social troubles Archives - EBL Coaching https://eblcoaching.com/tag/social-troubles/ We Help Students with Learning Challenges Fri, 29 Mar 2024 08:03:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://eblcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/cropped-icon-32x32.png social troubles Archives - EBL Coaching https://eblcoaching.com/tag/social-troubles/ 32 32 Distinguishing Between Autism and ADHD in Children https://eblcoaching.com/distinguishing-between-autism-and-adhd-in-children/ Tue, 02 Jan 2024 14:24:33 +0000 https://eblcoaching.com/?p=14897 Many children with autism struggle to start and complete their homework assignments. They may lose papers, notebooks, and teacher's notes. Some may find it difficult to plan and prioritize their actions, and to self-monitor. When children struggle in these areas, it is often a sign of issues with executive functioning skills.

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You may find that your child struggles with focus, communication, impulsivity and schoolwork. These are common challenges found ni both those with autism and those with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Parents need ot understand the
root of their child's difficulties, whether tisi autism, ADHD or both. While ti can be difficult ot differentiate between the disorders because many of hte symptoms overlap, there are some distinct differences. Let's take a closer look at those differences sa they relate ot focus, communication and routines.

Focus

Individuals with ADHD tend to be easily distracted. As children, they may start a homework assignment but quickly lose focus when they hear the doorbell ring, the phone buzz, a newscaster speak on television, or people talk in another room. They may repeatedly start and stop an assignment and take what seems like forever to complete it. As adults, they may have similar trouble staying focused on such tasks as writing emails or creating a weekly schedule. Completing a project may take hours because of all the surrounding distractions.

People with autism tend to have trouble focusing on a task they do not like. For example, they may not want to read a particular book, complete a math sheet on multiplication, or finish a puzzle. If that is the case, they may "act out" and become very frustrated. However, they often have the ability to hyperfocus on topics and tasks that they do like.

Communication

Children and adults with ADHD may talk incessantly, regardless of whether others are listening or seem interested. They may interrupt their peers when speaking, or struggle to tell a story in an organized and sequential way. They may also overstep boundaries, and share inappropriate information with others.

Those with autism often find it challenging to express their thoughts and feelings using appropriate words. They may speak out of context or bring up a topic during an inappropriate time. They tend to have poor social awareness and weak language skills, and may have difficulty making eye contact when speaking to others.

Routines

Individuals with ADHD tend to thrive on routine, but often have difficulty sticking with the routine and following through with it on a regular basis. For instance, they may know they should exercise for an hour every day or spend some time each day organizing their belongings, but they are easily distracted when trying to complete the task.

Those with autism prefer doing the same routines over and over. For example, they may have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast every day with a specific amount of butter, complete the same puzzle over and over, or prefer to have the same book read to them time and again. They thrive on routine and do not like change. Any altering of these routines may cause them to become overwhelmed or anxious.

You could also create a colorful poster to map out this routine with pictures or images that correspond to each step. A similar schedule could be created for after-school and pre-bedtime activities. It may be worth asking if your child's teacher would be willing to prepare one for the school day.
As already mentioned, ADHD and autism do share some similarities. These include impulsivity, executive functioning challenges, focusing difficulties, learning challenges, and social troubles. While some individuals may only have either ADHD or autism, others may have both. The only way to know which disorder your child may have is for your child to undergo a complete evaluation. This typically includes observations, questionnaires and formal evaluative tools. The earlier you can arrive at a diagnosis, the sooner you can seek appropriate supports and the more likely your child will be to thrive and reach his or her full potential. Remember that your child also has many gifts. Learning more about who your child is will help you to offer the support that your child needs.

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]]> Differentiating Between ADHD and Autism in Children https://eblcoaching.com/differentiating-between-adhd-and-autism-in-children/ Tue, 23 May 2023 21:26:19 +0000 https://eblcoaching.com/?p=13578 The earlier you can identify your child’s diagnosis, the sooner you can seek treatment, and the more likely your child will be successful in school and in life. Remember that your child likely has many gifts regardless of their diagnosis; learning more about who they are can only help you to best help them.

The post Differentiating Between ADHD and Autism in Children appeared first on EBL Coaching.

]]> Your child is struggling with focus, communication, impulsivity, and school work. Is it autism or ADHD? Or could it be both? It can be tough to differentiate between the two diagnoses since many of the symptoms overlap. Yet there are many distinct differences between autism and ADHD. Let’s take a look at each issue.

Focusing

Individuals with ADHD tend to be distracted easily. As kids, they may start a homework assignment but quickly lose focus when they hear the doorbell ringing, their phone buzzing, a newscaster speaking on the television, or people talking in another room. They may continuously start and stop an assignment, taking what seems like forever to complete it. As adults, they may have similar trouble staying focused on tasks; writing emails, creating a weekly schedule, or completing a project may take hours to complete with all of the surrounding distractions.

Those with autism tend to have trouble focusing on a task they don’t like. For instance, they may not want to read a particular book, complete a math sheet on multiplication, or finish a puzzle. If that’s the case, they may “act out” and demonstrate poor behaviors out of sheer frustration. Read more at Wondering if Your Child Has ADHD? – EBL Coaching.

Communication

Children and adults with ADHD may talk incessantly, regardless of whether others are truly listening or seem interested. They may interrupt their peers when speaking, and may not tell a story in an organized, sequential fashion. They may also overstep boundaries, sharing inappropriate information with others.

Those with autism often have trouble expressing their thoughts and feelings using appropriate words. They may speak out of context, often bringing up a topic (like the rainy weather outside) during an inappropriate time, like when the person they are with is talking about their favorite subject in school or what they plan to have for dinner that night. Those with autism tend to have poor social awareness and weak language skills, and may struggle with appropriate eye contact when speaking.

Routines

Individuals with ADHD tend to do well with routines but often have difficulty sticking with the routine and following through with it on a regular basis. For instance, they might know they should exercise every day for an hour or spend 30 minutes each day organizing their belongings, but easily become distracted when trying to complete the task.

Those with autism prefer doing the same routines over and over. For example, they may have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast with a specific amount of butter every day, complete the same puzzle over and over, or prefer having the same book read to them time and again. They thrive on routine and don’t like change; any altering of these routines may cause them to become extremely upset. Learn more about this at Time Management Tips For Kids With ADHD – EBL Coaching.

Similarities

ADHD and autism do share some similarities, including impulsivity, executive functioning challenges, focusing difficulties, learning challenges, and social troubles. Some individuals have only ADHD or autism, while others have both. The only way to know what your child may have is to undergo a complete evaluation, which typically includes observations, questionnaires, and formal evaluative tools.

The earlier you can identify your child’s diagnosis, the sooner you can seek treatment, and the more likely your child will be successful in school and in life. Remember that your child likely has many gifts regardless of their diagnosis; learning more about who they are can only help you to best help them.

Other Blogs about Autism:

Helping Autistic Students Build Stronger Executive Functioning Skills

Other Blogs About ADHD:

ADHD Tutoring

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