Recently, on my way to a very important breast cancer follow-up appointment that I anxiously drove to while phone-negotiating to keep–20 minutes after the arrival time–I had the revelation that perhaps I was not the “loser-late-guy” I had come to see myself as; rather, it occurred to me that a deeper issue brewed all these years over that has lead to me to do everything but be on time to my appointments.

While on the way back home (I was informed I had to reschedule again) just a few minutes of doing something I call *symptom “source-searching” (trudging through feelings and thoughts to back-travel to the real reasons I think or do things) helped to reveal what was causing my avoidance of being on time.

To my surprise and some grief in acknowledging it, the answer was a trauma response.

I “saw” that I had been operating in flight (not fight) mode to something I saw as a threat to my personal autonomy and voice–adhering to others’ demand for me to be somewhere when they told me to be there–I was vaguely aware that I felt this way, but not cognizant of why and how deeply I felt the need to protect myself from the feeling of extreme vulnerability I felt when attempting to “conform” to society’s definition of punctuality.

To others, this may sound silly or dismissive of ‘character-related’ habitual tardiness, until you consider how autonomy, choice, and identity are removed in abuse experiences.

Being late had been the endeavor of one of my protective selves (IFC) to put a “distance” between me and those who expected punctuality from me in a misguided effort to establish personal dominance and openly exert my freedom in personal choice.

For many years I have had no idea that I was trying to preserve my self by not conforming (as I saw it, unconsciously) to the requirement of being relied upon in this way, seemingly because I felt generally that I could not rely on myself in this way (or many others)–a testament to the extreme self-doubt that occurs with sexual abuse and other types of trauma.

The need to self-preserve and protect one’s body, decisions, and sense of safety in every social situation is a constant, simmering issue for survivors of sexual abuse. Most often we are not aware that many decisions. behaviors, responses, and attitudes are at work in us to achieve this.

The discoveries I made after delving into my heart about my chronic tardiness issue have really changed me, although the results are definitely a work in progress.

I am more purposeful in ensuring I am aware of appointment dates and times-historically, I have also been lackadaisical about even trying to remember them all (and there are plenteous between me and the grandson I raise) and I am consciously working to schedule appointments in less of a chaotic fashion–no double-booking-which has occurred often due to the overwhelming volume of appointments.

I have finally begun making a positive stride in punctuality regarding both in-person and online appointments without feeling like I am losing something of myself in the process. I have been on time to half of my appointments!

I am learning to take the lead in this area of my life rather than letting the past dictate it.

This is a hard-won, small personal victory that I hope encourages others to feel safer in examining their own challenges stemming from trauma of any kind and perhaps offer someone the example to work on trauma issues we so often have to tuck away without attention in order to survive.

I still challenge “The Man”, raised by hippie missionaries, and being a non-conformist woman, but I can now feel comfortable in letting myself picture and realize being on time to anywhere I need to be without feeling like my personal safety is threatened or at risk.

The post Could Chronic Tardiness Signal Unresolved Past Trauma? appeared first on Medika Life.

A young man with a neurodivergent disorder displayed emotion as he jumped up from his seat, tears running down his cheeks; it was nothing less than heart-wrenching. Those who understood cheered him on, and those who didn’t took the opportunity to try to bring him down with cutting remarks and foolish comments on blogs and TV sound bites. They paid a price for all that, and one quickly deleted her distasteful blog post after receiving significant blowback.

Famed magazine editor Tina Brown and her husband, Harold Evans, have a son with one of these disorders. She wrote an article in a recent issue of the New York Times in which she revealed one of her son’s actions after a party in an upscale area of Long Island. Brown’s son, who lives with her at home, is now 38, and rather than seeing him as disabled, it has opened her eyes to his “secret power.”

Brown’s son’s secret power, she said, was evident after the Hamptons party when he told the hostess, “Thank you very much. No one spoke to me, really, so it was a very boring evening. The food was OK. I doubt I will come again.” How many of us would be brave enough to have said that after one of these upper-crust power parties? Undoubtedly, few, if any, would dare utter those comments.

I once had a neurodivergent patient in a large hospital where he had been for several years and where the staff on the unit believed he was a dangerous man, given to rages. His diagnoses were many, including intellectual deficits, anxiety disorders, and the inability to accept the fact that he was not white.

