@childmindinstitute

Summer LEGO® Therapy Social Skills Group is a 6-week, evidence-based, group therapy program designed to help elementary children with social communication and social skills difficulties. During each group session, children practice turn-taking and sharing, following rules, problem-solving, and collaboration through LEGO-based activities. 🔗 childmind.org/care/areas-of-expertise/autism-clinical-center/lego-based-therapy

Parties can be overwhelming for kids with sensory issues, but you can still host an inclusive event that lets everyone have fun in the ways that work for them. 🔗 childmind.org/article/sensory-friendly-party-ideas/

Because LGBTQ+ kids often face factors like bullying and discrimination, they’re at a higher risk of mental health challenges. But there are effective ways to reduce those risks and help kids grow up safe and happy. 🔗 childmind.org/article/mental-health-challenges-of-lgbtq-kids/

Paul Mitrani, MD, PhD, is clinical director and a senior child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Child Mind Institute. He has extensive experience evaluating and treating youth with complex mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tics, gender dysphoria and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Mitrani, a graduate of the Triple Board Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, adult psychiatry and pediatrics. His background in pediatrics allows him to address broader issues related to patients with medical illnesses or gender dysphoria. Through a developmentally based, patient-centered approach, Dr. Mitrani formulates an ideal treatment plan for each patient that can include medication and therapeutic interventions, such as parent management training, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and insight-oriented therapy. 🔗 childmind.org/bio/paul-mitrani-md-phd/

Coming out can be a huge relief for teens or young adults who are LGBTQ, but the process is often rocky and sometimes painful. Your child may have opened up to friends or co-workers who didn’t respond well, or may be worried about how family members or other important people will react. Once your child seems ready to talk, check in with them about how they’re feeling, and how you can be supportive. Start by asking questions and listening to their answers calmly. Your goal is to let them know that you are hearing what they need to share with you. Something parents often struggle with is the knowledge that they are, if not the last to know, certainly not the first. Try not to be surprised, or offended, if you find that your child has been more candid with their friends, and even some other adults. The @trevorproject's LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Study found that most respondents disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity to friends first, then trusted adults, who may not always be their parents. Less than half were out to an adult at school. Green notes several reasons why they might be reluctant to tell parents: - Unlike friends, parents have control over aspects of young people’s lives, including housing and financial support, which can be withdrawn. - Parent’s expectations of who they should/could be growing up can create a lot of pressure for children. Coming out can put the child at risk of feeling they have disappointed their parents. - Peers can have a like-minded approach to sexual orientation and gender identity, making them more likely to be accepting and supportive of the LGBTQ community. When it comes to telling others in the family that a child is LGBTQ, it’s recommended that you let the child take the lead. “Telling the rest of the family is up to the person who is coming out,” says Green. “They’ll either have a solid understanding of how they want to proceed or they may not know — just have an open conversation with them and be honest, clear and supportive to help them plan how to move forward. Being respectful of their wishes is a very important element to this conversation.” 🔗 childmind.org/article/how-to-support-lgbtq-children

Q: What is the difference between ADD and ADHD? ADD, or attention-deficit disorder, is an old term, now out of date, for the disorder we callADHD, orattention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. A: It was called ADD up until 1987, when the word “hyperactivity” was added to the name. Before that, say in 1980, a child would be diagnosed with ADD, either with or without hyperactivity. But starting in the early 1990s, that child would be diagnosed with ADHD. From the early ’90s until recentlydiagnosis included one of three types. Children who only had the inattentive symptoms were called inattentive type. Kids who were only hyperactive and impulsive were hyperactive/impulsive type. Kids who had all three symptoms were called combined type. A lot of people still use the old term ADD, either out of habit or because it’s a more familiar term than ADHD. Some people use it to refer to inattentive type ADHD — without the hyperactivity. But it was never meant to be used that way, and continuing to use an almost 30-year-old term is getting more confusing. The newest way of thinking about ADHD is actually to get rid of types altogether and just think about which symptoms present prominently. We still use the same clusters of symptoms (inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive), we just don’t consider them separate types. There are also adjustments to reflect new research on how ADHD symptoms present inadolescence or adulthood. The bottom line is that the diagnosis of ADHD can still apply even if a child doesn’t have hyperactive or impulsive behaviors. That can be confusing for parents. We get this question all the time: “I don’t think my kid has hyperactive/impulsive symptoms—could he still have ADHD?” Yes, he can! And it’s especially crucial that kids with prominent inattentive symptoms of ADHD are still evaluated by a trained clinician, as these children could be more likely to be overlooked at school. Learn more: https://childmind.org/topics/adhd-attention-problems

