Post by misty on Jan 6, 2007 23:31:17 GMT -5
Thread Started on May 31, 2006, 9:14pm
Even children can become depressed. Depression in LD kids has been the focus of 30 years of research. In the early 70's there were 3 reasons why LD kids were believed to be more at risk for depression than other kids:
* Children with LD often experienced low self-esteem, which is a symptom of depression.
* Children who were depressed tended to score lower on academic achievement tests, which is a defining characteristic of LD.
* Both children with LD and those who were depressed were believed to have some type of neurological disturbance.
Later experts realized tha low self esteem & academic underachievement were conditions that affected many children, not just those who were depressed or those with LD. In 1986 new studies were started on kids with LD & depression. It was found that 5%-20% of kids with LD were Dxed depressed as compared to 2% for non LD kids. But what the research didn’t tell was whether children with LD experienced clinical depression at a rate higher than that experienced by the general population.
To answer that, all the data on depression in kids with LD from 1977 until present was compiled & studied. From thiis, 3 conclusions were reached:
* Children with LD had statistically higher depression inventory scores than their non-disabled peers, but the magnitude of the difference between the two groups was not great.
* Children with LD were at no greater risk for experiencing severe depression than their non-disabled peers.
* Factors other than having an LD, such as gender, age, and ethnicity may contribute just as much, if not more, to a child experiencing depression. (We know, for example, that far fewer females have LD than males.)
But there are several questions raised which no answers were reached about.
* We do not know if children with LD experience clinical depression in greater numbers than their non-disabled peers. The reason that these data haven’t been collected is because a depressive disorder can only be diagnosed by a psychiatrist or psychologist after conducting a thorough clinical interview. The time involved and the number of clinicians required to administer clinical interviews to a large random sample of children with and without LD would be astronomical.
* We do not currently know what causes depression.
* We don’t know exactly how accurately depression rating scales can predict whether a child with a high score would receive a clinical diagnosis of depression.
Parents may assume from what they read, hear, or see in the media that there is an indisputable connection between LD and higher rates of depression in children. As we know, news media are often interested in sensationalizing problems; they look for quick answers and rarely cover stories that contradict initial pronouncements. This makes it very important for parents to be informed consumers and sift through the nonsense and hype that media can report on the problem.
So its important to Watch for Symptoms of Depression at Home and at School.
Depression is a condition characterized by:
* extreme feelings of sadness
* lack of interest or pleasure in most or all activities
* significant weight gain or loss
* sleeping too little or too much
* restlessness or exhaustion
* low energy
* feeling worthless
* difficulty concentrating, and
* thoughts of suicide
Note: Only a qualified mental health professional can make use of these symptoms to diagnose depression in your child.
Also stay in close contact with your childs school. There are several important questions you can ask:
* Is my child making academic progress, performing about the same, or doing worse?
* Is my child interacting positively with others or is he withdrawing?
* Does my child appear to be happy during school or sad?
* Does my child appear tired or seem to have adequate energy?
* Does my child seem to have a positive or negative attitude toward school?
This article originally came from thje schwab site & was rewritten by Misty for posting here.
Even children can become depressed. Depression in LD kids has been the focus of 30 years of research. In the early 70's there were 3 reasons why LD kids were believed to be more at risk for depression than other kids:
* Children with LD often experienced low self-esteem, which is a symptom of depression.
* Children who were depressed tended to score lower on academic achievement tests, which is a defining characteristic of LD.
* Both children with LD and those who were depressed were believed to have some type of neurological disturbance.
Later experts realized tha low self esteem & academic underachievement were conditions that affected many children, not just those who were depressed or those with LD. In 1986 new studies were started on kids with LD & depression. It was found that 5%-20% of kids with LD were Dxed depressed as compared to 2% for non LD kids. But what the research didn’t tell was whether children with LD experienced clinical depression at a rate higher than that experienced by the general population.
To answer that, all the data on depression in kids with LD from 1977 until present was compiled & studied. From thiis, 3 conclusions were reached:
* Children with LD had statistically higher depression inventory scores than their non-disabled peers, but the magnitude of the difference between the two groups was not great.
* Children with LD were at no greater risk for experiencing severe depression than their non-disabled peers.
* Factors other than having an LD, such as gender, age, and ethnicity may contribute just as much, if not more, to a child experiencing depression. (We know, for example, that far fewer females have LD than males.)
But there are several questions raised which no answers were reached about.
* We do not know if children with LD experience clinical depression in greater numbers than their non-disabled peers. The reason that these data haven’t been collected is because a depressive disorder can only be diagnosed by a psychiatrist or psychologist after conducting a thorough clinical interview. The time involved and the number of clinicians required to administer clinical interviews to a large random sample of children with and without LD would be astronomical.
* We do not currently know what causes depression.
* We don’t know exactly how accurately depression rating scales can predict whether a child with a high score would receive a clinical diagnosis of depression.
Parents may assume from what they read, hear, or see in the media that there is an indisputable connection between LD and higher rates of depression in children. As we know, news media are often interested in sensationalizing problems; they look for quick answers and rarely cover stories that contradict initial pronouncements. This makes it very important for parents to be informed consumers and sift through the nonsense and hype that media can report on the problem.
So its important to Watch for Symptoms of Depression at Home and at School.
Depression is a condition characterized by:
* extreme feelings of sadness
* lack of interest or pleasure in most or all activities
* significant weight gain or loss
* sleeping too little or too much
* restlessness or exhaustion
* low energy
* feeling worthless
* difficulty concentrating, and
* thoughts of suicide
Note: Only a qualified mental health professional can make use of these symptoms to diagnose depression in your child.
Also stay in close contact with your childs school. There are several important questions you can ask:
* Is my child making academic progress, performing about the same, or doing worse?
* Is my child interacting positively with others or is he withdrawing?
* Does my child appear to be happy during school or sad?
* Does my child appear tired or seem to have adequate energy?
* Does my child seem to have a positive or negative attitude toward school?
This article originally came from thje schwab site & was rewritten by Misty for posting here.
