Heritage Behavioral Services Blog

Autism and ADHD co-morbidity is around 50% With advanced societal education and awareness the increased incidence of developmental disabilities among the population is understandable.  This is the trend with other clinical conditions. The increased awareness and diagnosis will often lead to early interventions and support.  This will ultimately lead to decrease in failed community placement and integration. In the US between 1997 and 2008, the number of school-age children diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or another developmental disability rose by about 17 percent, a new study showed. That means roughly 15 percent of kids - nearly 10 million - have such a disability.The numbers were based on information collected from parents, who were asked whether their kids had been diagnosed with a variety of developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy, seizures, stuttering or stammering, hearing loss, blindness, and learning disorders, as well as autism and ADHD.  CBS News report...

Aggressive Behaviors are common in Autism "Aggressive behaviors in developmental disabilities are mostly learned behaviors that are used to communicate needs.  This is more common in population with limited communication and social skills. Such needs may be social, medical or psychological. Punitive interventions do not address the underlying needs......"  More than half of kids and adolescents with autism are physically aggressive and new research suggests that sleep, sensory and other underlying issues may be responsible for the behaviors. In a   study   of 1,584 children with autism ages 2 to 17, researchers report in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders that about 53 percent were aggressive.  writes George Olarewaju; Be havior Specialist