Winter is Here!

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This month we took a close look at how children experience ADHD. “Death by a Thousand Cuts” showed how damaging a parent or teacher’s comments can be to a child who struggles to stay on task or pay attention. We were reminded that because a child isn’t doing well or doesn’t seem to be paying attention, it doesn’t mean that the child isn’t trying! It’s important to be cognoscente of what ADHD really is and all the ways it can effect children.

Jessalyn Pedone contributed a great resource for helping children learn to manage their anger. “Monster Mad” incorporates the use of the Monster Stomp board game with discussions to teach children important skills for managing and expressing their anger.

Articles

Autistic children are using Shakespeare to  sharpen their understanding of language and facial expression. Psychologists at Ohio State University recently studied Kelly Hunter’s method in a 10-week trial involving 14 children, ages 10 to 13, who participated in the program for one hour every school day. They found the “Hunter Heartbeat Method” effectively practices the  more challenging social skills for people with autism, such as eye contact, recognizing the emotion behind facial expressions, taking turns speaking, and standing an appropriate distance from another person.

Canadian schools are beginning to educate their students on not only physical health, but mental health as well. CAMH, the Center for Addictions and Mental Health, in Toronto, has counselors and personnel on site everyday for it’s classrooms that teach student’s with mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. The students get the education and the support they need.

Your smartphone isn’t just for cat videos and recipe searches anymore! Scientists have developed a new app that can tell is a child is exhibiting early signs of autism by using tracking eye movement. The software detection of the neurodegenerative disorder in children as young as two years old. Autism is generally found in a child’s school years, when they begin to interact with parents and children outside of their own families. Researchers agree that the sooner Autism is detected, the greater the benefits of treatment.

Break out the thermals, it’s almost October!

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During September we read into Bibliotherapy a bit (see what I did there?). We talked about its powerful use in child therapy and highlighted a ton of different books and series that engage children in session as well as at home!

We had a great fantastic submission from Christina Margolis about “grounding” techniques to help kids and adults in the midst of an anxiety attack. These 5 steps can be implemented anywhere, anytime to “blast off” anxiety!

News

Nicholette Zeliadt told us to think twice about the cognitive skills of autistic children who don’t speak as much as their peers. “Nearly half of children with autism who speak few or no words have cognitive skills that far exceed their verbal abilities, according to the largest study of so-called ‘minimally verbal’ children with autism to date. The findings call into question the widespread assumption that children with autism who have severe difficulty with speech also have low intelligence.”

Considering child therapy for your little one? Dr. Gregory Ramey told us what you should expect and where the lines are drawn in 5 short insights. Dr. Ramey wants everyone considering therapy for their children and those whoa re already in therapy to remember that therapy is not a miracle solution. It takes work, patience, and a lot of change!

L.J. McCulloch shared his story of Billy the Bully to remind us that bullies sometimes use aggression to mask fear. Fear that they may not fully recognize.  It’s important to remember if your child is being bullied and especially is your child is being a bully, that though the behavior is inexcusable, it should be met with the proper support and help. “Bullying” a bully is not a helpful response.

Possibly one of the most difficult topics to discuss is the death of a child, regardless of how it occurred. Unfortunately child and adolescent suicide is real and while it may be easier to turn a blind eye on the topic, every parent and therapist should be well educated on the causes and statistics of the topic. Eileen Kennedy-Moore Ph.D. shared her knowledge on the topic because the more you know about such a tragic issue, the more you can help!

For parents who have children with ADHD this will come as no surprise. Kids with ADHD get reprimanded more often then their peers with out ADHD, either by parents or teachers. Because repeating ones-self may get tiresome, the initial reaction may be to snap at the child or dole out warnings and consequences for getting off-task. Don’t be too quick to chastise. Studies show that the best way to keep an ADHD kid focused is not through reproach, but through rewards. These rewards can be as simple as a smile or word of encouragement, it just depends on the complexity of the task!

