Parents of neurodivergent kids need support. But those who need it most often wait longer
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Parenting any young child is full of highs and lows.
In addition to these, parents and caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to face greater levels of strain and higher support needs. They are also more likely than other parents to experience poor mental health.
But our new research found when they experienced mental health concerns, these parents and carers also faced more barriers to accessing support than other parents.
Their children also experienced longer delays getting an initial neurodevelopmental assessment.
What we did
Our research used the Australian Child Neurodevelopment Research Registry to look at mental health concerns in 187 parents and carers of children referred for neurodevelopmental assessments in NSW between 2020 and 2023.
Neurodevelopmental assessments typically include evaluations of a child’s developmental, cognitive, language, social, motor and adaptive functioning. They are helpful for understanding a child’s strengths and challenges. These assessments help identify conditions such as autism, ADHD, communication disorders, and other developmental and learning delays.
Caregivers completed a questionnaire one month before their child’s assessment. They provided information about their own mental health symptoms, and the supports and services they used for themselves and their child.
We then looked at whether caregivers who reported more mental health concerns had different experiences compared to those with fewer concerns. In particular, we looked at whether their children received assessments at different ages, and whether they faced more barriers or accessed different types of supports.
What we found
We found 41.7% of parents and carers reported elevated mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression and ADHD symptoms. This is higher than in the general population, where about one in five adults (22%) experience a mental health condition each year.
These parents and carers reported needing more support and faced more barriers when trying to access supports for their family.
All caregivers noticed developmental delays in their children at around three years of age, replicating our past study. However, children of caregivers with mental health concerns were, on average, a full year older by the time they received a developmental assessment. Their children also had more emotional and behavioural challenges and support needs.
Caregivers with mental health challenges said they needed more support for themselves and their children, but found it hard to access these supports. They also wanted more access to parental respite, and they reported greater difficulty accessing psychological services and behavioural therapies for their children.
Barriers to accessing care included transport difficulties, trouble coordinating appointments, and a lack of knowledge about where to go or who to contact for help.
Our previous research shows families from financially disadvantaged backgrounds have greater difficulties accessing services and experience more barriers to care.
Support needs to extend to families
The new federal program Thriving Kids is being set up to support children with developmental concerns. But our results suggest for it to work well, it needs to take a whole-of-family approach and reach disadvantaged families early.
This means offering evidence-based support when it’s needed most, for both children and their caregivers. For example, some parents may need additional navigation supports to address family system needs. Caregivers may also need to be linked in with mental health supports for themselves.
The importance of integrated, family-focused care has also been highlighted in multiple government reports, including the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the National Guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism, and the national ADHD guideline.
What can caregivers do now?
Parents and carers of children with neurodevelopmental conditions are often surprised when they’re advised to look after and prioritise their own needs too. By meeting their own needs, they will be in a better position to support their family.
Caregivers with mental health needs will require different types and amounts of supports for themselves and their children to thrive.
Talking with a health professional, such as your GP, can be a good first step. They can provide support recommendations, help you navigate your child’s care, and may also be able to provide links to parent support groups or respite care. Respite care can involve someone else looking after your child for a short period, so you can rest and have time for yourself.
Clinicians also need to step up
Some simple steps clinicians can take include:
1) Recognising and identifying parental distress
Many parents say they are rarely asked about how they are doing, even though they do a lot of work supporting their children.
Services can go a long way by helping to identify caregiver needs and discuss what supports might be needed.
During developmental assessments, clinicians may notice that caregivers are experiencing stress or mental health concerns. It’s important clinicians consider broader family supports when providing recommendations for the child.
2) Reducing stigma
Caregivers may need to feel safe to express their needs without judgement and to understand that looking after themselves is an important priority.
Clinicians can help by creating a safe space where caregivers can share their concerns, so they are more likely to seek and receive support.
3) Navigating and sharing information
Families often need support navigating care.
Clinicians can provide clear information and pathways to support, including local and online supports and services, parenting programs and caregiver respite services.
Kelsie Boulton, Senior Research Fellow in Child Neurodevelopment, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney and Adam Guastella, Professor and Clinical Psychologist, Michael Crouch Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Lymphatic Drainage: Where Does It Go?
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Dr. Caitlin Czezowski (functional medicine specialist) explains where it drains to and why it’s important to know:
Keep it flowing
Many superficial instructions for lymphatic drainage (massage, brushing, gua sha etc) suggest moving fluid toward the heart without specifying the actual drainage point. And yes, it does indeed need to go to the heart eventually (once it has entered the bloodstream), but the lymphatic drainage point into the bloodstream (or rather, points, for there are two of them) can be found behind the collarbones.
What this means: all lymphatic fluid ultimately drains from above the collarbones into the supraclavicular fossa (the “terminus”), not directly to the heart.
