Children's Mental Health Issues

"Mental disorders are common among children in the United States, and can be particularly difficult for the children themselves and their caregivers. While mental disorders are widespread, the main burden of illness is concentrated among those suffering from a seriously debilitating mental illness. Just over 20 percent of children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental disorder" - National Mental Health Institute (NIMH)

Angry Child? Fix the Behavior, Not the Feelings
When a child acts out, parents should remember that it presents a good opportunity for learning to take place.  Learn more ...

Answers to Common Questions about Counseling
Throughout life, there are times when help is needed to address problems and issues that cause emotional distress or make us feel overwhelmed. When experiencing these types of difficulties, individuals may benefit from the assistance of an experienced, trained professional.  Learn more ...

Assessing Young Children’s Social Competence 
Research suggests that a child's long-term social and emotional adaptation, academic and cognitive development, and citizenship are enhanced by frequent opportunities to strengthen social competence during childhood.  Learn more ...

Atopic Dermatitis / Eczema 
Atopic dermatitis is often referred to as "eczema," which is a general term for the several types of inflammation of the skin. Atopic dermatitis is the most common of the many types of eczema.  Learn more ...

Attachment 
Attachment is the emotional connection between any two people. However, life's first attachments are by far the most important, as they set a template for all later relationships.  Learn more ...

Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) 
Attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, ADHD, is highlighted by the persistent inability of a person to pay attention to what is considered important. There may be the additional characteristics of hyperactive motor movements and/or impulsivity.  Learn more ...

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism is a group of developmental brain disorders, collectively called autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The term "spectrum" refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment, or disability, that children with ASD can have. Some children are mildly impaired by their symptoms, but others are severely disabled.  Learn more ...

Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis and Assessment 
These Guidelines represent wide collaboration and consensus from expert panels across the state of California regarding screening, evaluation and interdisciplinary assessment for individuals who may meet diagnostic criteria for autistic spectrum disorder.  Learn more ...

Body Image and Body Dysmorphic Disorder 
Body image may be seen as "disturbed" when one's self-evaluation of appearance is at such a level that it interferes with social and/or occupational functioning, or causes elevated levels of anxiety and depression in the individual.  Learn more ...

BodyWise Handbook 
The BodyWise Eating Disorders Initiative is a part of the Girl Power! Campaign, conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The campaign seeks to reinforce and sustain positive values and health behaviors among girls and to address eating disorders and disordered eating.  Learn more ...

Bullying
Bullying refers to intentional and generally unprovoked attempts by one or more individuals to inflict physical hurt and/or psychological distress on one or more victims.  Learn more ...

Bullying Prevention 
Whether your school plans to implement one or more bullying prevention strategies, or a comprehensive bullying prevention or school improvement initiative, there are several issues to keep in mind that can increase your chances of success. Work with parents, students, administrators, teachers, and other school staff to develop a comprehensive, schoolwide policy on bullying that includes a clear definition of bullying and a description of how the school will respond to bullying incidents, as well as a discussion of program philosophy and goals.  Learn more ...

Child Abuse and Neglect 
Child abuse is defined as any intentional, emotional, physical, or sexual injury to a child.  Child neglect is the most prevalent kind of abuse and can be either physical, emotional, or educational. Child neglect can be intentional or unintentional.  Learn more ...

Child Sexual Abuse 
Child sexual abuse includes a wide range of sexual behaviors that take place between a child and an older person. These sexual behaviors are intended to erotically arouse the older person, generally without consideration for the reactions or choices of the child and without consideration for the effects of the behavior upon the child.  Learn more ...

Childhood Depression Awareness 
As many as one in every 33 children and approximately one in eight adolescents may have depression according to the Center for Mental Health Services. Although many people recognize the warning signs of depression in adults — sadness, withdrawal and lack of interest — few parents are aware that the signs of depression may look differently in youth. Besides feeling sad and hopeless, children with depression may also complain of frequent headaches or stomachaches, become irritable or act out.  Learn more ...

Children and Grief 
The death of a loved one is a part of the life cycle that brings grief to children as well as to adults. In addition to the death of a parent, many children may also experience the death of a grandparent, sibling, or friend. Parents and teachers can play an important role in helping children deal with loss. This digest discusses psychological tasks that appear to be essential to children's adjustment, how children understand death and react to the death of a loved one, and how parents and teachers can help children cope with loss.  Learn more ...

