More than 17 million American children are living with, either now or in the past, a diagnosable mental illness, according to a report released last year by New York City’s Child Mind Institute. Yet the majority of these young people remain untreated, creating what some experts have dubbed a public health crisis.

Although awareness of conditions such as ADHD and autism has steadily increased over the years, there’s still a lot of work to be done in connecting parents with the proper resources, said Julie Boydston, director of the University of Kansas Child and Family Services Clinic.

On Saturday, the clinic will host its first-ever Kids’ Behavioral Wellness Fair in the auditorium of the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. Slated for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event will provide some of those resources to parents, as well as free mental and behavioral screenings for kids of all ages, information on support services in the Lawrence community and activity booths where children can learn mindfulness and relaxation strategies.

Oftentimes, Boydston said, it’s difficult for parents to differentiate between normal childhood behaviors and more serious indicators of disorders. Left untreated, these conditions only worsen, she said, leading in some cases to lagging social skills and slipping grades.

“We used to think that kids could not be depressed, period,” Boydston said. “But now we’re discovering that even young children can be depressed.”

At the KU clinic, which operates as the primary training clinic for graduate students in the university’s clinical child psychology doctoral program, Boydston and her colleagues sometimes see children as young as 2 or 3 years old. Autism and ADHD symptoms in particular, she said, show up early in kids.

Screenings, although not offering diagnoses or treatment, can at least provide parents with a solid foundation before seeking professional help.

“If you’re thinking something’s not quite right, having someone validate that, or say, ‘This is typical’ or ‘It might be worth looking at this before it gets worse,'” can be an empowering experience for parents, Boydston said.

Boydston, who stepped in as clinic director last month in the effort to expand community outreach, took on her new role amid recent growth at the KU clinic, which serves families across Douglas County and the surrounding area. Between fiscal years 2015 and 2016, the clinic has experienced a nearly 23 percent uptick in client contact.

The increased awareness surrounding mental health issues, particularly autism in recent years, has likely prompted some of that growth, Boydston speculates.

She said she hopes Saturday’s event will leave parents feeling better equipped and informed. Simply becoming more comfortable with discussing mental health, she theorizes, might give parents the nudge needed to seek treatment for kids living with disorders.

“Oftentimes, they might wait and wait and wait, and then it’s gotten worse,” Boydston said of getting treatment. “Being able to come in earlier and prevent some of those difficulties could help with that.”