MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health issues can affect anyone, including people with learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Co-occurrence of mental health and learning disabilities might be present from birth, or be acquired later. They may be temporary or chronic.

Here you will find many tips and guidelines for preventing, identifying, and addressing mental health issues linked to learning disabilities. Years of research have yielded a considerable body of knowledge of how to cope with the risks for mental health issues that learning disabilities present.

Mental Health and Learning Disabilities: Why a Higher Risk? Certain aspects of learning disabilities increase the risk for an individual to experience mental health issues. Learn why. Full article

Preventing Mental Health Problems: Tips for Parents of Young Children: Basic suggestions for avoiding problems associated with poor mental health. Full article

Childhood Depression: Children with learning disabilities are prone to chronic depression. Understand the signs that may indicate depression in children. Full article

Symptoms of Mental Health Disturbances: Knowing these signs of trouble can sometimes help you identify someone who needs help. Full article

Preventing Mental Health Problems in Older Adolescents And Adults: Information on the attributes found in successful adults with learning disabilities and ways to avoid mental health issues. Full article

Preventing Mental Health Problems:

Tips For Parents Of Young Children

Encourage your child to take responsibility for his/her behavior. We do not control others. We can only influence others to want to change their behavior.

Establish an atmosphere of mutual respect between you and your child. Children respond more positively when adults are consistent, honest, open and supportive.

Determine the behavior or events that take place before and after unwanted or undesirable behaviors. It is important to identify the things in the environment which set off or positively reinforce the child’s inappropriate behavior.

Establish consequences that are natural and/or logical and apply the consequences objectively (without anger). If the consequence for the child is to sit and think for 15 minutes, to also yell in anger or to spank the child will destroy the effect of the learning process.

Permit the individual to make his choices and to live with the consequences. If the individual makes the choice, then the outcome should rest with the one making the choice. When the parent accepts the consequence, then the parent denies the child the opportunity to grow and mature.

Make certain each of your children is a valued contributor. Maturation demands that everyone is treated as a full-fledged member of the family.

Source – CANHCgram