Being relatively new at the hospital, I was summoned to the unit when the nurse described a terrifying scene of someone “rampaging through the unit.”

Yes, he was large but not very tall. His clothing was ill-fitting because they couldn’t find anything to hold up his pants, and he had a rope instead of a belt. What started the alleged rage that day? The staff had gone into his shared room and thrown out all of his comic books and his precious Frankenstein videotape. He identified with Frankenstein because, even with his intellectual disability, he knew people related to him that way, and he wanted something that would have hope in it.

Once I talked to him, we began to understand each other, and he knew he could trust me, I began to accompany him to the ward dining room, where he had always collected his food tray and immediately dumped it in the trash and asked to go back to the unit. Now, he would sit with me as I encouraged him to eat, and I would distract him with conversation. When I told him about famous Black basketball players, he became amazed and expressed his desire to have a poster for his room.

He had a severe case of social anxiety disorder that the staff chose to see as disruptive behavior and never explored the many facets of his personality. I managed, across a period of months, with the help of an intern, to reach the point where he could go to the dining room and eat with either my intern or me next to him.

Things progressed from there, and even though an experienced rehab woman said, “He’ll never leave this hospital,” indeed he did. He even went with a group to the mall. I can’t tell you how ecstatic he was the first time he bought a pair of sneakers for himself.

The “monster” wasn’t that at all, but a young man who was, in so many ways, terrified by the people around him and who tried to hide in his room as the only safe place he could find. The end of the story is truly heartening because they discharged him to a group home, where he actively engaged in all the activities, even accompanying the group to shop at the local supermarket.

We met there unexpectedly a few years later, and he yelled out to me. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy for him. His family was ecstatic that he had returned to the community and to the family that loved him. How many other patients like him are lingering in inappropriate settings and receiving too little attention?

Another patient I had at a similar hospital, who had been an abused, adopted child, had Klinefelter syndrome. Seven feet tall and with a love of making jokes and deceiving the staff with his little “lies” about hiding whiskey on grounds, he was a delight.

But the police on grounds didn’t see him that way, especially when three of them jumped him, and he broke one of their officer’s arms. They immediately shackled him and took him off in a police car to send him to a forensic unit. He didn’t belong there and he didn’t belong in that hospital either. I never knew what happened to him.

What Are Neurodivergent Disorders?

Primarily, we may associate neurodivergent disorders as autism, but it encompasses far more. Since the word was coined in 1943, researchers have been conducting an explosion of studies on autism. A developmental disorder now recognized as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by restricted and repetitive interests or behaviors as well as impaired social communication abilities.

More and more studies are shedding light on ASD, a complicated illness, providing information for all. Professionals and parents can benefit from a comprehensive awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by reading up on topics, including the disorder’s prevalence, its connections to hereditary factors, successful parent programs, and treatment options.

Some estimates put the prevalence of neurodiversity among adults at 8% worldwide. When people talk about neurodiversity, they usually mean a combination of conditions like dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

It is problematic for employers because these diagnoses are on the rise among adults already working. When faced with neurodivergent personnel, business owners may ask how they can best help their staff without negatively affecting the company.

Should we say “on the rise in adults,” or is it that the disorder is now being recognized as never before because it was an invisible disorder? Now, we are identifying more individuals with the disorders we previously failed to diagnose, and it’s not just about recognition but also about being willing to assist them with their needs in society.

The Disorders Under This Umbrella Term

How many neurodiverse disorders exist, and can an individual have more than one? Without a doubt, mental health professionals can diagnose individuals with multiple mental health disorders, so it would seem reasonable that anyone with one of these disorders could also have more than one. The list is long and some of the disorders are not often diagnosed.

Neurodivergent individuals may have some of the following symptoms:

Asperger’s syndrome is now part of the autism spectrum.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD)

DiGeorge syndrome
Down syndrome
Dyscalculia is a problem with numbers
Dysgraphia, a disorder of writing
Dyslexia is a reading disability
Dyspraxia with motor control issues
Problems with cognition
Mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, OCD, and others
Prader-Willi syndrome
Difficulties with processing sensory information
Social anxiety
Syndrome of tremors
Williams syndrome (WS)

Additionally, researchers have recently discovered that eating disorders should be included in the listing of neurodivergent ones.

