Children, Adolescents, and School

CHILDREN AND ANXIETY

HOMEWORK

SO, WHAT'S AN ADULT TO DO?

KEEPING KIDS SWEET IN SPITE OF ALL THEY SEE & HEAR

COMPUTERS & YOUNGSTERS

SHOULD PARENTS BE MONITORING THEIR CHILDRENS COMPUTER USAGE?

ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER, A.D.D

YOUNGSTER SCHOOL FEARS

TRANSITION BACK TO SCHOOL

WARNING SIGNS OF VIOLENCE IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

HOW DO I TALK TO MY CHILD'S TEACHER?

WHEN SHOULD I TAKE MY CHILD FOR TESTING?

PARENTING YOUR TEENAGER

Relationships and Family

MARRY ME, MARRY MY FAMILY

HEALING AN AILING MARRIAGE MEANS DEVELOPING MORE “POSITIVIE SENTIMENT”

BUILDING A "WE" IN RELATIONSHIPS

INTERNET RELATIONSHIPS: A GOOD IDEA?

RECIPE FOR A SUCCESFUL MARRIAGE

MARITAL CONFLICT

HOLIDAY TIPS FOR DIVORCED PARENTS

STEPFAMILY COUPLES FACE SPECIAL CHALLENGES

STEPFAMILY ARE ALWAYS SPECIAL

PROTECTING YOUR MARRIAGE

Stress, Happiness, Modern Life and Therapy

ARE WE THERE YET?

WHAT CLIENTS CAN EXPECT FROM THEIR THERAPISTS

WHAT THERAPISTS HOPE THEIR CLIENTS BRING TO PSYCHOTHERAPY

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (0CD)

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

INTENSE FEAR + PHYSICAL PAIN = PANIC DISORDER

ARE YOU STRESS HARDY?

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY?

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

TIME: IS IT OUR FRIEND OR FOE

WOMEN IN MID-LIFE

HOLIDAY BLUES

LIVING WITH UNCERTAINTY

PRACTICING MINDFUL MEDITATION

SPIRITUALITY

HOW A HEALTHY DIET & REGULAR EXCERCISE ENHANCES OUR MENTAL HEALTH

IS WHAT I'M FEELING ANXIETY?

NURTURING THE SELF

HOW TO PICK A PSYCHOTHERAPIST

IS WHAT I'M FEELING DEPRESSION?

COGNITIVE THERAPY

WHEN SHOULD I TAKE
MY CHILD FOR TESTING?

THE NEED FOR UNDERSTANDING: A child who is having problems in school and/or at home needs to have those problems fully understood. Sometimes even the people closest to a child can misunderstand a child's behaviors and thus create more problems. Effective help can only be provided when there is a full and in-depth understanding of a child. A thorough assessment can provide such an understanding and this process may be initiated by a parent, the school, or perhaps the child's doctor. If the request is handled by the school, the school psychologist or educational diagnostician are the coordinators of the assessment and conduct any testing involved. Or, if outside help is sought, a psychologist skilled in performing psychological assessments conducts the data gathering and evaluations.

COMPONENTS OF A GOOD ASSESSMENT: Generally, a good assessment involves gathering together objective evidence and observations from multiple sources. These might include:

• Observations of student interactions with parents, teachers, and peers.
• Interviews of the student and significant others in his or her life.
• Examining school records and past evaluation results.
• Evaluating developmental and medical histories.
• Using information from checklists completed by parents, teachers, or the student.
• A battery of formal, individually administered standardized tests.

Based on the information gathered in this initial phase, the psychologist will determine if the problem is long-standing, or a root cause of other problems. He or she may decide to request a "multidisciplinary team" approach to the assessment, whereby an optometrist, speech therapist, neurologist, or other specialist may offer information to the evaluation.

RESULTS OF THE ASSESSMENT: The completed evaluation should offer a comprehensive picture of the student with regard to:

• Strengths and weaknesses
• What is useful (or not) about the way the student approaches a task
• In what physical environment does the child work best?
• What are the conditions under which the child works best (e.g., physical environment, influence of speed of instruction on the child's accuracy, how does manipulating the mode of teaching (audio or visual presentation) affect the child's performance, can the child hold multiple pieces of information in memory and then act upon them)?
• With whom has the child been successful and what are the components that lead to this positive outcome?
• Recommendations to teachers and parents for strategies to help the child

A diagnosis may be included as a result of the evaluation, but its main purpose would be to determine eligibility for special services or provide information regarding treatment or remediation. Finally, using the results of the assessment, the parent can obtain the help needed for their child, and be their best advocate within the educational or mental health system.

PARENTING YOUR TEENAGER

A CHALLENGE: All parents have heard the statement, "If you think handling your two year old was hard, wait until he/she becomes a teenager!!!" The following are suggestions to help with the challenging process that parenting a teenager can be:

Set a good example. Discuss your values and model them for your teenager.

Be empathic! Expressing empathy means letting someone know you understand how they feel. It might mean putting aside your own feelings as you express your understanding of their experience without judgment.

Set appropriate limits and boundaries. This starts early, long before the teen years. It is accomplished by giving children choices, all of which are okay with you (e.g., dinner choices, 10 more minutes of TV or a story).

Show a united front. Have discussions about parenting with your partner privately and then present decisions to teenagers as joint decisions.

Allow natural consequences. Let teenagers experience consequences for their behavior (for example, homework not done equals poor grade; being late to school results in detention). The earlier you start this, the faster they will learn to be responsible for their own choices.

Avoid power struggles. Don't get caught in power struggles with teenagers. They will try to win even if it means self-defeating behaviors on their part. Be clear about what you control and what they control in terms of choices.

Be a parent, not a friend. That doesn't mean you can't be friendly, loving, kind, and understanding. Rather, it means that someone needs to be the authority in the family, and it must be the parent.

Watch for warning signs of depression. These signs may include:

• Being despondent; statements about suicide/self-harm or harm to others.
• Eating or sleeping much more or much less. o Engaging in high-risk behaviors.
• Drinking/drug use.
• Hanging out with a new group of friends, or troubled teenagers.
• Self-mutilating behaviors (e.g., cutting)
• Body image problems (distortions regarding appearance; eating disorders).
• Poor self-esteem.
• Angry or acting out behavior towards sibling or pets.

TAKE TIME TO TALK WITH YOUR CHILD. If you have concerns, all of us at Silverside Counseling Center, LLC see families and teenagers (and have ourselves survived parenting teenagers!) and can help you determine the need for professional help.
Back to top