Does My Child Need Help?

One of the challenges for parents is knowing when a worry should prompt action. How do you know when to get help for a child who is struggling? Is is just sad or depressed, he is inattentive like other children or he has ADHD

Here are some things mental health practitioners recommend you consider in deciding whether a child needs professional help.

1-What are the behaviors that are worrying you?

Avoid generalizations like “He does not listen!” or “She’s uncooperative.” Think about precise behaviors, like “His teacher complains that he can’t wait for his turn to speak,” or “He gets upset when asked to stop one activity and start another,” or “She cries and is devastated when her mother leaves the room.”

2-How frequently does it happen?

A lot of problematic behaviors like anger, impulsiveness, irritability, defiance and fear are behaviors that all children often show, duration and intensity are always key to recognizing a disorder.

If your child seems sad or despondent, is that occurring once a week, or most of the time?

If he is having tantrums, when do they occur? How long do they last?

3-Are these behaviors outside the typical range for his age?

Since kids and teens show a wide range of behaviors, it can be hard to separate normal acting up, or normal anxiety, from a serious problem.

To get a point of view on whether your child’s behaviors fall outside of the typical range for his age group, compare him with most of his peers at the same age or siblings when they were at the same age. Is he more fearful, more disobedient, more prone to tantrums?

4-How long has it been going on?

Problematic behavior that’s been happening for a few days or even a few weeks is frequently a reaction to a stressful event, and something that will disappear over time. Part of diagnosing a child is removing things that are short-term responses, and probably don’t require intervention.

If changes last more than 1 month it could be a worry

5-How much are they interfering with his life?

Is it disrupting the family and causing conflict at home? Is it causing him difficulty at school, or difficulty getting along with friends? If a child is incapable to do things he wants to do because he is afraid or his irritability does not permit him to get along with teachers, family members and friends, he may need help.