Grade School

Anxiety to Agency: Empowering Kids to Address Climate Change

Somewhere around last few years, I started fielding questions about the Earth’s climate in my work as a child psychiatrist. 

“Have you seen the Mad Max movies?” kids would ask. “I mean, that’s where we’re heading.

Q+A: What’s Wrong With Our Daughter’s Mood?

Question: What’s wrong with our daughter Maura? She just told us, “Sometimes I just feel like hurting myself.”

Maura, a 13-year-old girl, came into my office because she told her parents, “Sometimes I just feel like hurting myself…I want to jump out the window or suffocate myself with my pillow.

How to Prepare for a Parent-Teacher Conference if Your Child Has ADHD

It’s that time of year again. Kids are back in school. Teachers are getting to know your child, and your child is adjusting to the routine of being a student. Is a parent-teacher conference far behind? If you’re the parent of a child with ADHD, these conferences can fill you with dread.

What Is Family Therapy?

Family therapy emphasizes the idea that a child lives and grows in relationship to others, particularly in relationship to members of his or her own family. There are many different family therapy approaches.

Helping Kids Fit In At School

For a good part of third grade, I sat by myself in the school cafeteria during lunch.

I don’t exactly recall feeling lonely during those isolating moments with my peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, but I certainly feel sad as I look back today.

I just didn’t fit in—and that’s a truly awful feeling.

Q+A: Should I be nervous? My preschooler’s teacher recommended I have him evaluated for an anxiety disorder..

My 3-year-old son Justin has been in preschool for five months and he won’t stay unless I sit in the classroom with him. His teacher told me today that this isn’t fair to the other children and that I need to get him evaluated for an anxiety disorder.

Why Chores Are Important for Kids

Chores.

We all remember them.

Some were associated with allowance, others simply mandatory. For many kids, and I bet for most of us, they were often an intrusion on other more important things to do.

Q+A: How Do I Find a Therapist for My Child?

My child has anxiety and I’m looking for a therapist. How do go about finding a good one?

This is an extremely important question, and while there are no absolute rules, here are some guidelines that can help inform your process:

Word of mouth is often the best source of information.

Q+A: What Are the Best Treatments for ADHD?

ADHD is a disorder that affects the brain and behaviors. There is no known cure, but there are many good options to help kids manage. For children older than age 6, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends both behavior therapy and medication as good options, preferably together if symptoms are moderate to severe.

Q+A: Is ADHD Overdiagnosed?

I’m often asked if ADHD is “overdiagnosed.” Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common – and some might argue one of the more impairing – childhood disorders.  Approximately three to five out of every 100 school-aged kids meet criteria for ADHD.