Takeaway: Meditation can help change the baseline state of your adolescent’s mind – gradually making her a calmer, less anxious version of herself. The trick is to start small (3 minutes a day, at first) and find a meditation style that suits her personality and needs. Read More
Takeaway: Adolescents with unfiltered media access are regularly exposed to inappropriate content and are at risk for developing physical, mental health, and addiction-related problems. The solution? Audit your child’s online life and set up fair, transparent, and enforceable rules for using the internet. Read More
Takeaway: Doom scrolling social media feeds can entertain your teen, make her feel socially connected, and relieve underlying anxiety. But it also quickly becomes addictive and gives adolescents a warped view of the world. The solution? Help set internet rules and encourage other healthier online and offline habits. 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: 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: 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 In contrast, children with low self-esteem tend to be more anxious, withdrawn, and afraid of trying anything new.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
Takeaway: Smart and gifted girls with autism are often skilled at hiding their differences. And this makes it much harder to notice that they need help. But if we diagnose them early, we can strategically nurture their strengths, support their weaknesses, and free them from having to struggle alone. Read More
Takeaway: ADHD makes it harder for children to focus on homework assignments. But there’s a solution: Develop the right study routine. This means (1) Identifying your child’s unique challenges, (2) Helping her settle down to work, (3) Identifying fun study strategies to explore, (4) Working with – not against – her ADHD traits, and (5) Using the right organisation tools. Read More
Takeaway: Autism affects both boys and girls, but since girls are better at hiding their differences, their challenges often go unnoticed. And this means they’re more at risk for academic, social, and emotional damage from all their unmet needs. The solution? Consult a specialist as early as possible to create a support plan for your child. Read More