Children of Alcoholics 
More than 6 million children live with at least one parent who abuses or is dependent on alcohol or an illicit drug.  Learn more ...

Children with Disabilities: Understanding Sibling Issues 
The birth of a child with a disability or chronic illness, or the discovery that a child has a disability, has a profound effect on a family. Children suddenly must adjust to a brother or sister who, because of their condition, may require a large portion of family time, attention, money, and psychological support.  Learn more ...

Communication — Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence 
Adolescents often are not great communicators, particularly with their parents and other adults. When parents know where their children are and what they are doing and when the adolescent knows the parent knows, adolescents are at a lower risk for a range of bad experiences. It is easier to communicate with a young teen if parents established this habit when the child was younger.  Learn more ...

Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents 
The term complex trauma describes the dual problem of children's exposure to multiple traumatic events and the impact of this exposure on immediate and long-term outcomes. Typically, complex trauma exposure results when a child is abused or neglected, but it can also be caused by other kinds of events such as witnessing domestic violence, ethnic cleansing, or war.  Learn more ...

Conduct Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Children with conduct disorder repeatedly violate the personal or property rights of others and the basic expectations of society. A diagnosis of conduct disorder is likely when symptoms continue for 6 months or longer. Conduct disorder impacts the child and their families, neighbors, and schools.   Learn more ...

Dealing with Biting Behaviors in Young Children 
This report discusses why young children bite, how common biting problems are, what interventions might be considered, and how teachers or caregivers can interact with and involve parents in dealing with biting behavior.  Learn more ...

Depression 
Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad, but these feelings are usually fleeting and pass within a couple of days. When a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her. Depression is a common but serious illness, and most who experience it need treatment to get better.  Learn more ...

Depression and Disability in Children and Adolescents
For many years, depression and other disorders of mood were thought to be afflictions of only adults. Within the past three decades, however, it has become evident that mood disorders are common among children and adolescents. This digest focuses on three depressive disorders that are exhibited in childhood and adolescence.  Learn more ...

Depression FAQs 
Depression is a prolonged or deep emotional sensation of sadness, being "blue", or "down." Depressive feelings such as discouragement or sadness are perfectly normal if they do not become too severe or last too long. Depression becomes a clinical problem if a person's mood becomes too depressed or if the episode lasts more than two weeks.  Learn more ...

Diabetes in Children and Adolescents 
Diabetes is one of the most serious health problems facing the world today. In the United States each year, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Increasingly, health care providers are finding more and more children and teens with type 2 diabetes, a disease usually seen in people over age forty.  Learn more ...

Different Types of Parent-Child Relationships 
There are at least four kinds of attachment relationship categories. The categories describe the ways that children act and the ways that adults act with the children. The strongest kind of attachment is called 'secure.' The way a parent or provider responds a child may lead to one of the four types of attachment categories. The way a child is attached to their parents also affects how they will behave around others when the parents are not present.  Learn more ...

Divorce and Children 
Although not all children who experience divorce have problems, children of divorce are twice as likely as children living in nondivorced families to have emotional and behavioral difficulties.  Learn more ...

Eating Disorders and Obesity 
Eating disorders and obesity are usually seen as very different problems but actually share many similarities. This information sheet is designed to help parents, other adult caregivers, and school personnel better understand the links between eating disorders and obesity so they can promote healthy attitudes and behaviors related to weight and eating.  Learn more ...

Eight Sleep Tips for Every Child 
Many children under age five have sleep problems. Sleep issues are complicated and have many causes. Children's sleep problems impact many issues, including dawdling, temper tantrums, hyperactivity, growth and health. Sleep affects everything.  Learn more ...

Explaining Divorce to Children 
Although it may be difficult for parents, talking to children about the divorce is helpful for them. Explaining about divorce helps the child to make some sense of what is happening in the family. Adults should help them understand tension between parents, a parent moving out of the house, or the unhappiness and anger of a parent. It is common for children to think that somehow they are responsible for the divorce. It can be reassuring to tell them that it was not the child's fault.  Learn more ...

Fathers and Discipline 
Discipline refers to training and teaching specific behaviors of self-control and moral development. This is a tall order for all parents, yet one that has historically been embraced by fathers.  Learn more ...

