Tag: Communication

Why Media Overload Could Be Harming Your Adolescent’s Mental Health

Why Media Overload Could Be Harming Your Adolescent’s Mental Health

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

De-Stress Your Adolescents By Improving Her ‘Executive Functions’

De-Stress Your Adolescents By Improving Her Executive Functions

Takeaway: Executive functions are mental processes in the brain that impact your adolescents academic, social, and home life. And some teens have executive function deficits that make it much harder to handle secondary school. But with coaching, they can sharpen these skills and find tools to help their brain work better. Read More

Can ‘Social Thinking’ Principles Change How We Approach Autism?

Can Social Thinking Principles Change How We Approach Autism

Takeaway: ‘Social thinking’ guides how we interact with people. And it’s much more universal than ‘social skills,’ which change from context to context. So, teaching children with autism how to think socially will give them a new framework to understand the people around them. And this can make socialising less stressful experience.  Read More

Are Social Media & Technology Really That Bad for Teens?

are social media and technology really that bad for teens

Takeaway: Social media and technology aren’t ‘all good’ or ‘all bad.’ And recognising this nuance makes it easier to harness their positives and sidestep their negatives. The trick is to pay attention to your teen’s needs and behaviour. When children overuse social media, games, and online activities, it’s often because they’re struggling emotionally. So, spotting and addressing your child’s stressors will do more good than battling her about screen time. Read More

The Curious Link Between Autism and Learning Difficulties

the curious link between Autism and Learning Difficulties

Takeaway: Both autism and learning difficulties arise from brains that are ‘wired’ differently. This difference makes it harder to prioritise tasks and focus on the right thing for long enough. But interestingly, there’s also a social component to learning which autism affects. A trained specialist can help your child tackle these issues, but in the meantime, don’t forget your child also has strengths and passions. Encourage her to celebrate these and it’ll balance out a lot of the other frustrations she experiences.    Read More

Why Auditory Delays Are So Easy to Miss

Why Auditory Delays Are So Easy to Miss

Takeaway: Auditory delays (i.e., hearing problems) are tough to spot because their symptoms are often quite subtle. And they can be confused with other developmental differences like dyslexia, ADHD, developmental language disorder, etc. But with the right kind of specialist, your child can learn to reverse and/or adapt to these hearing challenges. Read More

Questions to Ask Paediatricians About Your Child’s Development

questions to ask paediatricians about your child's development

Overview: Children are often late in reaching their developmental milestones. Slight delays are normal, but significant ones on many fronts can be an issue. Here, a developmental assessment can help a paediatrician decide if there’s cause for concern. But what are these assessments? How can you prepare for them? And what questions should you ask? Read on to find out. Read More

Is Asperger’s Syndrome the Same As Autism?

asperger syndrome

Takeaway: We now see autism as being a spectrum with a range of subtypes. Asperger’s Syndrome is the old name of the mildest of these subtypes. Children with Asperger’s have a lot of the same characteristics as children with classical autism, but it doesn’t affect their functioning as much. And with the right support, they can live full, meaningful lives. Read More