1 in 6 children has a learning disability.

I went to a conference last weekend – it was for information on bio-medical interventions for ASD (autism spectrum disorders) and other letter (PDD: pervasice development disorder, ADD: attention deficit disorder, ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, etc.) disorders. It was a great conference but I was shocked and alarmed to hear from three different speakers that the rate of children in American schools with a learning disability is now recognized as 1 in 6. I was truly stunned and I have to wonder just how this has happened. This is America after all, a super power in the western hemisphere. We should be leading the way in technology, innovation and the future of commerce, not wondering why our 6 year olds can barely string a coherent sentence together.  My questions are: Why is no one screaming at the top of their lungs about this? Is no one but the parents concerned about these kids? and Just what are we really dealing with here, what is making our kids sick?  So I decided to take a look at some other statistics, to at least see what our youth are up against.

• 1 in 6 children (school age) are learning delayed.
• 1 in 150 children has an autism spectrum disorder.
• 1 in 95 of boys has an autism spectrum disorder.
• 7% of children seen at psychiatric facilities fit bi-polar disorder.
• 15,000 children each year are diagnosed with juvenile diabetes: that’s 40 children per day.
• As many as 3 million Americans may have type 1 diabetes.
• Between 16-33% of children and adults are obese.
• Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples.

Learning delays encompass many different disorders including but not limited to: dyslexia, central auditory processing disorder, sensory processing disorders, ADD, ADHD, PDD, and other behavioral / learning disorders. The data for autism or ASD disorders is huge in regards to current trends.  In 2003 a federal study found that at least 425,000 American children under 18 had some form of autism, including 114,000 children under 5.  Talk About Curing Autism lists current data as an estimated 1 million in the US as having autism spectrum disorder, this figure does not include any of the letter disorders, JUST Autism. That’s a terrific jump in just 5 years. In California there are currently two new cases recognized every day!

Bipolar disorder is also becoming more and more common in young children. Recently Newsweek ran a great article about the increase of childhood bipolar disorder. In the article a 7 year old boy with the disorder discusses his unhappiness, the various suicide notes he has written, and one attempt to take his own life. His parents discuss how they deal with Max’s diagnosis. One of the challenges with bipolar disorder is getting a correct diagnosis; some MD’s still maintain that children do not suffer from this disorder – try telling that to Max. Children with bipolar present with irritability, hyperactivity and distractibility, similar symptoms as ADD, ADHD and PDD.  But the elated mood, grandiose ideas, hyper-sexuality, a decreased need for sleep and mania,  occur primarily in bipolar disorder. Watch for elated, hysterically, happy, laughing children when the hysterical laughter occurs for no reason. This can happen in church, at home or at school.  Grandiose behaviors such as children who act as if the rules are not for them, they tell teachers what to teach, other students what to learn or do, and complain about authority figures. Some children are convinced they can do superhuman deeds without pain i.e. flying out of windows playing Superman. Finally, topic switching or ‘flight of ideas’, and a decreased need for sleep. Many of these children only sleep 4-6 hours a day. Watch for these behaviors to cycle throughout the day. To learn more on bipolar disorder go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Juvenile diabetes is also on the rise, and can be detected in up to 15,000 children per year by looking for the warning signs: extreme thirst, frequent urination, drowsiness or lethargy, increased appetite, sudden weight loss for no reason, sudden vision changes, sugar in urine, fruity odor on breath, heavy or labored breathing and stupor or unconsciousness.  All these symptoms may come suddenly: For more on Juvenile Diabetes.

We have to question what it is we are doing as a society when we are choosing to leave our children this legacy.  It has been said that this is the first generation that is seeing lower survival rates than its parents. Yes the FIRST! Let’s hope that this isn’t the first of many.  As national infertility increases, the question of what has gone wrong in our biological birth and nurture program has to be asked, and more importantly we have to recognize the problems and find resolutions NOW. 

If you suspect your child has any of these conditions please consult with their pediatrician as soon as possible.  Testing and therapies are available and the younger the child starts intervention, the better the prognosis.

Make an adjustment: Stay Healthy ~ Be Happy: Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan for your next chiropractic adjustment at 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com
 

One Response to “1 in 6 children has a learning disability.”

1. Update: If 1 in 6 kids have a learning delay, what happens when they get to adulthood? | Fontana Family Chiropractic Says:
   December 2nd, 2008 at 9:20 am

   [...] our recent 4th July article it was discussed how 1 in 6 children are learning delayed and how many more are diagnosed with [...]

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