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 
Prenatal exposure to alcohol can cause a spectrum of disorders. One of the most severe effects of drinking during pregnancy is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS is one of the leading known preventable causes of mental retardation and birth defects.  Learn more ...

Filial Therapy 
Communication gaps between parents and children may exist because many parents are unaware of their children's emotional needs and lack the skills necessary to interact effectively with them on an emotional level. Children communicate through play, their innate language. By teaching parents the language of play, and how to use play therapeutically, the communication gap between parent and child can be closed.  Learn more ...

Fostering Resilience in Children 
Resilience is the term used to describe a set of qualities that foster a process of successful adaptation and transformation despite risk and adversity.  Learn more ...

Gifted Children with ADHD  Initial findings suggest two points for consideration. First, research indicates that identified gifted ADHD children are more impaired than other ADHD children. Second, high ability can mask ADHD. Also, teachers may tend to focus on the disruptive behaviors of gifted ADHD students and fail to see indicators of high ability.  Learn more ...

Girls, Aggressive?
Society's attention on aggression in children has focused primarily on boys. Many of us assume boys are more aggressive because their forms of aggression are more visible. We see them hitting or fighting on the playgrounds or in our homes. Girls are more apt to focus their aggression on relational issues with their peers. This kind of aggression is done with the intention of damaging another child's friendship or feelings of inclusion within a social group.   Learn more ...

Good Behavior is not “Magic” – It’s a Skill: The Three Skills Every Child Needs for Good Behavior 
Good behavior isn't magic. Good behavior is a skill that can be learned. This article discusses three of the most important skills for children to learn as a foundation for good behavior: how to read social situations, how to manage emotions, and how to solve problems appropriately.  Learn more ...

Good Cop/Bad Cop Parenting 
Some fathers and mothers take opposing roles,  "good cop" and "bad cop,"  in dealing with their children. For instance, dad is the kid's best buddy, and mom is the nag. Or dad is strict and mom is a sympathizer.  Learn more ...

Grandparents’ Guide For Family Nurturing and Safety 
Parents and grandparents are bound to disagree over child-rearing choices. The trick is in knowing how to cool the friction before the fire gets out of hand.  Learn more ...

Helpful Ways to Reduce TV Time for Kids
This page contains a few simple tips to help children reduce their screen time and increase physical activity in order to maintain a healthy weight.   Learn more ...

Helping Young Children Deal with Anger 
This digest explores what we know about the components of children's anger, factors contributing to understanding and managing anger, and the ways teachers can guide children's expressions of anger.  Learn more ...

Helping Your Child Learn Independence 
Adolescents do best when they remain closely connected to their parents but at the same time are allowed to have their own points of view and even to disagree with their parents. This page contains some tips to help balance closeness and independence.  Learn more ...

Helping Your Child Learn Responsible Behavior 
This page focuses on practical suggestions for helping young children appreciate the importance of acting responsibly. It also provides ideas on how to help children make responsible choices, and stick with them, even when doing so is hard.  Learn more ...

Helping Your Overweight Child
Healthy eating and physical activity habits are key to a child's well-being. Eating too much and exercising too little may lead to overweight and related health problems that may follow children into their adult years.  Learn more ...

Homework Survival for Parents 
This article contains helpful hints for parents to stop the battle and get their children to do their homework.  Learn more ...

How Can We Strengthen Children’s Self-Esteem? 
Children with a healthy sense of self-esteem feel that the important adults in their lives accept them, care about them, and would go out of their way to ensure that they are safe and well.  Learn more ...

How to Navigate the School System When Your Child Has a Disability 
It is the parent's job to advocate for the best education that can be provided for thier child. Parents know their child and should be their cheerleader and supporter. Parent's involvement in their education will make all the difference for their children.  Learn more ...

How To Stop Arguing – and Start Talking – with Your ADHD Child 
This article teaches parents to help children turn their ability to argue into a positive trait rather than a negative one.  Learn more ...

Hyperactivity 
Hyperactivity, which is sometimes associated with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is defined as excessive physical activity or movements that have no purpose and are increased in speed.  Learn more ...

Impulse Control: The Early Years 
Impulse control, sometimes called self-regulation, refers to a child's ability to control his or her behavior. An important part of growing up is learning how to show emotions at appropriate times and in appropriate ways. Children who learn to control their anger or frustration, and who use words to express their feelings, get along better with others.  Learn more ...