Diagnosis, Treatment and Information

The diagnosis is often made by a mental health professional, where an individual may have been referred by either a pediatrician or other medical professional who has noted special needs in this individual.

In neurodiversity, the emphasis is not on “dysfunctions” or “deficits,” but on utilizing an individual’s distinct strengths to compensate for their weaknesses and assist them in adjusting to their surroundings, be it at home, in the classroom, or on the job.

Individuals with neurodiversity may require individualized support to achieve their goals. Changes to the classroom setting, such as allowing students to use noise-canceling headphones, increasing opportunities for mobility, or granting students additional time to complete tests, may be necessary.

A neurodivergent test is a battery of questions designed to ascertain whether an individual’s brain operates in a neurotypical fashion. Although the patient can do some of these tests at home, only a doctor’s examination can definitively identify a neurodivergent disorder.

Neurodivergent exams are mostly used for educational purposes. Seeking further information from a medical expert would be helpful for individuals who obtain high scores on neurodivergent tests.

There are many resources available online that will direct individuals to information on neurodivergent disorders, and they include:

Raising Children Net (Australia)

Children’s Health Council

American Autism Center

ADDitude

ChildMind Institute

Association for Autism and Neurodiversity

Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee

CHADD

LD Resources Foundation

Autism Speaks

This is not an all-inclusive list; others may be found online. When searching, please keep in mind that some of the offerings may be privately owned facilities or practices, not no-profit groups that provide information and direction for parents.

The post Invisible Disabilities Need Our Attention and Understanding Like No Others appeared first on Medika Life.

Results from the AQUA clinical trial found that using the QbTest alongside a standard clinical assessment for ADHD resulted in faster diagnostic decisions being made for a more significant proportion of people within six months of their first assessment appointment when QbTest results were available, compared with when they were not. It also resulted in clinicians being able to rule out ADHD in more cases.

“The evidence we have to date, further cemented by the recent NICE recommendation to the NHS, highlights the importance of objective ADHD testing in improving overall ADHD care,” shared Dr. Angela LaRosa, a Charleston-based developmental and behavioral pediatrician. “As a specialist in developmental and behavioral pediatrics, incorporating objective ADHD assessments in my practice has been crucial for increasing access to care, and we now have better data for making informed care decisions, including treatment optimization and monitoring.”

QbTest is an FDA-cleared, market-leading computer-based test with motion tracking that measures core ADHD symptoms—inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. The results are analyzed and presented in an easy-to-read visual report comparing them to a normative control group of the same age and sex at birth who do not have ADHD.

“ADHD diagnosis rates are rising globally, with the CDC reporting a 16% increase from 2016 to 2022,” said Mikkel Hansen, Chief Medical Officer at Qbtech. “The increase in demand has put a severe strain on healthcare systems, leading to significant delays in diagnosis that are having far-reaching effects on children and their families. Our objective tests add necessary safeguards to the diagnostic process and enable clinicians to complete a comprehensive assessment effectively and efficiently. We’re honored to be recognized by NICE and excited to further our work with the NHS to improve access to ADHD care in the UK and with similar organizations worldwide.”

Qbtech’s objective ADHD testing technology is used by more than 12,000 clinicians across 44 states in the U.S. and at the national level by organizations such as the NHS in England in over 120 sites. The company has been documented in more than 40 independent studies, showing benefits across the patient care pathway, including improved access to care, elevated clinician confidence, better identification of treatment effects than self-rating, and standardization of care across multiple disciplines.

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About Qbtech

Founded in 2002, Qbtech is a privately-owned Swedish company that has developed leading solutions and products for improving the identification, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients living with ADHD. Qbtech has operations in 14 countries and has offices in Stockholm, Houston, and London. Qbtech is an award-winning company recognized for its innovation, most recently winning the 2022 HSJ Partnership Award for the ‘Best Mental Health Partnership with the NHS.’ For more information about Qbtech, visit www.qbtech.com.

The post National Institute for Clinical Excellence Recommends QbTest to Aid Diagnosis of ADHD in Youth appeared first on Medika Life.