April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention month. So I am turning myself blue for the month.
Author: yerac1968 (Page 2 of 2)
Why couldn’t someone have told my grade school teachers about this? I was always in trouble for “daydreaming.”
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Stress kills. Researchers have found correlations between chronic stress and nearly all of the major causes of death in the United States. Initially the mechanisms by which stress leads to disease were poorly understood. Recent advances in several fields however are beginning to fill in some of the blanks. Neuroscience research for example has shown us that those who endure the type of chronic stress associated with child abuse show size differences in various brain structures as well as functional differences in the pathways that connect brain structures. Discoveries from the study of epigenetics show that psychological trauma actually causes changes to certain genes and that those changes can still be seen in subsequent generations. Temporary stress of the type we all experience occasionally as the result of a bad day does not appear to generate lasting physical changes. Chronic stress however, has serious developmental implications and gravely threatens our long-term health. Continue reading
Last week I wrote about the sad state of parenting advice available today. So it pleases me to be able to pass on some exceptionally good advice that I found recently. This comes from the Healthy Children.org site which is sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. While the piece is titled The Secret to a Smarter Baby, the benefits of following this advice go way beyond a child’s IQ.
These are the first steps to developing an attuned relationship with a child. In addition to increasing intelligence, a strong, positive relationship with caregiver(s) is perhaps the most important key to raising resilient kids. It also tends to improve both physical and mental health and reduce the likelihood of behavioral problems.
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We’ve all seen it many times. A little boy starts playing with toy dinosaurs and inevitably it seems, the dinosaurs soon begin to fight. But does it really have to be that way?
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If you are the partner of a male survivor, there is a good chance that you may want to help him with anxiety issues. The following article offers some helpful information on the topic.
As human beings, it’s in our nature to care for those we love. If something’s wrong, we want to find ways to wave a magic wand and make things better. One of my best friends suffered with anxiety for years. When he first confided in me, I was shocked.
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“Technology is a privilege, not a right,” social media expert Paul Davis tells parents
This is excellent advice for parents but in many ways it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I completely agree with Davis’ advice to keep technology out of your kids’ bedrooms and I commend him for talking about it. I have to say however that parents need to go much further than that.
As a psychologist who works with a lot of kids, I try to stay up-to-date on the body of parenting advice that is available to the public. I periodically go to bookstores to look for interesting new books on parenting and I read very many internet articles on the subject. I also have a personal interest as the father of a five year-old. The current state of the information that is readily available to parents is pretty sad. Continue reading
This article initially caught my eye because it comes from Fontana, CA, so you might say it hits close to home. A man was arrested on child pornography charges. Hundreds of images and videos were reportedly seized from his home. I see stories like this often and like many I typically feel a mix of anger and sadness over such news. This time however, I was perhaps even more bothered by the comment made in response to the article. Continue reading
Just start talking about sexually abused boys.
In 2013 I presented the results of my dissertation, in the form of a poster, at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. I had originally submitted a proposal to speak at the conference but that proposal was not approved. I did receive a nice email explaining that talks are scheduled in groups based upon topic and that they had no other talks that they could group with mine. In other words, no one else wanted to talk about it. Continue reading