Inhalant Abuse
Inhalants are chemical vapors that people inhale on purpose to get "high." The vapors produce mind-altering, and sometimes disastrous, effects. These vapors are in a variety of products, such as paints, glues, gasoline, and cleaning fluids, which are common in almost any home or workplace.  Learn more ...

Intellectual Disability 
Intellectual disability is characterized both by a significantly below-average score on a test of mental ability or intelligence and by limitations in the ability to function in areas of daily life, such as communication, self-care, and getting along in social situations and school activities. Intellectual disability is sometimes referred to as a cognitive disability or mental retardation.  Learn more ...

Is It A Phase? 
Parents are very prepared to tolerate phases. But they're not prepared to tolerate inappropriate behavior. So they may label the child's inappropriate behavior a "phase" because that makes it easier for them to accept it.  Learn more ...

Learning Disabilities 
Learning disabilities are caused by a difference in brain structure that is present at birth and is often hereditary. They affect the way the brain processes information. This processing is the main function involved in learning. Learning disabilities can impact how someone learns to read, write, hear, speak, and calculate. There are many kinds of learning disabilities and they can affect people differently.  Learn more ...

Learning Disorders 
A student may have a learning disorder if his/her achievement in reading, writing, or mathematics falls below what is expected for the child's age, grade level, and intelligence. To be called a learning disorder, the problems must have a negative impact on the person's academic success or another important area of life requiring math, reading, or writing skills.  Learn more ...

Loneliness in Young Children
Lonely children may miss out on many opportunities to interact with their peers and to learn important lifelong skills.  Learn more ...

Managing the Meltdown 
If the parents don't respond in an effective way, the child learns that having a meltdown or a temper tantrum will help him accomplish a goal.  Learn more ...

Mathematics Disorder 
Students with a mathematics disorder have problems with their math skills, which are significantly below normal considering the student's age, intelligence, and education. The poor math skills cause problems with the student's academic success and other important areas in the student's life.  Learn more ...

Money Talk: The 10 Best Things You Can Say to Your Children about Money 
How effective are you at talking about money with your children? In this article you will find a list of the ten best things you can say to your children about money.  Learn more ...

Motivating Underachievers Part 1: When Your Child Says “I Don’t Care”  There is a simple truth: It's impossible to have no motivation. Everybody is motivated - it just depends on what they're motivated to do. Rather than being unmotivated, some children are actually motivated to not perform and to resist their parents. In other words, they're motivated to do nothing.  Learn more ...

Motivating Underachievers Part 2: Get Your Unmotivated Child on Track before School Starts
Before school starts and when things are going well, ask your child, "What did you learn from what you went through last year?" And then ask the follow-up question, "And what will you do differently this year?"  Learn more ...

Neurotherapy
Neurotherapy is a clinically proven, non-drug method of treating ADD/ADHD and other learning disabilities.   Learn more ...

Nightmare Remedies: Helping Your Child Tame the Demons of the Night 
To help children restore their capacity to sleep and to harness the healing and creative potential of scary dreams, parents should help them break the spell of their nightmares.  Learn more ...

Oppositional Defiant Disorder: The War at Home 
Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) lose their temper quickly and often. They are easily annoyed and frustrated by other people, resentful and hostile with adults, bossy and pushy with other kids. They blame everyone else for their difficulties and make excuses for their inability to cope. They gravitate toward negative peers and tend to be sulking, angry adolescents.  Learn more ...

Overweight and Obesity: FAQs 
Survey results indicate that an estimated 16 percent of children and adolescents ages 6-19 years are overweight.  Learn more ...

Paraphilias 
Paraphilias are sometimes referred to as sexual deviations or perversions. Paraphilias include fantasies, behaviors, or sexual urges focusing on unusual objects, activities, or situations.  Learn more ...

Parenting Style and Its Correlates 
This article defines and explores four types of parenting styles. The author then discusses the consequences of the different styles for children.  Learn more ...

Parenting the Strong-willed Child 
When children who are not generally strong-willed don't get what they want, they may feel sad, shrug off the disappointment, and then go on to something else. Strong-willed children, however, tend to demonstrate intense anger.  Learn more ...