The sides have different roles too, or rather, the left does much more work than the right:
- The right terminus drains: right side of face/head/neck, right arm/hand, right breast and rib cage, draining about 0.5 liters per day
- The left terminus drains: left side of face/head/neck, left arm, left breast/chest, entire abdomen and both legs, draining about 2.5 liters per day
So of course, you don’t want those drainage points to get congested. You can check for congestion yourself; examine the area above your collarbones using a mirror, and look for symmetry, puffiness, or loss of visible bone structure.
If there is congestion, you can decongest it as follows:
- use ring and middle fingers to probe the indent above the collarbones (aligned with your earlobes, if you imagine a plumbline directly down from them)
- apply gentle pressure, moving in light circles
- do 10–50 gentle pumps or circles, about 1 per second, up to 5x daily if needed
The more congested you are, the more consistently and frequently you should perform this gentle stimulation to restore proper drainage.
And if you’re not congested? That’s great, and this information is still useful because it means you’ll rememberer to always begin and finish lymphatic drainage sessions by decongesting the terminus, ensuring open flow back into circulation.
For more on all of this, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Take Care Of Your Lymphatic System To Beat Cognitive Decline
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What Happens Every Day When You Quit Sugar For 30 Days
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We all know that sugar isn’t exactly a health food, but it can be hard to quit. How long can cravings be expected to last, and when can we expect to see benefits? Today’s video covers the timeline in a realistic yet inspiring fashion:
What to expect on…
Day 1: expect cravings and withdrawal symptoms including headaches, fatigue, mood swings, and irritability—as well as tiredness, without the crutch of sugar.
Days 2 & 3: more of the same, plus likely objections from the gut, since your Candida albicans content will not be enjoying being starved of its main food source.
Days 4–7: reduction of the above symptoms, better energy levels, improved sleep, and likely the gut will be adapting or have adapted.
Days 8–14: beginning of weight loss, clearer skin, improved complexion; taste buds adapt too, making foods taste sweeter. Continued improvement in energy and focus, as well.
Days 15–21: more of the same improvements, plus the immune system will start getting stronger around now. But watch out, because there may still be some cravings from time to time.
Days 22–30: all of the above positive things, few or no cravings now, and enhanced metabolic health as a whole.
For more specificity on each of these stages, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
The Not-So-Sweet Science Of Sugar Addiction
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4 Exercises To Finally Fix Your Lower Back Pain
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Alisa Szyman, mobility coach, shows us how to ease things up:
Gently does it (but actually do it)
Fun fact: persistent lower back pain is often caused by compensation patterns rather than ongoing injury, with the lower back becoming overworked when other regions fail to contribute effectively.
For this reason, it’s good to give the overworked areas relief, and “balance out” the use of muscles to stop the same few muscles from doing all the work.
Some weaknesses to pay attention to (we’ll mention the exercises in passing, and then detail them properly in a moment):
- Tight hip flexors: prolonged sitting and frequent use of heeled footwear may shorten your hip flexors, contributing to anterior pelvic tilt and increased lower-back arching; a self-test is to stand sideways to a mirror and look for an exaggerated arch and a protruding abdomen; the recommended exercise is a kneeling hip flexor stretch performed with a strong glute squeeze to encourage hip-flexor relaxation.
- Weak core: reduced activation of the deep abdominal muscles, particularly the transverse abdominis, can leave your lower back providing the lion’s share of the stabilization; here the recommendation is pelvic tilts to activate your deep core and glutes, followed by bird dogs to improve spinal stability during movement.
- Weak glutes: prolonged sitting will tend to reduce glute activation (or more prosaically, leads to “dead butt syndrome”), causing your lower back to compensate; a glute bridge can help identify this if you feel the effort mainly in your lower back rather than your glutes; the recommended progression is glute bridges, then marching or single-leg variations.
- Upper-back stiffness: limited thoracic-spine rotation can force your lower back to compensate during twisting movements; a self-test is to sit with your arms crossed and assess whether you can comfortably rotate beyond approximately 45 degrees each way; the recommended exercise is the thoracic windmill, which improves upper-back mobility while minimizing lower-back movement.
As for how to do those exercises in their most useful-for-this form,
- Kneeling hip flexor stretch: kneel with one knee on the floor, keep your torso upright, squeeze your rearmost glute firmly, gently drive your hip forwards, hold for 5 seconds, then relax.
- Pelvic tilt with bird dog progression: lie on your back with your knees bent, flatten your lower back into the floor, squeeze your glutes, brace your core, hold for 5 seconds, then relax; progress to bird dogs by starting on all fours, bracing your core, and extending the opposite arm and leg while keeping your lower back neutral.
- Glute bridge: squeeze your glutes, tuck your pelvis in slightly, raise your hips, pause briefly, then lower yourself back down slowly; progress to marching or single-leg variations as your control improves.
