The Complexities to Childhood Assessments

Becoming a parent sure has its challenges. There are so many hidden things that we don’t know or learn in school when it comes to being a parent. But what happens when you think there might be something else going on?  

Here at the Centre for Perinatal Health and Parenting, we operate from the perspective that parents have their children’s best interests at heart and know them best. So, when a parent is brave enough to ask if there might be something else happening for their child, we are here to listen.

Diagnosing childhood disorders is something that we offer at the Centre. According to Autism Australia and NDIA a single clinician diagnosis can be performed by a Clinical Psychologist, Education and Developmental Psychologist or a Neuropsychologist. We are lucky enough to have two of the three of those on board at the Centre, which means that your child can be formally assessed by one of our highly-skilled psychologists, using evidence-based tools, and receive a comprehensive diagnostic report regarding your child.

Childhood assessments is a broad term for disorders that are common in children. Some that you may be familiar with include: Anxiety and Depressive disorders, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD). Diagnosing can be an overwhelming process that is why we offer a specialised appointment to go over the process of diagnosis and what it will involve on a case-by-case basis.

There are a number of Medicare rebates and NDIS funds that may be available to contribute towards the cost of Childhood Psychological Assessments.

The most commonly diagnosed disorders or that parents seek help for are ADHD and ASD. Today we are going to try and combat some myths that come with these Neurodivergent diagnoses.

“Children with ADHD will grow out of it, just give it time and a space to run”
Many people, including doctors, previously believed that children would grow out of ADHD as they grow into adulthood. Recent studies have shown that over 90% of children with an ADHD diagnosis still have significant challenges due to their ADHD symptoms as adults. Some adults continue to benefit from ADHD medication which is often hard to access after the age of 18 years. No matter what the circumstance of the particular adult is, we aim to help make adjustments in the environment and take full advantage of a person’s strengths, and help them to lead very productive adult lives. That is why early intervention is highly recommended. Research has shown that the more supports in place early on, the better the outcomes for adulthood.

“ADHD is caused by poor parenting”

ADHD does not discriminate between genders, socioeconomic status, or race. Parenting a child, who is not neurotypical, is challenging and there are a number of parenting techniques that can help your child with a diagnosis. Inconsistent parenting styles or limit setting can be very ineffective and worsen symptoms of ADHD, so it is important that the family presents as a united front around consistency and predictable discipline, once a diagnosis has been made.

“They can focus on what they want to for hours, they must not have ADHD”

A large part of ADHD is around problems with tasks that require focusing and a lot of mental effort. School can be especially challenging for a person with ADHD because of the typical set up and design of a classroom for neurotypical children. They can be extremely unstimulating in terms of visuals, sound and physical activities compared to a video game that someone with ADHD may be able to focus on for hours at a time. The majority of people who acquire a diagnosis, receive it during their schooling years as the academic, social and behavioural demands during these years are so difficult for them. Activities that require a high level of focus or concentration and activities that require them to sit still, listen or wait their turn for long periods will continuously prove as challenges. Often it is about changing the environment to adapt to their neurodivergent way of thinking.

“They are just lazy and unmotivated”

Unfortunately, this is something that ADHD diagnosed people hear a lot. A child who finds it nearly impossible to stay focused in class, or to complete a lengthy task such as writing a long essay, may try to save face by acting as though they do not want to do it or is too lazy to finish. This behaviour may look like laziness or lack of motivation, but it stems from real difficulty in functioning. All children want to succeed and get praised for their good work. If such tasks were easy for children with ADHD to accomplish, and provided rewarding feedback, those children would seem just as “motivated” as anyone else.

“If, after a careful evaluation, a child doesn’t receive the ADHD diagnosis, she doesn’t need help.” 

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is diagnosed on a continuum, which means that a child can exhibit a number of ADHD-type behaviours yet not to the extent that they are diagnosed with ADHD. This does not mean they need no help coping with the problems that they have. The family of a child who does not meet the criteria for ADHD but has similar problems may be offered counselling, education about the range of normal developmental behaviours, home behaviour management tools, school behaviour management recommendations, social skills interventions, and help with managing homework flow and with organisation and planning.

“Autism is a disease which is caused by vaccines and is becoming over diagnosed”

Some people still believe that Autism is a disease that you can catch or that can be “cured”. The word cured itself is unrealistic as it means there is something wrong with a person who has Autism. Having Autism does not mean there is anything wrong with you! It just means that your brain is wired differently and that neurotypical communication, social skills and interactions can be very difficult. Intervention needs to focus on alerting neurodivergent people to these differences, so they are aware of them and to make it easier for them. Not to CHANGE THEM. Likewise, because Autism is not a disease, it cannot be “caused” by vaccines. There has been countless reputable research that has proved that this is, in fact, not true. This rumour stemmed from a non-reputable research paper that did not adhere to scientific standards and claimed a link between vaccines and autism. It is also true that a lot of ASD traits are noticed around a time when most toddlers get their booster vaccines. This is when they start to socialise for the first time or start attending daycare/Kindergarten and differences are more noted. However, with the increased awareness, psychologists and paediatricians and other professionals are able to identify signs sooner.

“People with autism don’t feel emotion”

This is one of the biggest myths we come across and is simply not true. In our experience it can quite often be the opposite and that people on the Autism Spectrum or neurodivergent can often be hypersensitive to emotions whereby they feel emotions much stronger from other people compared to neurotypicals. Due to the fact that Autism can impact on the ability to communicate in a socially acceptable neurotypical fashion, it can be misinterpreted as being an expression of lack of empathy or inability to feel emotions. Neurodivergent individuals can often struggle with interpreting body language and expressions, as well as social nuances which can also increase this belief.

“You will grow out of autism”

You cannot grow out of Autism it is a lifelong disorder and there is no “cure” for autism. The aim is to give tools to understand the neurotypical world and to function in a society that does not quite understand them and vice versa. There is absolutely no reason why anyone with autism can’t lead as happy and meaningful a life as anyone else.

“People with Autism have a savant skill or an intellectual disability”

Just like in the neurotypical world there are varying levels of intelligence and skill levels within the Autism community. Movies and pop culture have placed a great emphasis on savant skills in people with ASD. Some people with Autism do indeed have an exceptional ability far above that of the general population (also called a ‘savant skill’). Still, research tells us that more than two-thirds of people with Autism don’t. So, even though savant skills – like having a photographic memory, or the ability to compute complex mathematical equations quickly – and Autism may be linked in some way, most people with Autism do not in fact have a savant skill. Likewise they do not “all have an intellectual disability”  Everyone has strengths, and the best way to learn about someone’s strengths is by getting to know who they are as a person and what they love. 

If you would like any more information or to discuss your child further we are always willing to pop the kettle on and listen here at the centre. Hopefully this article has helped to lay some fears and misconceptions to rest.