnoses, like anxiety and depression, is imperative to placing you and your child on the right track. We also provide social and emotional competence assessments to support teaching, learning, and emotional growth, while unlocking one’s true potential for success.

Autism Facts

Autistic children might prefer to isolation over being with family members or friends.

Autism’s core symptoms include a complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors.

  • About 1 in 54 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. [Read article]
  • ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. [Read summaryexternal icon] [Read article]
  • ASD is more than 4 times more common among boys than among girls. [Read article]
  • About 1 in 6 (17%) children aged 3–17 years were diagnosed with a developmental disability, as reported by parents, during a study period of 2009-2017. These included autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, blindness, and cerebral palsy, among others. [Read summary]

ADHD Facts

Children with ADHD might have a hard time staying on task.

ADHD’s core symptoms include problematic levels of impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity.

Millions of US children have been diagnosed with ADHD
  • The estimated number of children ever diagnosed with ADHD, according to a national 2016 parent survey,1 is 6.1 million (9.4%). This number includes:
    • 388,000 children aged 2–5 years
    • 2.4 million children aged 6–11 years
    • 3.3 million children aged 12–17 years
  • Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls (12.9% compared to 5.6%).1
Many children with ADHD also have other disorders

According to a national 2016 parent survey,1 6 in 10 children with ADHD had at least one other mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder:

Other conditions affecting children with ADHD: depression, autism spectrum disorder, and Tourette syndrome.

You can learn more detailed information about each condition from the Services Drop Down Menu above or from the links below. Also check out our post with more screening information:

Screening Information for Autism and ADHD

Statistics copied from the CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/NCBDDD/adhd/data.html

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html

By Site Admin Testing 0 Comments

When is it a good time to test your child for Autism or ADHD?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism and the intensity of symptoms can vary from not noticeable to clearly present. Some children as early as infancy show signs while others those symptoms might not show up till 2 or 3 years of age. Every child’s symptoms and experiences are different from the next. Some symptoms might be mistaken for Autism which is why a profession autism evaluation is critical.

The following symptoms can be signs of autistic behaviors or being at risk for an autism spectrum disorder, but can be difficult to only visually observe and classify as autism. These symptoms are helpful observations that might help parents detect patterns at an early age to prepare for testing and treatment options. Every child develops at different intervals; however, the following information are general milestones to consider. Speak with a professional at our office to begin an evaluation as soon as possible.

By 6 months

  • Restricted or no eye contact
  • Limited smiling and other emotional and engaging expressions

By 9 months

  • Limited to no sound mimicking such as sighs and coos
  • Limited to no smiling or facial expressions

By 12 months

  • Limited to no babbling
  • Limited to no gesture mimicking such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving
  • Limited to no response to their name being spoken

By 16 months

  • Restricted vocabulary or lack of speaking

By 24 months

  • Restricted vocabulary or lack of speaking
  • Limited meaningful two-word phrases excluding mimicking

At any age

  • Restricted interests
  • Repetitive behaviors such as flapping, rocking, fidgeting, etc.
  • Unusual reactions to textures, sounds, smells, tastes or light
  • Limited Language Development
  • Difficulty with sympathy or emotional understating
  • Repeated preference in being alone
  • Repeated avoidance of eye contact
  • Excessive word or phrase repetition
  • Loss of speech and social skills
  • Extreme resistance to minor routine or lifestyle changes

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Inattentive child ADHD

Children and adults who have ADHD present with persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity that can interfere with daily life and normal activities. The following symptoms can be signs of ADHD behaviors, but can be difficult to only visually observe and classify as ADHD. These symptoms are helpful observations that might help parents detect patterns at an early age to prepare for testing and treatment options. Every child develops at different intervals; however, the following information are general symptoms to consider. Speak with a professional at our office to begin an evaluation as soon as possible.

Inattention: Six or more symptoms of inattention for children up to age 16 years, or five or more for adolescents age 17 years and older and adults; symptoms of inattention have been present for at least 6 months, and they are inappropriate for developmental level:

  • Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work, or with other activities.
  • Often has trouble holding attention on tasks or play activities.
  • Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
  • Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (e.g., loses focus, side-tracked).
  • Often has trouble organizing tasks and activities.
  • Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to do tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time (such as schoolwork or homework).
  • Often loses things necessary for tasks and activities (e.g. school materials, pencils, books, tools, wallets, keys, paperwork, eyeglasses, mobile telephones).
  • Is often easily distracted
  • Is often forgetful in daily activities.

Hyperactivity and Impulsivity: Six or more symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity for children up to age 16 years, or five or more for adolescents age 17 years and older and adults; symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have been present for at least 6 months to an extent that is disruptive and inappropriate for the person’s developmental level:

  • Often fidgets with or taps hands or feet, or squirms in seat.
  • Often leaves seat in situations when remaining seated is expected.
  • Often runs about or climbs in situations where it is not appropriate (adolescents or adults may be limited to feeling restless).
  • Often unable to play or take part in leisure activities quietly.
  • Is often “on the go” acting as if “driven by a motor”.
  • Often talks excessively.
  • Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed.
  • Often has trouble waiting their turn.
  • Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games)
In addition, the following conditions must be met:
  • Several inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were present before age 12 years.
  • Several symptoms are present in two or more settings, (such as at home, school or work; with friends or relatives; in other activities).
  • There is clear evidence that the symptoms interfere with, or reduce the quality of, social, school, or work functioning.
  • The symptoms are not better explained by another mental disorder (such as a mood disorder, anxiety disorder, dissociative disorder, or a personality disorder). The symptoms do not happen only during the course of schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder.
Based on the types of symptoms, three kinds (presentations) of ADHD can occur:
  • Combined Presentation: if enough symptoms of both criteria inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity were present for the past 6 months
  • Predominantly Inattentive Presentation: if enough symptoms of inattention, but not hyperactivity-impulsivity, were present for the past six months
  • Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation: if enough symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity, but not inattention, were present for the past six months.

Because symptoms can change over time, the presentation may change over time as well.

If you or a loved one is struggling with symptoms that might appear as Autism or ADHD contact our office to schedule a professional evaluation.

By Site Admin Awards 0 Comments

Patricia Feltrup-Exum awarded TAMFT Lifetime Achievement Award

The Texas Association of Marriage and Family Therapists has recognized Patricia Feltrup-Exum during the 2021 TAMFT Conference for her assistance in revising the DSM-V manual with clinical research. Patricia’s involvement in this research aided the TAMFT in winning the lawsuit from the Texas Medical Association regarding the ability of LMFT’s to use the DSM for diagnosing and treating individuals for therapeutic needs.