Hello to Autumn, Hello to School days, Hello to September!

In the News!

We’ve had some great articles this month beginning with an autism piece from Kale Williams. Williams reports that children diagnosed with autism before the age of four are more likely to get the behavioral therapy they need. Also, that the longer a parent waits to seek intervention for their diagnosed child, the more likely they are to try “alternative and complementary medicine, which have not been shown to be as effective as behavioral therapy.” Studies by Katharine Zuckerman, a professor of pediatrics at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at OHSU, revealed that the strongest treatment comes from a child working intensively with a therapist one-on-one, specifically on their symptoms, which can be trouble with social interaction or repetitive actions that get in the way of normal behavior.

Liswindio Apendicaesar called out to stop violence against children by teachers and parents, saying such behavior as a form of discipline is damaging to children and ineffective. “It is utterly irrational to demand children who probably aren’t yet even 10 years old to be wiser and smarter than adults. School teachers are supposed to be the ones who are able to give empathetic, reasonable and resolute explanations to their students. Teachers are supposed to be able to build a connection with the students and make them behave because they understand, not because they are afraid of punishment. Adults are supposed to be the ones who educate children by showing propriety in behavior, not vice versa.”

Applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, is taking fire from adults on the spectrum who have endured it as children. ABA is extensive one-on-one therapy that teaches children on the spectrum “normal” social skills, writing, and communicating effectively, breaking the “abnormal” behaviors down through the process. However, advocates in the Autistic Self Advocacy Network say that the therapy is harmful and neurodiversity should be accepted by society, not changed.

Alethea Mshar is reaching out to comfort her fellow Mothers of special-needs children with a message of support. She says, “I know you feel invisible, like nobody notices any of it. But I want you to know I notice you. I see you relentlessly pushing onward. I see you keep choosing to do everything in your power to give your child the best possible care at home, in school, at therapy and the doctor. What you’re doing matters. It’s worth it.” 

Is your child stressed? Dr. Lisa Cassidy explains how you can tell, as well as how you can get help. “How do parents determine if their child needs help? The easiest clue is if you notice a change in your child’s behavior—for example, a happy child now grows anxious in many situations. Children process information and life events differently than adults…Meet with the therapist first without your child and decide if you feel that therapist is an approachable person with whom you would want to talk.Once you select a therapist, you might also want to facilitate contact between the therapist and your child’s school, which can be very beneficial.”

Child depression is a problem that may be going unnoticed or ignored. Zirak Marker suggests that many of the children and teens suffering from depression are not getting the help the desperately need, either because they are never diagnosed, or because they (or parents) are ashamed or scared to seek proper help. “10% of children between the ages of 5 and 16 have some kind of “clinically diagnosable mental health problem… Part of the problem in diagnosing mental illness in children is that the symptoms may manifest very differently in them than they do in adults. Often, children often do not have the vocabulary to express their inner problems accurately.” If you think your child, student, or client may be struggling with depression take note and take action!

On the Blog!

Dr. Gary talked about why AND HOW parents should talk to their kids about the violence we see all too often in the media. With the terrorist attacked Nice and Orlando, and the increasingly present killings in between officers and black men, it’s so important to make sure that your children feel safe.

“First, parents need to avoid the temptation to stay away from difficult topics. As clinicians we can model listening and empathy. Encourage parents to find out what their kids are feeling and thinking. What does the child know? Encourage parents to express their own feelings, as long as it is done in a way that is informative and age appropriate.”

Read more from Dr. Gary here!

We had another great reader submission from Brandon Menikheim! ‘Nails in the Fence’ is an activity that puts the spotlight on anger management by exhibiting to participants the emotional scars that our angry words can leave. Using a poem, nails and a hammer, and a piece of wood, the activity is a great example of how to check your anger and think before you speak.

“You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.” -Nails in the Fence (author unknown) 

Get all the details for the Nails in the Fence activity here!

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