As technology strides forward, so does our quality of life. We are now in a world where common household appliances can operate without our attention, cars nearly drive on their own, and if you need to learn anything about anything, you can look it up on your supercomputer that fits in the palm of your
Continue Reading...Is Social Media to Blame for the Worsening Mental Health of Teenagers?
Today, we live in a technology-dominated world. While this is an exciting and progressive time in human history, technology does have its pros and cons. Many individuals, particularly teens, experience the downsides of it since they consume the most technology and social media. In short, the answer is “yes”, social media is definitely to blame for worsening the health of teenagers and especially the mental health of teenagers, this is why:
Continue Reading...Understanding Schizophrenia: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
A post to help in understanding schizophrenia, a mental disorder that generally appears in late adolescence or early adulthood – however, it can emerge at any time in life. It is one of many brain diseases that may include delusions, loss of personality (flat affect), confusion, agitation, social withdrawal, psychosis, and bizarre behavior. On the Schizophrenia Society
Continue Reading...Academic Accommodations for Mental Health Problems: Know Your Rights
This post about academic accommodations was first published in May 26, 2010. Today, March 2016 we have updated the content and the links to help parents and young adults with mental health issues or other special needs to know their right to academic accommodations while pursuing courses in community colleges, university, and any other post-secondary education.
Parents of 5 year old children going off to primary school, think it is difficult to see their little one leave the nest. Seeing an older teen with mental health problems going off to university can make parents sick with worry. For all of you who are about to face the same situation, read on to find out the kind of academic accommodations university students with mental illnesses are entitled to as are students with many other disabilities or challenging needs.
Continue Reading...Mental Illness and Mental Health in Children and Youth
Unfortunately the term “A Happy Childhood” does not apply to all children and youth. It is estimated that 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or mental disorder, as it is also referred to. Mental disorders are the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide. Surpassed only by injuries, mental disorders in youth are the second highest hospital care expense in Canada.
Continue Reading...My Child is Struggling: Is It ADHD or Depression or Both?
Parent of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) must pay attention if their child’s behavior changes. Sometimes when a very active child becomes more quiet, their parents believe this is a good sign because the hyperactivity is subsiding. Unfortunately their child could be exhibiting symptoms of depression. In fact, children and teens with ADHD are at risk for developing depression as much as 3 times greater than for other children. Caregivers must know the signs of ADHD or depression to get help for their child before it escalates.
Continue Reading...Financial Help When Your Child Has a Disability by Lisa Harrington
If your child has a disability, it is a strain on parents emotionally and financially. If one of your children has a physical or learning disability, your finances are probably not one of the areas that you want to focus on. However, with mounting medical bills and perhaps the additional cost of specialist equipment and help with the care of a child with a disability, this is something that you may well need to turn your attention to, as research shows that 40% of families with special needs children are placed under financial strain to meet their child’s additional requirements.
Continue Reading...Tips to Make Halloween Fun for Children with Special Needs
Oct. 31st, Halloween, some even call out to friends, “Happy Halloween!” In my memory book, as a special needs mom and as an elementary teacher for children with special needs, Halloween is anything but a happy occasion. How can parents and teachers make Halloween fun for children with special needs? For many of our children and students with special needs, most holidays are difficult and Halloween is one of the scariest! Halloween could be tolerated if it was only a one day event but if you listen to your kids/students, the buzz about Halloween can be heard as soon as the October calendar page in opened.
Continue Reading...Anatomy of Special Needs Children by Masters-in-special-education.com
The majority of our readers are parents of special needs children. Raising children with challenging needs is not easy and the more others know about the many different needs these children have the more they will understand what their parents are going through. The Infographic that follows titled “The Anatomy of a Special Needs Child” lets you see very quickly all the different needs many children and their families deal with every day.
Continue Reading...Holidays Ring “Hollow” For Some Children with Special Needs
Holidays and celebrations, like Easter, Thanksgiving, and birthdays, should be a happy time in families. When I think back to those days of celebration, when our children were growing up, the memories I have are not at all happy ones. Unfortunately holidays are often very stressful for many families of children with special needs like autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Tourette syndrome, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, etc. Why do these kids with challenging needs hate almost everything about family gatherings associated with celebrating holidays and birthdays?
Continue Reading...Parenting Children with Special Needs: Feelings of Isolation, Grief, Guilt and Fear
Kristina Smith Blizzard, mom of a child with special needs, registered nurse, and advocate was my guest for one of The Coffee Klatch Tweetchat. She is a wonderful person to give you advice on parenting children with special needs. We had an excellent session with lots of participation! The tips and comments that make up this post come from the many tweets from Kristina and all those who joined us. I have added links and other information to help parents of children with special needs overcome the feelings of isolation, grief, guilt, and fear that so many parents feel.
Continue Reading...Meet Dr. Duncan McKinlay, the Psychologist with Tourette Syndrome
I must introduce you to a remarkable person who can be the answer to your prayers if you know, love or work with a person who has Tourette syndrome. For our Author Interview Series, I was honored to interview a renowned fellow Canadian, Dr. Duncan McKinlay. He is the author of Nix Your Tics! Eliminate Unwanted Tic Symptoms A How-To Guide for Young People. Duncan McKinlay is the psychologist with Tourette syndrome himself who has become the perfect mentor for all families coping with Tourette.
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