Archive for January, 2012
Kids need special evaluation
January 31st, 2012 | 
Author: How can you determine if a child is
at risk of developing a mental illness?
This is a question many clients have placed at my professional doorstep. And while there are no cookie cutter answers, behavioral science provides some reliable guidelines to help make the right call.
When a child’s behavior seems out of whack, parents often reach out for advice, and there’s plenty floating around. Too often, they run into “guidance” that is either dismissive (“Don’t worry, it’s just a phase”) or unduly alarmist (“Get him to a shrink now!”).
Increasingly, parents take their children, including very young ones, for mental health evaluation and treatment. What’s more, a surprising number of youngsters are being assigned formal psychiatric diagnoses, not just attention/hyperactivity disorder, but also bipolar disorder and clinical depression, among others.
At issue is whether pre-adolescent children can or should be diagnosed with such conditions. In young children brain maturation is just getting started.
And if one rushes a child into the mental health system without sufficient cause, it can paste an adverse label on him or her. When a kid gets messages from adults that “something is wrong with you,” that notion can stick and generate its own set of issues.
Still, estimates are that roughly 15% of young people have a mental illness, and that about 75% of them will go undiagnosed or untreated. So, to avoid over- or under-reacting, here are behavioral warning signs that should give one pause:
1. Prolonged sadness or withdrawal (some adolescent withdrawal can be normal, absent other risk indicators).
2. Panic attacks for no apparent reason.
3. Intense and obsessive worrying or compulsively repetitive behaviors that disrupt daily activities.
4. Extreme and unpredictable mood swings that interfere with relationships.
5. Evidence of an eating disorder – chronically not eating, forced vomiting or the use of laxatives to induce weight loss.
6. Great difficulty concentrating, particularly if this leads to physically dangerous situations or causes academic failure.
7. Repeated abuse of alcohol or other psychoactive drugs (not just “experimentation”).
8. Drastic and sudden changes in behavior or personality.
9. Pattern of fighting, particularly if weapons or significant injuries are involved.
10. Serious plans or attempts to harm self or others, including pets.
11. Any severely “out of control” behavior that poses a risk to self or others.
Are there kids who exhibit some of these behaviors yet don’t turn out to be mentally ill? You bet. These warning signs indicate risk, not predictive certainty.
So if a parent or caregiver is worried but the child’s behavior does not pose an imminent danger, a good approach is to consult with a mental health professional without initially involving the youngster.
Lady Bird Johnson said that, “Children are likely to live up to what you believe about them.”
So do your best to believe accurately.
via JS Online
Posted in 
Autistic Children Encouraged to find their ‘Inner Voice’ may cope better with daily life
Autistic children find it difficult to develop inner
speech skills which could explain why they display some repetitive behaviors
Teaching children with autism to ‘talk things through’ in their heads may help them solve tricky day-to-day tasks and could increase the chances of them living independent lives when they grow up, say scientists.
Psychologists who studied adults with autism found that the mechanism for using ‘inner speech,’ or talking things through in your head is intact, but they don’t always use it in the same way as typically developing people do.
The researchers found that the tendency to ‘think in words’ is also strongly linked to the extent of a person’s communication skills, which are rooted in early childhood.
The results suggest teaching autistic children how to develop inner speech skills may help them cope with daily tasks later in life.
It also suggests children with autism may do better at school if they are encouraged to learn their daily timetable verbally rather than using visual plans, which is currently a common approach.
Autism, which affects around one percent of the population worldwide, includes a spectrum of disorders ranging from mental retardation and a profound inability to communicate, to relatively milder symptoms such as seen in people with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome.
Among core features of autism are poor communication skills and difficulties with social engagement.
‘Most people will ‘think in words’ when trying to solve problems, which helps with planning or particularly complicated tasks,’ said study leader David Williams from Durham University.
Typically developing children tend to talk out loud to guide themselves through tricky tasks, and only talk to themselves in their heads from the age of seven to try to solve problems.
Dr Williams said children with autism often miss out on the early communicative exchanges, which may explain their tendency not to use inner speech when they are older.
He said the lack of inner speech use might also contribute to some of the repetitive behaviours which are common in people with autism.
‘Children with autism probably aren’t doing this thinking in their heads, but are continuing on with a visual thinking strategy,’ Dr Williams said.