Parents’ Anger and Jealousy Are Damaging to Children after Divorce 
Getting past the "couple conflicts" you've experienced for many years will allow you to focus on your child's needs - and on your own.  Learn more ...

Peer Relationships and ADHD
Parents of children with ADHD may be more than twice as likely than other parents to report that their child is picked on at school or has trouble getting along with other children.  Learn more ...

Positive Discipline 
Positive discipline holds that the adult is wiser, in charge, not afraid to be the leader, and occasionally has priorities other than those of the child.  Learn more ...

Reading Disorder 
Students with this learning disorder demonstrate reading skills that are significantly below what is normal considering the student's age, intelligence, and education. The poor reading skills cause problems with the student's academic success and/or other important areas in life.  Learn more ...

Separation Anxiety in Children 
Separation anxiety is a perfectly normal and important developmental adaptation. Nearly all children experience separation anxiety between the ages of seven and eighteen months. Some have more intense reactions than others, and for some, the stage lasts longer than others, but almost all babies have it to some degree.  Learn more ...

Sibling Conflict 
Fighting is not a sign of children not getting along. It is how they get along - using conflict to test their power, establish differences, and ventilate emotion with a familiar family adversary. Conflict from sibling rivalry is built into family life as children compete for dominance, parental attention, parental support, and household resources.  Learn more ...

Social Phobia 
Social phobia, also called social anxiety, is a disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. People with social phobia have a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions. Their fear may be so severe that it interferes with work or school - and other ordinary activities.  Learn more ...

Social Phobia’s Traumas and Treatments
Social phobia is far different from the run-of-the-mill nervousness associated with stressful situations. It's the intensity of the fear that distinguishes the condition from the almost inevitable butterflies that most people feel when they are about to give a speech or go to an interview or even a party. Learn more ...

Stages of Adjustment to Divorce 
Children's adjustment to divorce is a long process. Divorce does not happen all at once, either. It is a series of events and changes. At different points, children deal with different issues. Also, different children react to the same changes and situations in different ways. Some studies show that children react to divorce in three stages.  Learn more ...

Stress and Young Children
This article discusses how children experience and adapt to stress, and offers suggestions to teachers and parents on preventing and reducing children's stress.   Learn more ...

Symptoms of Emotional Damage to Children of High-Conflict Divorce 
The long-term emotional damage to children as a result of the improper conduct of their parents during a divorce inhibits their ability to lead happy and productive lives within the society.  Learn more ...

Technology and Youth: Protecting Your Child from Electronic Aggression 
Electronic aggression is any type of harassment or bullying that occurs through e-mail, a chat room, instant messaging, a website, blogs, or text messaging.  Learn more ...

Ten Ways to Be a Better Dad 
Too many fathers think teaching is something others do, but a father who teaches his children about right and wrong, and encourages them to do their best, will see his children make good choices. Involved fathers use everyday examples to help their children learn the basic lessons of life.  Learn more ...

The Disneyland Daddy: A Case Study 
This divorced father gets the kids every other weekend and every Wednesday. The kids love going to dad's because there are "no rules." They get to do pretty much whatever they want. Weekends are filled with video games, trips to the mall, pizza and movie outings. And candy. Lots and lots of candy. Wednesday nights are TV nights. The kids never do their homework on Wednesday nights because, after a long day, this dad wants to kick back. He doesn't want to have to deal with questions about homework. The children's mother resents dad's free-for-all parenting and calls him "The Disneyland Daddy." Learn more ...

The Truth About Bullies 
Bullies bully other people to feel powerful around them and to feel power over them. Bullies start out feeling like zeroes, like nobodies. When they intimidate, threaten or hurt someone else, then they feel like somebody. The key is the feeling of power.  Learn more ...

The Unplanned Journey: When You Learn That Your Child Has a Disability 
In this article, the author offers the insights that she and others have gained through their own experience of having a child with a disability. The article also provides information to support the life cycle, health, and well-being of the family when a member has a disability.  Learn more ...

Tips for Dads: Practical Tips for Knowing Your Child 
First, a father should listen to their children. Also, fathers  should listen to their child's friends, teachers, coaches, and, especially, their mothers. All of these people see a different side of the child, and they will give dads insights they would have never noticed on their own. Learn more ...

Tips for Helping the Child Who Expresses Anger
Some young people turn to violence, because they do not see other ways to endure what they are feeling at that moment. They may not anticipate the repercussions of their violence.  Learn more ...

