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ADHD SymptomsAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is one of the most common and possibly over diagnosed childhood disorders today. It affects boys more than girls at a 4:1 or higher ratio. ADHD typically develops before a child is seven with symptoms often becoming less severe with age. Often, a child with ADHD has been exposed to abuse or neglect, been through multiple placements or disruptions early in life, been exposed to toxins either through the environment or while in utero, or had a severe infection. You may be interested in a book of strategies for working with ADHD. It can be found @ Working With AD/HD: A How To Manual. Pretty Good Place to LiveHealthy, Happy families tend to think their home is a pretty good place to live. Family members talk well of each other and do not put each other down in front of other family members or friends. Members come to the defense of each other when someone from the outside says bad things. Yet, how many times have you been to a gathering and heard women sitting together or men sitting together putting down their own family members? To be a Healthy, Happy Family, this is one practice a family member has to stop!  Encouragement Instead of Praise
Give Wait TimeSome children, particularly those with behavioral disorders (ADHD, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder), may take longer to process information than other children. Therefore, when you give a direction to a child that habitually does not respond, wait a few seconds before repeating the direction or scolding the child. I once worked with a child that took 9 seconds to process a direction and respond! Child WIll Not Stay in Time-OutIf your child will not stay in time-out, stay with him/her. Remind the child that time out does not start until s/he is calm and quiet. Say nothing else and keep your body language nutrual. Let the child scream, cry, and carry on for as long as s/he wants to, reminding the child every now and then that they are missing something important (e.g., favorite TV show, time with friends) and time-out cannot start until they are done crying. Although most children struggle at first, eventually the struggle shortens and disappears all together. Visit TimeOut for an article on how, when, and why to use time out. Arguing and Time OutChildren often like to engage in an argument when you put them in time out. The goal of this type of behavior is usually to bring you down with them. If they have to suffer, then they would just as soon have you suffer with them. Arguing can also be a form of getting attention (even bad attention is better than no attention) or of delaying the inevitable -- being placed in time out. When putting a child in time out, remember these simple rules: 1. Tell the child in a calm voice why they are going to time-out in simple words ("Time-Out for hitting.") Symptoms of Oppositional Defiance DisorderSymptoms of Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)include: For a comprehensive online course on working with children with ODD, please visit: Behavior Management: Winning the Battle! Praise and the Child with ODDA child diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) often does not like to be praised or rewarded. In fact, praising this child may actually cause the child to misbehave. This is because a child with ODD has such a strong urge to do exactly the opposite of what you want. By telling the child with ODD that you like what they are doing, they just might sabotage your reward by doing the exact opposite. Instead, give subtle praises, such as a wink, or a whispered "Great tower you built!" in passing without even slowing down long enough to make eye contact. This takes the challenge out of the situation will still letting the child know that what s/he did was right. For a description of ODD, visit ODD. ExtinctionExtinction is a conditioned response fading over time. For example, you might reward a child with a sticker each time s/he displays the appropriate behavior being targeted. After time, you might only reward him with a sticker every fifth time the appropriate behavior is seen. He then continues to show the appropriate behavior even though it is no longer being reinforced with a sticker. Catch Them Being GoodChildren do not always know what is “good” behavior or bad behavior. They need to be taught (Really!!). When your child shows appropriate behavior, tell him/her. Catching them as often as you can will bring about more change in a behavior than if you yell, scream, or holler. Every child has something they do well. Find out what it is and exploit it. Use it. Encourage it. Re-enforce it. Boast it. For a good book on behavior management, click this link:  Touch Me Please!Body contact and touch is a wonderful behavior management tool. Touching conveys positive messages to the child instead of negative. Moving closer to a child or having the child close to you at certain "problem" times is easier than having to stop what you are doing to get the child’s behavior in control. Sometimes, simply using a hand to reach out and touch a child when interrupting or misbehaving is enough to bring their behavior back in line. To find out more ways you can effectively intervene with problem behavior using a positive approach, you may want to read Positive Pointers for Preventing Problem Behavior in Children. 2 Many Toys
Single Parent RolesA parent of either gender has much to offer children by way of role modeling. Therefore, if you are a single parent, you will want your child to have routine contact with members of the opposite sex. This person can be an aunt/uncle, grandparent, significant other, or friend. Behavior Intervention and AutismThere are many differing behavioral treatments for Autism. For example, Lovass’ Behavioral Intervention uses ’Discreet Trial’ methodology to teach a child appropriate behavior, Gentle Teaching and TEACCH focus correcting a child’s behavior by following the child’s agenda and building on positive behaviors that are already there. No one behavioral intervention is superior to another, they simply all take a different approach. It is important, then, to research the various interventions before deciding on any given one. Early Indicators of Autism for Children Ages 12-24 Months
Early Speech-Language Indicators of Autism for Children Ages 12-24 MonthsAutism can be identified in very young children and the sooner it is identified, diagnosed, and treated, the better the prognosis for the child. Here are some speech-language indicators of Autism for children ages 12-24 months: Child has no speech, only occasional words, or stops talking, does not use gestures, repeats sounds noncommunicatively, and/or uses words inconsistently and not related to needs.
Early Indicators of AutismThere are many early indicators of Autism in children under the age of three, but up until recently, we have lacked the knowledge and know-how of how to identify these children. Here are some indicators of concern: Child does not babble (bababa, mamama) or gesture (point, wave) by 12 months of age. Child does not say single words by 16 months of age, and does not utter 2-word spontaneous phrases by 24 months. Also of concern is if the child loses language after having used it. Working With Autism: A How To Manual |  Treating Autism  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Some women going through menopause experience a change in emotional health. They may experience mood swings, depression, crying spells, or irritability. These symptoms are often the result of a drop in the hormone estrogen. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may want to contact your doctor as most symptoms of menopause are treatable.