‘So this is the time, at around six or seven years old, that these teaching methods would be most helpful.’
The study, conducted by researchers at Durham, Bristol and City University London and published in the Development and Psychopathology journal, involved 15 adults with high-functioning autism and 16 neurotypical adults for comparison.
The volunteers were asked to complete a test of planning ability for which typical people would normally use ‘thinking in words’ strategies.
When the two groups were asked to do the task while also repeating out loud a certain word – such as ‘Tuesday’ or ‘Thursday’ – designed to distract them, the control group found the task much harder, while the autistic group were not bothered by the distraction.
‘In the people with autism, it had no effect whatsoever,’ Dr Williams explained. This suggests that, unlike neurotypical adults, participants with autism do not normally use inner speech to help themselves plan.
via Mail Online
Children’s misbehavior a learning experience
Parenting can be a frustrating job. We ask our kids
10 times to do something before it gets done; then they have an attitude. Preschoolers throw temper tantrums in public places and then want to snuggle moments later while we are still recovering from the incident and not emotionally able to share ourselves.
Siblings fight, teenagers defy and kids talk back. For parents, kids’ behaviors are irritating, irrational, annoying, mind-bending and maddening.
It is the nature of kids to misbehave. Believe it or not, this is one manner in which they learn about society and their environment. It is unrealistic to expect children to know what or how to do something unless you take the time to teach them or they learn through their experience. And in this case, experience is the best teacher.
When you understand that your child will misbehave, it becomes easier to respond calmly and express your emotions appropriately. Certain behaviors are a part of growth and will disappear as your child matures.
When you bring your infant daughter home from the hospital, you have a basic understanding she will cry when she is uncomfortable. Take this understanding a step further and know that misbehavior is natural and is going to occur despite your best efforts of prevention.
This is not about controlling your child. It is about teaching, guiding, understanding and loving her. After all, one cannot control another person’s behavior, only his or her own.
Many times a parent’s negative reactions arise because misbehavior is frightening. Violent temper tantrums exhibited by a 4-year old are scary. The parents may feel that they have done something to encourage this behavior or that their child will grow up to be a violent individual.
A teenager’s irresponsibility may alarm a parent because, as adults, we understand the importance our society places on being responsible.
Know that 4-year olds may have violent temper tantrums, 9-year olds may be forgetful and teenagers seem irresponsible. This does not mean your son will end up in prison because he trashed his room when he was 4. It is a normal part of maturing. The trick becomes how to handle it in the moment so you feel sane and your child learns.
Consider misbehavior to be a mistake. Ideally, when we make a mistake, we learn from it so it doesn’t happen again. Realistically, depending on the task, it may take two to three times to get it right. Children, however, are more impulsive and oftentimes do not think before they act, thus taking more practice to get it right. Breathe and have patience, with yourself and your child, while your child moves through his phases. He’ll get it eventually. After all, you did.
If you have two or more children, you will more easily identify each phase with each child. As time moves on, you’ll look back at your child’s younger years and muse how her behavior drove you crazy. Everything will turn out fine. Relax, put your child’s behavior in perspective and enjoy your time together.
Toddlers grow up grumpy without an afternoon nap
Tired young children are unhappier, more stressed 
and at greater risk of lifelong mental health problems, the research claims.
Findings reveal that toddlers who miss just one daytime nap become more anxious and less interested in the world around them. They were also less excited by happy events and the slightest stress makes them crankier.
US researchers say this is because missing naps ‘taxes the way toddlers express different feelings.’ And long-term sleep deprivation could even lead to ‘lifelong, mood-related problems,’ they warn.
The team, from the University of Colorado Boulder measured the sleep patterns of toddlers aged two to three. Kids wore a special device which measured how much they slept, with their parents also keeping a sleep log.
Study author Professor Monique LeBourgeois filmed the toddlers’ facial expressions as they completed two jigsaws on one day where they’d had their usual nap, and on another when they’d been deprived of it.
Results, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, showed that tired toddlers who successfully completed the first puzzle were a third [34 per cent] less positive in their emotional responses than when they’d been well-rested.
And on being given another deliberately unsolveable puzzle the team noticed tired toddlers were a third [31 per cent] more stressed by it than when they’d enjoyed their usual nap.
