Children well being

1. Children’s
Well Being
Issues
Amber, Brea, Lily, Kassie, Kiana

2. Inquiry Question...
How are emotional
and mental illnesses
affecting children’s
developmental
growth?

3. Activity-
You represent the 6 year old kindergarten students who
are suffering from one or more of the following
emotional and mental illnesses:
● Dyslexia
● Anxiety
● Depression
● Language Delay
● Social Anxiety
● Self-conscious
● Shame

4. Overview

5. Most Common illnesses and Statistics...
General Anxiety - Everybody worries from time- to-time. It is
considered a normal part of life, but when worry starts to interfere
with life, a person might have generalized anxiety disorder. The
disorder is characterized by chronic anxiety and worry. 18% of the
US population is diagnosed with Anxiety Disorders.
Bipolar disorder - Bipolar disorder can affect how a person feels,
thinks and acts. It involves dramatic shifts in mood – from the highs
of mania to the lows of major depression. More than a fleeting good
or bad mood, the cycle of bipolar disorder lasts for days, weeks or
months and is disruptive to work/social relationships. Bipolar
disorder can rarely be overcome without medical treatment. 2.6% of
the US population have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder
ADHD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl7Ro1PUJmE 11% of
the children in the US are diagnosed with ADHD
Dyslexia - A common condition that affects the way the brain
processes written and spoken language. It is primarily associated
with trouble reading but it can also affect writing, spelling and even
speaking. People with dyslexia can still understand complex ideas.
They just need more time to work through the information. They may
also need a different way to process the information, such as listening
to an audiobook instead of reading it. 10%-15% of the US
population are diagnosed with Dyslexia
Depression - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOK1tKFFIQI 6.7%
of the US population is affected by Depression

6. Differences...
- A mental or emotional illness can be defined as a health condition
that changes a person's thinking, feelings, or behavior (or all three)
and that causes the person distress and difficulty in functioning.
- Behavioral disorders, also known as disruptive behavioral disorders,
are the most common reasons that parents are told to take their kids
for mental health assessments and treatment.
- A personality disorder is a deeply ingrained and maladaptive pattern
of behavior of a specified kind, typically manifested by the time one
reaches adolescence and causing long-term difficulties in personal
relationships or in functioning in society.

7. Least Common Illnesses...
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative identity disorder, previously called multiple personality disorder, is usually a reaction to trauma as a way to help a person avoid bad
memories. It is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality identities. Each may have a unique name, personal history, and
characteristic. There are less than 100,000 cases per year.
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Someone who has avoidant personality disorder avoids intimate and social contact with others. People with this condition may be extremely shy, fear
ridicule, and be overly concerned with looking foolish.There are less than 200,000 cases per year.
Schizophrenia
The exact cause of schizophrenia isn't known, but genetics, environment, and imbalanced brain chemicals may play a role.Schizophrenia is characterized
by abnormal social behavior. In severe cases, patients may see or hear things that aren't real. It is uncommon with only slightly more than 200,000
cases per year

8. Spotting the Illness

9. Symptoms and indicators for General and Social
Anxiety.
Symptoms: Children will be quiet, shy, cautious and withdrawn.
Children also may have tension, stress, irritability, edginess,
muscle tension, fatigue, and difficulty swallowing.
Indicators: Children are refusing to go to school, throwing
tantrums, clinging to parent and need for frequent urination,
stomach aches and sleep difficulty.

10. Symptoms and indicators for Bipolar Disorder.
Symptoms: Excessive happiness, excitement,
irritability, restlessness, increased energy, anxiety,
sadness, loss of energy, increased need for sleep,
change in appetite, less need for sleep and racing
thoughts. Young children in the manic phase might
experience hearing and seeing things that aren’t real.
Indicators: drymatic or unpredictable mood swings.

11. Symptoms and indicators for ADHD.
Symptoms: Inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Indicators: Children may have a hard time paying
attention, are always on the go and have to continue
moving and do things impulsively without thinking.
Children may become easily frustrated because it takes
longer to understand things.