Tourette Syndrome Fact Sheet 
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. The early symptoms of TS are almost always noticed in childhood. Males are affected more often than females.Although TS can be a chronic condition with symptoms lasting a lifetime, most people with the condition experience their worst symptoms in their early teens, with improvement occurring in the late teens and continuing into adulthood.  Learn more ...

Trading Spaces, Sharing Parents: Helping Your Child Adjust to Visitation
Parents experiences with a new step-family are often difficult, but the changes and transitions are just as difficult for children. One particular problem for the child during visitation is sharing parents. A child may be feeling like a visitor in the new home, especially if the new spouse's children live there and the visiting child lives elsewhere.   Learn more ...

Treatment of Children with Mental Disorders 
This fact sheet addresses common questions about diagnosis and treatment options for children with mental illnesses. Disorders affecting children may include anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, and schizophrenia.  Learn more ...

Treatment of Eating Disorders 
Eating disorders are abnormal eating behaviors, which include anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia is defined as the refusal to reach or to keep a weight that is considered to be the minimum required for a person's height and age. Bulimia is an eating pattern of repeated occurrences of binge eating followed by attempts to keep from gaining weight.  Learn more ...

Under the Radar: How Girls with ADHD Go Undetected And Why the Correct Diagnosis is Important for Girls and Boys Alike 
Many parents and teachers do not suspect a young girl's inability to concentrate is due to ADHD. Girls with the disorder, frequently, are not hyperactive or disruptive. They may be just the opposite. Girls with ADHD tend to be quiet and to daydream. But these girls cannot concentrate or complete their schoolwork. Many parents are surprised when their daughter is diagnosed with ADHD.  Learn more ...

Understanding Your Child’s Behavior 
If parents understand their child's behaviors and know what to expect at different developmental stages, the parent's reactions will, more likely, support and nurture the child.  Learn more ...

Ways to Help Children Cope with Their Fears 
There are many things you can do to help children with their fears. This article describes nine ways you can help children deal with their fears. Learn more ...

What Is Child Traumatic Stress? 
From a psychological perspective, trauma occurs when a child experiences an intense event that threatens or causes harm to his or her emotional and physical well-being.  Learn more ...

When A Child Is Dying 
A team of psychologists, hospice professionals, social workers and spiritual counselors can be helpful to the family as they say their goodbyes to the dying child and prepare for what lies ahead.  Learn more ...

When Terrorists Strike: What School Counselors Can Do 
The Adapted Family Debriefing Model for school students described in this article demonstrates promise for helping both student survivors of terrorism and their parents cope with negative psychological and social effects.  Learn more ...

Why Children Lie and What To Do About It 
To many teenagers, lying seems to be the easy way out of trouble or into adventure that has been disallowed. But lying is deceptive: what seems simpler at the moment proves complicated over time. It can be helpful for parents to itemize the high cost of lying in order to encourage a return to truth. Parents should explain some of the costs that commonly accompany lying.  Learn more ...

Why Step Relationships Aren’t Easy 
When two people remarry and one or both have children, they do not have the luxury of simply marrying as partners. They must commit to the complexity of learning to marry as parents, too. This parental dimension to their union requires additional communication as they not only work out how to function as a couple, but as a family, as well.  Learn more ...

Written Expression Disorder 
Students with written expression disorder have writing skills that are significantly below what is normal considering the student's age, intelligence, and education. The poor writing skills cause problems with the student's academic success or other important areas of life.  Learn more ...

Young Kids Acting Out in School: Top 3 Issues Parents Worry about Most 
While it's important to recognize that their child's behavior might be normal, parents also need to use rules and consequences to clearly teach their child how to stop behaving too aggressively.  Learn more ...

Your Child and Medication 
One in ten of America's children has an emotional disturbance such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression or anxiety, that can cause unhappiness for the child and problems at home, at play, and at school. Since each child is different, choosing the right treatment for your child is very important. At times, psychotherapies, behavioral strategies, and family support may be very effective. In other cases, medications are needed to help the child become more able to cope with everyday activities. Learn more ...

Understanding Violent Behavior in Children and Adolescents 
There is a great concern about the incidence of violent behavior among children and adolescents. This complex and troubling issue needs to be carefully understood by parents, teachers, and other adults. Learn more...