Toddlers who had missed out on a nap were also more than a third [39 per cent] less curious about the unsolveable puzzle than when they were well rested. Prof LeBourgeois warned that ‘Confusion is not bad,’ adding that it was necessary to help kids learn from their mistakes.
Prof LeBourgeois added: “Many young children today are not getting enough sleep, and for toddlers, daytime naps are one way of making sure their ‘sleep tanks’ are set to full each day.
“This study shows insufficient sleep in the form of missing a nap taxes the way toddlers express different feelings, and, over time, may shape their developing emotional brains and put them at risk for lifelong, mood-related problems.”
“Just like good nutrition, adequate sleep is a basic need that gives children the best chance of getting what is most important from the people and things they experience each day.”
Discussing the wider implications, she added: “When well-slept toddlers experience confusion, they are more likely to elicit help from others, which is a positive, adaptive response indicating they are cognitively engaged with their world.”
“The non-adaptive emotional effects we saw in toddlers who missed a single nap make us wonder how young kids who consistently don’t get enough sleep deal with their complicated social worlds.
“A sleepy child in a classroom or nursery environment may not be able to engage with others and benefit from positive interactions.
“Their coping skills decrease and they may be more prone to tantrums or frustration, which would affect how other children and adults interact with them.
“This study shows that missing even a single nap causes them to be less positive, more negative and have decreased cognitive engagement.”
via The Telegraph
Kids and Pets: Growing Up with Animals Benefits Children
Studies have shown that people who 
own pets have lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and less stress, depression, and loneliness than those who don’t own pets. A study conducted at Kean University in New Jersey found that people feel better after just watching a Lassie movie because of a drop in their cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress. Research has proven that owning a pet can also benefit children by teaching them about love and responsibility. Here are some more reasons that owning a pet benefits children:
Owning a pet boosts self-esteem. Research shows that kids who have family pets have higher self-esteem. Kids gain confidence when they have another creature to love who loves them back. Studies also show that pets boost academic skills because reading aloud to a loyal companion, like a dog, can turn a reluctant reader into a confident one. Many believe that interacting with animals represents a nonevaluative form of social support. A study from the University of Kansas followed children ages seven to 14 and found that if they lived with a pet their self-esteem and competence increased. For those who had serious chronic or even life-threatening illnesses, pets were even more important. In fact, the American Humane Association has a program called TASK — Therapy Animals Supporting Kids. The TASK Program encourages child welfare professionals to incorporate therapy animals into sessions with children who have been abused or neglected or have witnessed violence. According to the American Humane Association, “When children have suffered trauma, it is often difficult for them to speak of their experiences. Incorporating a therapy animal into the process can help a child open up and promote the healing process.” For more information on TASK, visit americanhumane.org
Owning a pet teaches values. Even toddlers can learn about caring for a pet by watching the way you are kind and gentle to your pet. Children as young as two years old can lend a hand with smaller tasks such as pouring pet food or water into a dish or giving treats. Most 12-month-olds will want to interact with pets and should be learning how to pet nicely (with an open hand) at this age. My 18-month-old son Chase knows how to play with our cats with the fishing pole toy. It’s great to see the look on Chase’s face when he gets one of the cats to grab the toy! If your child is a little older, he or she might be able to brush the dog or cat and maybe even scoop the litter box. Guinea pigs and fish are also great pets, and even a young child can pitch in and help feed these smaller pets. At any age, your child will realize that pets need the same things we need — food, water, shelter, love, which will teach him lessons about empathy and compassion.
Owning a pet is good for your child’s health. Experts say that children who grow up with pets are less likely to develop common allergies due to early exposure to certain bacteria. And some studies show that pet owners tend to get sick less often. Another benefit to pets — brushing, patting, or stroking a furry creature can lower stress levels. Caring for a pet also helps keep children more active — especially if your pet happens to be a dog. On average, dog-owning children spend 20 more minutes a day being active than those without a dog.
Despite all these benefits, potential pet owners should acquire a pet because they want the lifelong relationship; the added bonus is the physical and mental health benefits that come along with it. Pet ownership shouldn’t be entered into lightly as it is a big responsibility. Once you are ready for a pet, visit www.petfinder.com to find your local animal shelter or rescue group and adopt rather than shop for a pet. There are literally millions of homeless pets just waiting for the right person to come along. Stop by an animal shelter today, and improve the life of a homeless pet as well as your own!
via The Santa Barbara Independent
