Some children can benefit from talk therapy, during which they might discuss their experiences and feelings with a licensed clinical therapist or social worker. The therapist might use a variety of techniques to help the child learn new ways to cope with their feelings, manage their behaviors or solve problems (KidsHealth, 2013). Coping skills can include simple activities, such as deep breathing, exercising, or squeezing a stress ball. Many children benefit more from attending a play therapy session, during which the child might show their feelings during play. For example, feelings can be revealed by the toys the child chooses to play with or by what the child chooses to do with the toys. Other types of therapy include animal therapy, music therapy, and art therapy.
Reference: KidsHealth. (2013). Taking your child to a therapist. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/finding_therapist.html
Disclaimer: All content in this blog is informational only. It should not be used to make changes in the medical treatment of your child. Alway consult your child's physician before adding or changing any medicines.
I work in the radiology department of a children's hospital. We see many forms of behavioral and other mental health issues, chief among them Autism Spectrum disorders. Many of our patients are on at least one medication, which sometimes have to be held due to NPO status for anesthesia. At these times our child life specialists have to be diligent in distraction and other techniques to make up for the lack of medication. It takes a lot of patience to successfully get our patients through the pre-op period before they are anesthetized for their scan or procedure.
ReplyDeleteWe have similar concerns where I work. We have found that involving child life specialists is extremely helpful. Also, talking to the child's parents ahead of time and finding out what upsets or triggers the child and what calms the child down can be very helpful. This way we can avoid triggers and avoid accidentally upsetting the child and we will know what to do to calm the child if he/she gets upset. For example, some children might respond very well to music or an iPad and other children might be very upset by those things.
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ReplyDeleteVictoria,
ReplyDeleteWhat an insightful blog filled with a lot of information. I am not familiar with this area but gained a lot of knowlege reading your blog. It seems in order to meet optimum health outcomes for the child there needs to be other interventions involved besides medication like you stated. Thank you for the information!
Leticia
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteThis blog has alot of great information for parents of children with these particular needs. Furthermore, this site gives parents a chance to share their stories and experiences with other parents who may be going through the same thing.
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteAt my facility we have child life therapists that are able to assist with procedures and other interventions. They are able to work therapeutically with the child and also teach coping mechanisms for future use. This helps the patient with future procedures and stressful events in their life.
Julie
Julie, the facility where I work also has child life therapists and I think they are such an important part of our children's care. Utilizing the child life therapists can make such a difference in some of our patient's health care.
DeleteVictoria,
ReplyDeleteI am unfamilar with anything that has do do with pediactic, so this blog was very interesting to me. I do have five granchildern ranging from 7-15 in ages. Having your site to go to for some answer when a child is diagnosed with depression or suicidal ideation is well worth the time. Good luck in your future endeavors! Thank you for the information you have provided.
I was glad to see the list of foods that can help children with ADHD. I have seen a drastic increase in children diagnosed with this disease and feel that their diet has a lot to do with it.
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria,
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog and what a great topic! I am a pediatric nurse and have very mixed feelings about ADHD and all the medications children are on. I think children need more activity to be expected to sit and concentrate. I have an 8 year old son who at times drives me insane, but I don't think he needs to be medicated. I think some parents use the diagnosis as a crutch for bad behavior. I see kids on so many medications, I am not even sure how they function. I definitely think some kids need it the medication, but the side effects are so rough. It would be a very hard decision. Kids with real problems I believe it is very helpful to get on medications for their self esteem. Getting in trouble all the time and not being able to do the work that others can is so hard for the kids. I wish they would come up with new medications that perhaps have less side effects. Thanks for showing the medication options and side effects.
Sarah B
I have mixed feelings about ADHD medications as well. It helps me to know that children with ADHD actually have physiological brain differences. Asking a child with ADHD to sit still can be similar to asking a child with diabetes to lower their blood sugar. It's not simply bad behavior, but an illness. I agree that parenting can play a crucial part in managing symptoms, especially when it comes to helping the child develop coping skills for ADHD, such as doing one thing at a time, using checklists, and physical activity to get rid of extra energy. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteSarah,
DeleteI agree that some parents use ADHD diagnosis as an excuse for their childs bad behavior and their probable lack of consistent discipline. Putting labels on children at a young age can negatively affect them for the life-long duration. It is so important that parents really understand the nature of ADHD and the medications that go along with it. Victoria has a wonderful topic with very valuable information. Great job!
-april
Hi Victoria,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information.
When I was younger, I used to babysit for a couple of kids dx'd with ADHD. The kids were the sweetest kids in the world, but really made me work for my money. Being young and in my own little world, I never gave their condition much thoughts...I just viewed them as kids being kids.
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog. I love the background and complementing colors. You have chosen a topic that is both important and informative. As an ED nurse I have to remember that dealing with children and disorders that apply to both adults and kids alike children are treated differently. I like that you have provided different treatment modalities and coping skills. Very professional in appearance. Good job!
-april