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Study Finds Mental Health of Expectant Dad Affects Child

There is a new study that looks at mental health in a different way. Researchers found that expectant fathers who had mental health problems affected the behavior and emotional lives of their child. The kids didn’t exhibit the problems until years later. They aren’t sure exactly why this is happening, but it certainly appears to be the case. A study was done that included 32,000 children in Norway. The results were recently published in Pediatrics. It suggests something that most people would not have guessed was possible. The risk for future mental health problems in young children may be identified … Continue reading →

Special Needs Blog Week in Review – Week of February 5-11, 2012

Parents of children who have special needs are busy. No one ever said that being a parent would be easy, all the time, every day. You might not have had the time to check out the Special Needs blog this week. The Special Need Blog Week in Review makes it easy to find the blogs that you missed. The Special Needs Podcast Roundup went up on February 6, 2012. This week, I recommend that you check out the Hope Saves the Day podcast. The hosts had an interview with Dr. Temple Grandin. Doctors Have Different Opinions About the Mystery Illness … Continue reading →

Are Stay-at-Home Moms More Depressed Than Working Moms?

This weekend I read on “Health Day” that a new study shows stay-at-home moms are more likely to display symptoms of depression than those women who work outside the home. Yet the study also found that despite this, working moms who are overworked and out of balance are more likely to be depressed, as opposed to those who work outside the home and have a good order of things. I honestly don’t think it really has anything to do with whether or not you work inside or outside the home. In either situation you can be out of balance. I … Continue reading →

Researchers Find Link Between Genetic Makeup and Depression

Depression is something that appears to run in families. If you are someone who has a tendency to suffer from some form of depression, you might be able to think of at least one other relative who also has experienced depressive episodes as well. It’s possible to be depressed, and have no idea why you feel so sad. A new study finds that your susceptibility to depression is in your genes. Whether you are feeling sad due to a seasonal depression, or as a response to a stressful event, one thing is true. Depression is something to take seriously. There … Continue reading →

Special Needs Children and Your Marriage

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The divorce rate is high in this country – over 50%. That’s huge. That’s more than half of the weddings you have been to and half of the happy couples you have celebrated with. Although statistics differ, the divorce rate is even higher for couples who have children with special needs. And I completely understand why. We head into marriage with big dreams, goals and ideas of how it will be. We picture this perfect life with these perfect kids. We may expect some bumps along the way, but when your child is sick, disabled, or challenged in anyway, it … Continue reading →

Teach Your Child How to Dream

I’m a firm believer that children need to be taught how to dream. By “dream,” I mean having a driving hope for the future—a clear concept or idea of what they want to do or be. Every child needs to learn this, and children with special needs are no exception. Some children develop a dream for their lives from early childhood, but many children must be taught to dream. These are the kids that shrug their shoulders and say, “I dunno,” when asked about their future plans. Why Dream? A child with a dream has greater motivation to achieve. Children … Continue reading →

Is Your Son or Daughter Depressed?

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It might initially be difficult to determine whether a child is just “down in the dumps,” or whether he or she is experiencing a major depressive episode. Parents can watch for symptoms that are persistent, troubling, and interfering with typical life functioning. In a major depressive episode, many of the following signs may be observed: It’s persistent. First, the sadness has been ongoing for at least two weeks or more, without lifting. It’s causing changes in the family dynamics or is contributing to family stress at home. Loss of enthusiasm. The child is no longer interested in activities that were … Continue reading →

What would make a child depressed?

Children can suffer from depression just as adults can. But while mental health groups around the country struggle to increase awareness of the widespread nature of depression in adults, the equivalent illness in children is often very much swept under the carpet. One of the reasons why this occurs is that adults have an entrenched perception that children are very resilient. While this is generally true, and children do seem to bounce back after a distressing episode much more quickly than the majority of adults do, there is a limit to a child’s personal coping skills. Adults also seem to … Continue reading →

Helping Your Child Deal With Emotions Through Creative Expression

Creative expression through writing and art can be a very therapeutic technique for children with emotional problems including depression, anxiety, self-hatred and rage. At home, you can encourage your child to deal with painful emotions by providing different kinds of freedom in creativity. One of the greatest outlets for powerful, overwhelming feelings is through art. All children, regardless of their limitations or struggles, have feelings that are often hard to describe and give meaning to. Helping them release these emotions is important. Unstructured Poetry A poet by the name of Kenneth Koch was working with stressed-out and depressed children in … Continue reading →

Transitioning Your Child to Their New Home

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How a child is transitioned is so important! There are families who feel like the transition should take as long as possible to ensure a smoother transition, and others who feel a fast transition is better, allowing the new parents to take that opportunity to comfort and soothe the child. How long a transition should take really depends on the child, and the foster family. In our first son’s case, the foster family felt they needed to say goodbye quickly for their own emotional concerns. Our son was 13 ½ months old. I think it would have been hard on … Continue reading →