Understanding the Different Childhood Disabilities
According to the Associated Press, 8% of children in the United States were diagnosed with some type of disability in 2012, up from 7% in 2000. Here are some of the most common disabilities that children are diagnosed with.
Autism– The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that in the United States, one out of 68 children are diagnosed with autism. Kids are normally diagnosed with autism between the ages of 2 months and 6 months and boys are usually diagnosed more in boys than in girls.
ADHD– The National Institute of Mental Health states that in the United States, children that are ages 13-18, 9% of them are diagnosed with ADHD. The most common symptoms of ADHD in children include hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity.
Cerebral Palsy– WebMD shows that cerebral palsy is defined when children no longer have physical abilities because the development in their brain is either damaged or slow. Cerebral palsy is diagnosed in over 10,000 babies annually.
Down Syndrome– The National Down Syndrome Society states that about 400,000 children in the United States are affected by Down Syndrome, equaling to about one out of every 691 kids being affected. Down Syndrome is the result of an extra chromosome 21.
Epilepsy– According to the Epilepsy Foundation, there are 2 million people in the United States and 65 million people around the world that have epilepsy. Epilepsy causes a person to have seizures due to a brain development disability.
Spina Bifida– The Spina Bifida Association states that every day there are 8 infants born in the United States with spina bifida, making it one of the most common childhood disabilities in the U.S. Spina Bifida is a disability that causes a split-spine, resulting in the use of braces, wheelchairs and crutches to move around.
Dyslexia– According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, dyslexia causes children to have problems with language processing, mostly resulting in troubles reading and writing in school.
Depression– Michael Watson, an expert in psychology, cited a case study that discovered that children that have depression tend to be less productive in school. It is estimated that 1 in 23 kids suffer from depression, while in teens that number is 1 in 8.
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