Most of us have something that we would rather avoid. Some of the things we commonly fear are probably dangerous in certain circumstances, but we like to avoid them in all situations if we can. Spiders, snakes, heights, flying, clowns, the dark…there are a long list of things that can unsettle people from time to time.
When someone has an extreme or irrational fear of something and the fear is causing them significant issues in their lives, we call this a phobia.
When an adult wants a child to listen to them, they usually have two kinds of things they want them to hear. Either …
(A) they want the child to do something – turn something off, bring something to them, pick something up from the floor, get their lunchbox, clean their teeth, or,
Definitions of giftedness vary, but generally identify that a gifted child has above average ability in one or more areas of human potential (intellectual, creative, social or physical). Also, there is a sense that this ability is a natural ability as opposed to one that has been trained. Usually, the gifted are considered to fall in the top 10{ba4639bc087185d97391fd5d15a50de89571c56f25425ee41c30a195518528de} of ability range for their age.
A review of the research on giftedness discovered that most parents are reasonably accurate when it comes to labeling their child as gifted. Whilst some people do seem to broadcast that their child is gifted, other parents do not want to make a fuss about their gifted child.
I love anger. You’re probably not supposed to have a favourite feeling because all feelings are important, but I do love anger. Anger has so many great functions. It can energise us. If unleashed, our anger can help us run faster, bite harder, and throw, move and break bigger things than we can when we are not so angry.
If emotions are the human dashboard that guides us through our body’s journey through life, when someone’s anger flares, it’s a great warning sign. Anger is a way our body and brain use to yell at us to pull over and make sure we pay attention to something that is not quite right.
Can you imagine what is would be like to have your beautiful young son or daughter come to you with such hatred for their appearance that they are begging you to take them to a plastic surgeon?
I think from time to time we all check out our image in the mirror and make an evaluation of it. Some people (young and old) make such critical evaluations of their appearance that they start to believe that they are unable to contribute to any sort of life because of their appearance. When this becomes debilitating, we usually consider a diagnosis of Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
“I’ll do it later.” “I’ll start tomorrow.” “I’m waiting until I’m in the right mood.” “I work better under pressure.” “I’m waiting for the rest of my group to get started.”
We all put things off from time to time or find it hard to make a decision. For the most part, we can usually come up with the goods in time to avoid dire consequences. However, some young people get so stuck in putting things off that it starts to have a big impact on their life.
There are few certain things in life. Sadly, like head lice in schools, there will likely always be difficult people that cross paths with your child from time to time. And just like head lice, it’s wise to check in with your kids from time to time to see whether they are dealing with someone they are finding difficult and to help them with a plan to manage.
Now, when I say check in with your child, you would know by now that I don’t mean putting them through the third degree. Most, but not all children will tell you if things are difficult with someone at school. If you have noticed a change in your child’s mood after school that’s lingering over a number of days, it’s wise to check in with them directly.
In clinical psychology or mental health realms, when a young person deliberately causes harm to him or herself as a way of managing or communicating distress to others, we refer to this as self harm. Self harm in times of distress most commonly includes cutting, burning, re-opening old wounds or head banging and the results can be superficial or very extreme and requiring hospitalisation. Self harm can also co-occur with other distressing conditions such as depression, anxiety, substance use and eating disorders. Whilst not all young people who self harm are suicidal, there is definitely an overlap and when someone is self harming, especially when they are causing extreme damage to themselves, there is an increased chance of accidental death. So, it is incredibly important that any sort of self harm by a young person is given the appropriate response.
Whilst any self harm is concerning, the latest figures on mental health and young people in Australia tell us that rates of self harm are dramatically increasing.
It’s very, very hard to learn new things when your brain won’t let you focus and won’t let your body be still. ADHD is a syndrome that is brain-based and highly genetic. It’s also a syndrome that gets bandied around lots – so much so that I think many teachers, and perhaps judges and legal representatives, roll their eyes when they hear about it.
Being able to attend well is yet another feature of our remarkable brains. Paying attention is something we take for granted when it works well. Without having a brain that can attend well, it gets harder to get started on a job, it can be difficult to keep focused, it can be hard to sustain effort, and very tricky to hold things in your memory long enough to work on them. Attention can also have implications for our ability to manage our emotions and frustrations and to regulate or give ourselves feedback. All of these brain functions depend on parts of the brain being structured and connected properly, both in physical structure plus in the ways that the brain’s chemicals move between and around these parts of the brain.
Subscribe to our free email newsletter to receive our news, updates and more.
© 2020 Shona Innes Psychology. All rights reserved |
Terms & Privacy