mental health Archives - Page 2 of 3 - KidCompanions Chewelry & SentioCHEWS

February 4, 2014

My Child is Struggling: Is It ADHD or Depression or Both?

ADHD, Bipolar Mental Health, mental disorders/illness, mental health, sleep depression school, Special needs children

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.

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October 24, 2013

Halloween Treat Ideas to Beat the Scary Additives Craze

Blog, mental health, Parenting all kids, Special needs children

There’s no question that trick-or-treaters get way too much candy. Halloween only comes once a year but the harmful health effects of some candy can last much longer.

Halloween candy can pose real health risks. Scary additives are plentiful. So if you DO give out candy, look for naturally flavored and colored alternatives. PGPR, Red #40, BlueLake, Yellow #5 and TBHQ are ingredients that should be avoided. Linked to the development of neurological disorders, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, insomnia and more, they are just bad. In mass Halloween quantities, scary for sure.

October 16, 2013

Anatomy of Special Needs Children by Masters-in-special-education.com

ADHD, Asperger's, Autism, Bipolar Mental Health, Blog, IEP Accommodations School, mental disorders/illness, mental health, Sensory Processing Disorder, Special needs children, Tourette Syndrome

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.

September 4, 2013

Why a Child Is Fearful or Anxious and Strategies to Empower Your Child

Blog, mental health, Parenting all kids, sleep depression school, Special needs children

When a child is fearful or anxious it affects the whole family; therefore, it is has to be dealt with carefully and in a timely manner. Fears are a normal part of growing up. A healthy amount of fear is what will keep your child safe and alert to the dangers that he confronts each day. Children must learn we all have fears and that we have to learn to handle fear so that it does not control us. Parents must not belittle their child’s fears but must provide the support and life skills to cope with them.

August 19, 2013

Sleep problems In Teens Helped by Lifestyle Changes and Changes to Their Bedroom

ADHD, Asperger's, Autism, Bipolar Mental Health, Blog, mental health, Parenting all kids, sleep depression school, Special needs children, Tourette Syndrome

Is your teen always tired? Does your teen find it difficult to get going each morning and cannot stay focused on school work or homework? Is your teen anxious, depressed, and irritable? Has he difficulty making and keeping friends? Have you considered that all the above could be caused by not enough hours of sleep or poor quality sleep? Sleep problems in teens can be caused by lifestyle choices and having a sleep environment not conducive to sleep.

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May 30, 2013

Benefits of Stress Relieving, Calming, Relaxing Music for the Whole Family

ADHD, Asperger's, Autism, Bipolar Mental Health, Blog, mental health, Sensory Processing Disorder, Tourette Syndrome

Life is too hectic and you don’t find time to slow down and smell the roses? Looking for a magic solution to defuse meltdowns and get your kids to wind down so they can go to sleep quietly and quickly? Are your older kids often at each other’s throats because sensitive ears cannot tolerate the surrounding sounds? Calming, stress relieving, relaxing music is perhaps just what is needed to manage inappropriate behaviors and bring smiles all around.

7 Comments

March 11, 2013

Parenting Children with Special Needs: Feelings of Isolation, Grief, Guilt and Fear

ADHD, Asperger's, Autism, Bipolar Mental Health, Blog, mental disorders/illness, mental health, Sensory Processing Disorder, Special needs children, special needs moms

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.

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February 18, 2013

Meet Dr. Duncan McKinlay, the Psychologist with Tourette Syndrome

Blog, Interviews, mental disorders/illness, mental health, Special needs book reviews, Special needs children, 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.

February 13, 2013

Juvenile Bipolar Disorder: Often Misdiagnosed or Overlooked

ADHD, Bipolar Mental Health, Blog, mental disorders/illness, mental health, sleep depression school, Special needs children

When bipolar disorder is finally diagnosed in an individual, parents will most often confess that since early childhood, as young as 5 or 6 years of age, they KNEW something was not just right. They explain how their child has had a very difficult time to settle for the night, had extreme difficulty sleeping through the night, experienced severe separation anxiety and had always had lots of challenging issues. The visits to their professional support had probably been in vain as all the above complaints could be attributed to many causes; therefore, Juvenile Bipolar Disorder is often misdiagnosed or overlooked. Pediatric bipolar disorder is difficult to diagnosed because many of the symptoms are similar to those of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or conduct disorders — or even just normal, childhood behavior.

February 13, 2013

Bipolar Disorder: Mental Illness Hurts Horribly But You Just Cannot See IT

ADHD, Bipolar Mental Health, Blog, mental disorders/illness, mental health, sleep depression school, Special needs children

These are the exact words used by my friend with bipolar disorder,”Mental Illness Hurts Horribly But You Just Cannot See IT!” Today I will share my conversation with this 50 year old woman who has struggled all her life with bipolar disorder and co-existing issues. This is her very sad, troubling story and the worst part is that all these fears and emotions which started as a young child are still crippling her 50th year of life! But first, what is bipolar disorder?

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February 8, 2013

Siblings of Children with Autism or Special Needs

Asperger's, Autism, Blog, mental health, Sensory Processing Disorder, Special needs children, special needs moms, Tourette Syndrome

On one of the Coffee Klatch Tweetchats I moderated, my guests were Bobbi Sheahan and Dr. Kathy DeOrnellas, authors of What I Wish I’d Known About Raising a Child with Autism. Our topic was: Siblings of Children with Autism or Special Needs and what a lively discussion we had! Let me share our tweets with you. Remember the Twitter restriction of 140 characters. Twitter might not make it eloquent English but the ideas and advice are first rate. Let me tell you a bit about these remarkable ladies.

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January 23, 2013

Nine Ways How Special Dogs are Helping Children with Special Needs

Asperger's, Autism, Blog, IEP Accommodations School, mental health, sleep depression school, Special needs children

When Jasmine Hall messaged me about her informative post on how dogs are now allowed in schools to help children with special needs feel more secure, happy, and in return more apt to learn, I knew this information would benefit many of our readers. For students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Asperger’s syndrome (AS), sensory processing disorder (SPD), social anxiety, Tourette’s syndrome, life threatening allergies, etc. going to school is a challenge. Getting them ready and willing to go is often a nightmare for the caregivers! Parents, teachers, and therapists should look into the possibility of introducing dogs in the mix of treatment and support.

18 Comments