12. Symptoms and indicators for Dyslexia.
Symptoms: A late talker, impaired ability to learn basics
such as alphabet, colors and numbers, trouble making a
connection between letters and their sounds, difficulty
learning foreign language, trouble following a sequence of
directions and telling left from right, problems handwriting
and other fine motor skills.
Indicators: Pronunciation problems, difficult rhyming
words, trouble reading, writing and spelling words

13. Symptoms and indicators for Depression.
Symptoms: Irritability or anger, continuous feelings of
sadness and hopelessness, social withdrawal, increased
sensitivity to rejection, changes in appetite, changes in sleep,
outbursts of crying, difficulty concentrating, fatigue and low
energy, physical complaints, reduced ability to function
during events, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, impaired
thinking of concentration and thoughts of death or suicide
(unusual for children under the age of 12) .
Indicators: Loss of interest in activities, looks as though they
have poor academic performance or change in appearance.

14. Developmental Growth

15. Physical, Social/Emotional, Cognitive...
Physical-
“Poor physical health can lead to an increased risk of developing
mental health problems. Similarly, poor mental health can negatively
impact physical health” (Mental Health Foundation).
● 67% increased risk of death from heart disease
● 50% increased risk of death from cancer
● three times the risk of death from respiratory disease
● Decreased desire or inability to be active-reducing the
amount of endorphins released to the brain
● Poor Diet = Poor health
Mental Illnesses can go undiagnosed in children, thus denying them
the services they require to maintain their physical well-being.
Living with an emotional or mental illness can be extremely expensive
as a child’s family is likely to incur costs from doctor check-ups,
prescribed medications, therapy interventions, counseling services,
nutritional demands, and many other related expenses that can hinder
a parent’s capability and/or decision to provide the necessary
resources to keep their child healthy.

16. -Social/Emotional
● lack of motivation
● substance abuse
● harmful and/or suicidal thoughts
● violence
● risky behavior
● manic and depressive phases
● lethargy and fatigue
● paranoia
● lack of interest in socializing

17. -Cognitive
Stage Characterised By
Sensori-motor
(Birth-2 yrs)
● Differentiates self from objects
● Recognises self as agent of action and begins to act intentionally: e.g. pulls a
string to set mobile in motion or shakes a rattle to make a noise
● Achieves object permanence: realises that things continue to exist even when no
longer present to the sense
Pre-operational
(2-7 years)
● Learns to use language and to represent objects by images and words
● Classifies objects by a single feature: e.g. groups together all the red blocks
regardless of shape or all the square blocks regardless of colour
Concrete operational
(7-11 years)
● Can think logically about objects and events
● Achieves conservation of number, mass, and weight
● Classifies objects according to several features and can order them in series
along a single dimension such as size.
Formal operational
(11 years and up)
● Can think logically about abstract propositions and test hypotheses
systematically
● Becomes concerned with the hypothetical, the future, and ideological problems
Piaget’s Stages of
Cognitive Development

18. Effects on Language Skills
Language delays can be one of the first indicators of
mental or emotional illness in children.
Language affects nearly every domain of childhood
development and is crucial to children’s social
development.
It is estimated that as many as 5% of school-aged
children have a language disorder.
Language Disorders
-Receptive Language Issues
-Expressive Language Issues
-Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Issues
Examples:
-Limited vocabulary, leaves out key words, seems frustrated with with
inability to communicate thoughts, speaks minimally

19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmLu8rzbHhE

20. Effects on Adaptive Skills
Adaptability is the ability a child has to adjust to
changes in their environment.
Children with mental and emotional health issues
often have difficulty acclimating to different
situations.
When left untreated, these behaviours are likely to be
repeated as the child ages.

21. Class Challenge
http://geon.github.io/programming/2016/03/03/dsxyliea
Please attempt to read this webpage.

22. Solutions

23. Meds or No Meds?

24. Solutions...
Choosing the right mix of treatments and supports that work for
you is an important step in the recovery process. Treatment choices
for mental health conditions will vary from person to person. Even
people with the same diagnosis will have different experiences,
needs, goals and objectives for treatment.
There is no “one size fits all”
treatment.

