11 Facts About Mental Disability
- As of July 2008, about 5% of U.S. children aged 6-17 have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
- Boys are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls.
- An estimated 12 of every 1,000 U.S. school children have mental retardation, a disorder characterized by a significantly below average score on a test of mental ability and limitations in such areas as self-direction; school, work, and leisure activities; and daily-living, social, and communication skills.
- About 1 in 10 children has dyslexia, a learning disability that manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language, particularly with reading and spelling.
- Autism affects about 1 in every 150 kids, but no one knows what causes it.
- Kids who have autism usually keep to themselves and some can't communicate without special help.
- More than 1 in 3 children have some form of pervasive developmental disorder (PPD), which means they have some but not all symptoms of autism.
- Over three million Americans (approximately 1%) stutter. An estimated 20% of children go through a phase of stuttering.
- Stuttering affects four times as many males as females.
- Anxiety Disorders (like Panic) affect about 40 million American adults age (about 18%) in a given year. Most developed symptoms as children, but since anxiety disorders are often overlooked or misjudged, they were never treated and consequently carried the disorder into adulthood.
- If left untreated, children with anxiety disorders are at higher risk to do poorly in school and are more vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse
Sources:
WebMD
Kids Health
BBC News
Stuttering Help
National Institute of Mental Health
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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