- Thoracic windmill: lie on your side with your knees bent and stacked one on top of the other, extend your arms in front of you, then sweep your top arm in a large arc while rotating through your upper back and opening your chest, keeping your knees together and your lower back as still as you reasonably can.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
For a much deeper understanding of treating back pain, here’s a great book that we reviewed a little while back:
Treat Your Own Back – by Robin McKenzie ← he’s a physiotherapist and not a doctor, and/but with 40 years of practice to his name and 33 letters after his name (CNZM OBE FCSP (Hon) FNZSP (Hon) Dip MDT Dip MT), he seems to know his stuff. His work is very well-respected, and almost any English-speaking physiotherapist will have read his books.
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Lettuce vs Arugula – Which is Healthier?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our Verdict
When comparing lettuce to arugula, we picked the arugula.
Why?
These two salad leaves that often fulfil quite similar culinary roles (base of a green salad) are actually of different families, and it shows…
In terms of macros, arugula is lower in carbs, and much higher in protein and fiber—to the point that the protein content in arugula is almost equal to the carb content, which for leaves, is not that common a thing to see.
When it comes to vitamins, things are more even: lettuce has more of vitamins A, B1, B3, B6, and K, while arugula has more of vitamins B5, B9, C, E, and choline. All in all, we can comfortably call it a tie on the vitamin front.
In the category of minerals, things are once again more decided: arugula has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. In contrast, lettuce boasts only more selenium. An easy win for arugula.
Both of these plants have plenty of health-giving phytochemicals, including flavonoids and carotenoids along with other less talked-about things, and while the profiles are quite different for each of them, they stack up about the same in terms of overall benefits in this category.
Taking the various categories into account, this of course adds up to an easy win for arugula, but do enjoy both, especially as lettuce brings benefits that arugula doesn’t in the two categories where they tied!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
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How To Control Cravings, Hunger & Emotional Eating
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Firstly, it’s a tale of two hormones: ghrelin (“the hunger hormone”) which increases with calorie restriction, stress, or sleep deprivation, and CCK (cholecystokinin) which reduces hunger when the stomach detects certain nutrients, including omega-3, amino acids (protein), and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid).
So, how to use that information?
Five Pillars Of Craving Control
Laura’s tips are:
- Satisfy fullness-signal receptors early: eat 40g of protein per meal, and include sources of omega-3s and CLA (or take supplements). Taking these nutrients early in meals can activate CCK and reduce overeating.
- Consider using glutamine: this is an amino acid that helps promote the release of CCK and also reduces sweet cravings. You can get it from foods, or as a supplement (5g powder in water before meals or during cravings). Here’s an example product on Amazon 😎
- Avoid emulsifiers in processed foods: they can cause gut receptors to retract, preventing hunger signals from being regulated. Common emulsifiers include ingredients ending in -ate, -at, or gum.
- Meal order matters: eat protein and vegetables before carbohydrates! This promotes CCK release and reduces blood sugar spikes, lowering overall food intake. Eating carbs first, on the other hand, can spike hunger and promote overeating.
- Understand deeper roots of eating habits: appetite and cravings can be influenced by many factors. Her own binge-eating was linked to undiagnosed ADHD and thus low dopamine (so, she was eating not for nutrients, but for dopamine). ADHD meds helped her overcome that. Yours might be for the same or entirely different reasons, but either way, it’s worth exploring.
For more on each of these, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
The Science of Hunger, And How To Sate It
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Spinach vs Chard – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing spinach to chard, we picked the spinach.
Why?
In terms of macros, spinach has slightly more fiber and protein, while chard has slightly more carbs. Now, those carbs are fine; nobody is getting metabolic disease from eating greens. But, by the numbers, this is a clear, albeit marginal, win for spinach.
In the category of vitamins, spinach has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, E, and K, while chard has more of vitamins C and choline. An even clearer victory for spinach this time.
When it comes to minerals, spinach has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, while chard has more potassium. Once again, a clear win for spinach.
You may be wondering about oxalates, in which spinach is famously high. However, chard is nearly 2x higher in oxalates. In practical terms, this doesn’t mean too much for most people. If you have kidney problems or a family history of such, it is recommended to avoid oxalates. For everyone else, the only downside is that oxalates diminish calcium bioavailability, which is a pity, as spinach is (by the numbers) a good source of calcium.
However, oxalates are broken down by heat, so this means that cooked spinach (lightly steamed is fine; you don’t need to do anything drastic) will be much lower in oxalates (if you have kidney problems, do still check with your doctor/dietician, though).
All in all, spinach beats chard by most metrics, and by a fair margin. Still, enjoy either or both, unless you have kidney problems, in which case maybe go for kale or collard greens instead!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Make Your Vegetables Work Better Nutritionally ← includes a note on breaking down oxalates, and lots of other information besides!
Enjoy!
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