25. Types of Treatment...
Psychiatrists- Psychiatrists are licensed medical
doctors with medical and psychiatric training. They
can diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe
and monitor medications. They can prescribe
medications.
Psychiatrists are also able to offer counseling and
provide therapy. Some have special training in child
and adolescent mental health or substance use
disorders or geriatric psychiatry.
Clinical Psychologist- Clinical psychologists with a
doctoral degree in psychology are trained to make
diagnoses and provide individual and group therapy.
Some may have training in specific forms of therapy
like cognitive behavioral therapy or dialectical
behavior therapy, along with other behavioral therapy
interventions.

26. Types of Treatment
School Psychologists- School psychologists with
advanced degrees in psychology are trained to make
diagnoses, provide individual and group therapy and
work with parents, teachers and school staff to ensure
a healthy school environment. They may also
participate in the development of individualized
education plans (IEP) to help improve the school
experience of the student with a mental health
condition.

27. Types of Treatment
Types of counselors
Clinical Social Workers- Trained to make diagnoses and
provide individual and group counseling.
Counselors- Trained to diagnose and provide individual and
group counseling but may focus on different areas.
Peer Specialists- A specialist that has experience with
living with a mental health condition and can assist in
recovery.

28. General Coping Techniques
1. Give words to feelings- Strong emotions can be
scary to children. Ask the question how are you
feeling right now or what do you think caused it
2. Find your child’s triggers- figure out what
caused them to have a reaction
3. Encourage healthy ways of coping- encourage
things like riding a bike or swing or reading
1. Brainstorm specific coping strategies- Give
them an out so they can calm down, such as
when I am mad at another student i can play on
the swings to recess.
2. Be present and understanding- focus on the
child, model active listening and ask relating
questions.
3. Seek help when needed- hire a tutor if a child
struggles, or schedule an appointment with a
counselor.

29. Coping TechniquesDyslexia: Slow down when reading, read with a partner
Depression: Confide in someone such as a teacher or counselor to talk
about your feelings.
Language Delay: use active listening, allowing more time to complete
activities, have a quiet place to go
Anxiety: Take a mental time out, and take long deep breaths in and
out, count to 10 and do your best
Social Anxiety: exercise, maintain routines- snack, lunch or
classtimes.
Eating Disorder- confide in someone, play with a pet or friends, use
people to comfort you when you start feeling bad
ADHD- develop a homework plan that suits child’s needs. remove
distractions when trying to get something accomplished
Self-Consciousness- recognize strengths and weaknesses, talk about
and understand feelings
Bipolar disorder- build a support system, develop a routine and
schedule, keep a daily journal

30. Closing Activity-
You represent the 6 year old kindergarten
students who are suffering from one or more
emotional and mental illnesses, but you now
have solutions to help aid you.

31. Inside Out...
https://youtu.be/pvMxhza4myY

32. References...
● https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/physical-health-and-mental-health
● http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm
● http://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/child-development/understanding-temperament-
adaptability/
● https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/communication-
disorders/understanding-language-disorders
● http://www.kidsmentalhealth.org/childrens-behavioral-and-emotional-disorders/
● http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=0ecdaa21-e9c7-4f16-be19-
126d716e7ff8%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4207&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=11247
1330&db=a9h
● http://teenmentalhealth.org/learn/mental-disorders/

33. References
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/dealing-with-depression.htm
http://www.webmd.com/children/helping-children-with-dyslexia
https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/common-challenges/self-control/6-ways-to-help-
your-child-develop-coping-skills
http://www.mommyedition.com/how-to-help-children-under-10-cope-with-anxiety
http://au.reachout.com/self-help-strategies-for-bipolar-disorder
http://do2learn.com/disabilities/CharacteristicsAndStrategies/SpeechLanguageImpairment_Strateg
ies.html
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/eating-disorder-treatment-and-recovery.htm
http://www.addvance.com/help/parents/helping_child.html