Why I shouldn't be left to my thoughts at night

The kids and hubby are in bed and I had this rush of information in my head about Eden's last doctors appointment and statistics that are running around in my brain. This will be a random post about this stuff and sorry ahead of time if  this stuff doesn't make any sense.

There are going to be some numbers(namely statistics) thrown out here. Some I have heard from Eden's doctor or behavioral classes I have taken and as many as I can I'll back up with some real statistics. (Note: I'm NOT a numbers person but this stuff really shows how my daughter fits into the statistics of mental health in my eyes) So, I'm really not any stranger to these numbers but now I'm thinking of how Eden's new diagnosis of ADHD (read post here) is changing how she will do things in the future and what things may be in her future as far as mental health go.

Did you know that in the Autism world that Eden is in an elite club of girls diagnosed with Autism? I would NEVER have chosen this club for my child but among the Autism community having a daughter is rare and it comes with a totally different set of challenges. Boys are 5 times more likely to be diagnosed with Autism than girls? I wrote about her being the only girl in her class in preschool here. I also wrote about the (then) recently released CDC numbers about Autism prevalence here.

The 50% of kids with Autism get diagnosed with ADHD(not symptoms the actual diagnosis even taking into account typical behaviors of Autism) according to Eden's Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrician first when we were diagnosed with Autism and the doctor also talked about the statistics that kids with Autism are more at risk for seizures, gut disorders and other disorders as well with statistics so there wasn't just ADHD that was a part of that first conversation. She went over these statistics again when we started the testing/questionnaires for her ADHD diagnosis she mentioned it again. The statistics of girls with ADHD are all here  at the CDC website but boys are about 3 times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. See? She really is pushing statistics isn't she?

So, here's another one...a behavior class talking about ADHD statistics stating that 50% of children who are diagnosed with ADHD are diagnosed with Bi-polar disorder when they are adults. Let's then try and figure out my kids future...

I wish there were hard statistics for adults with high functioning Autism and keeping a job. I found this site and there are a few more just with a basic Google search but there are so many factors. This is a frightening life to live for me, and I'm not going to dwell on it just something to ponder when I start talking about how worried I am for her future.

I know and understand fully that Eden is a very highly functioning kid even with all her uniqueness; she will lead a very successful life. We as parents will help to give the right circumstances, training, and support but it's going to be able to support herself and live on her own but it will be a difficult road for us all. I have three children and all three are going to have their challenges and struggles through life but I think Eden's challenges will be harder for the people in her community to understand.