Takeaway: Empathy helps us be more caring/connected people, but it’s a challenging skill to develop. So, we parents need to help our children understand the roots of empathy (e.g., recognising and honouring emotions, taking other people’s perspectives, etc.) and encourage them to exercise their ‘empathy muscles.’ Read More
Takeaway: Music therapy can bypass your child’s usual autistic defences, bringing out her joyful, creative side. But, for this to happen, the therapist must be able to build trust, work towards clearly-defined goals, and improvise on the go. So, we parents need to find therapists with the right balance of intuition and training to help our children. Read More
Takeaway: Art therapy is a powerful tool to help children bring their inner emotional world out into the open. And in the process, they learn to regulate their emotions and express them in healthy ways. It’s a free-flowing, creative experience that can help tackle issues more traditional therapies can’t. Read More
Takeaway: Guide your child through her primary-to-secondary school transition by gradually giving her more responsibilities, talking to her about all the upcoming changes, and suggesting practical tips to tackle common secondary school problems. Importantly, remember that you’re not alone in all this. Teachers, other parents, and trained child specialists can help guide you through challenging moments, giving you the feedback and support you need. Read More
Takeaway: Learning differences and difficulties add to existing back-to-school anxieties, creating a toxic anxiety-avoidance feedback loop. The solution? First, listen to your child’s fears so she feels heard, and then help her build a new, stronger self-identity. Read More
Takeaway: To make change less scary for your child, get her used to following a clearly-outlined visual schedule, and then gradually introduce ‘change cards’ to challenge her need for predictability. If done right, you’ll be able to systematically desensitise her to many types of change and teach her to use coping strategies for any anxiety she feels. Read More
Takeaway: Slow down ‘summer learning loss’ by challenging your child with fun learning activities. For instance, try (1) Scavenger hunts to sharpen observation skills, (2) Field trips to improve organisational skills, (3) Creative writing to stimulate imagination and narrative skills, (4) Invention challenges to encourage lateral thinking and problem-solving, and (5) Origami to improve visual-spatial skills and more. Read More
Takeaway: After weeks of holiday relaxation, your child will inevitably forget some of what she learned at school over the previous year. But you can limit this summer learning loss by helping her set/track learning goals and find learning moments in daily tasks and activities. Read More
Takeaway: Try to transform reading into a fun activity rather than a chore your child forces herself to do. This means making it a daily routine, choosing books that explore her interests, and blurring the lines between everyday activities (e.g., TV, cooking, playing, relaxing) and official reading time. Read More
Takeaway: Self-esteem describes a child’s sense of self-worth, and it plays a huge role in designing her future. Children with a strong sense of self-worth are emotionally hardy, independent, and love taking on challenges. In contrast, children with low self-esteem tend to be more anxious, withdrawn, and afraid of trying anything new. Thankfully, we can boost our children’s self-esteem by working on their negative self-talk with an experienced child psychologist as a guide. Read More