Most kids don’t outgrow ADHD, but with support at school and at home, they can learn to manage their symptoms and grow into happy, confident adults. https://childmind.org/article/do-kids-outgrow-adhd

This year for Mental Health Awareness Month the Child Mind Institute launched the Dare to Share campaign. We put out the call for personal stories about what we gain when we find the courage to speak up about mental health struggles. The response was nothing short of incredible. We were honored to amplify powerful stories from an amazing group of celebrities and influencers. They included award-winning musician P!nk, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, and Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams, as well as members of the cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen, Team USA silver medalist skier Gus Kenworthy, and Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback Steve Young, and many more. childmind.org/daretoshare

When kids go through something traumatic, their grief and fear often show up in the classroom. Teachers can make a big difference by actively supporting kids, especially if the traumatic event happened at school. First, acknowledge the loss openly. Kids need to know that they can talk about what happened if they want to. The most important thing is just to listen, even if you’re not sure what to say. A safe, comfortable space to talk to someone they trust about how they’re feeling is incredibly valuable. Invite questions and answer them as best you can, but don’t require kids to participate before they’re ready. Kids may also be worried about their own safety, especially young ones. For example, if a classmate died in a fire, they may feel that they’re in danger from fires, too. You can help by calmly explaining the facts: “House fires are very rare. And we use safety measures like fire drills to protect ourselves.” Once you’ve given space to process what happened, returning to the school routine is very comforting for kids. It also shows them that tragedy isn’t the end of the world and that it’s possible to move forward in a healthy way. Finally, remember that coming to terms with loss takes time. Help kids find ways to cope with their ongoing feelings and remember the people they lost. Drawing pictures, sharing memories, planting a memorial tree, or raising money in the person’s honor can all help kids deal with grief in a healthy way. https://childmind.org/article/teachers-role-tragedy-strikes/

@NikkiReed dares to share her story about growing up with anxiety. Talking about thoughts, feelings, and mental health can be tough. But sharing our struggles opens the door to help and healing. The Dare to Share campaign features celebrities and kids telling powerful stories about their own challenges and how they found the courage to ask for support. Download tailored resources, explore our video library, and see how none of us are alone when we dare to share. childmind.org/daretoshare #DareToShare

Data shows that more than 30% of kids and adolescents will meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder at some point in their childhood. Dr. Jamie Howard of @childmindinstitute explains how to spot possible symptoms of anxiety in your kids — and what treatment options are available.

School shootings have made a lot of parents in America anxious. Parents are often more worried about it than younger kids are. But kids pick up on their parents’ fear. And parents worry that seeing news reports of school shootings may be harming their kids. Some also worry that the “active shooter drills” many schools are practicing could cause more harm than good. The truth is that school shootings are very rare. But when one does happen, we are overwhelmed by the constant news about it. When this happens, the first thing to do is shut off the news. If you are very anxious about school shootings, one way to feel better is to take action. You can get involved in anti-violence activism or start or join a parent group that helps figure out what the school needs to do to be safe and prepared. Talking to kids about school shootings is important. Kids actually feel less scared when they get to talk about scary things. You can answer their questions and tell them that school shootings are rare. If their school does drills, you can tell kids that they are practicing how to be safe. Active shooter drills should help kids feel safe, not scare them. They shouldn’t use fake guns. That will just scare kids and teachers more. They should be used like fire drills. They should get kids used to practicing a plan, so they know what do to in a real emergency. It’s also important to let kids know that if another child seems to be very scared, they should let a grown-up know. And kids need to know it’s important to tell an adult if another kid writes or says something scary. Read more: childmind.org/article/anxiety-school-shooting