Quirky Kid Clinic » Child Psychology

Spoilling Kid @ Practical Parenting

corina — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 05:59:20 +0000

Kimberley O’Brien, our principal child psychologist, discussed the ‘over-praising children’ with reporter Mercedes Maguire from Practical Parenting Magazine .. You can find useful, practical and informative advice about parenting by visiting our resources page, – or discussing it on our forum.

Check Kimberly’s and other experts comments at the Practical Parenting Website

According to Kimberley praise is great but needs to be balanced and given at the right moments or you end up with children who expect everything they do to end in a positive result, which is not reality.

The Quirky Kid runs a workshop called ‘Raise on Praise’ and other great workshops for parents.

New Workshop Calendar

Leonardo Rocker — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:54:26 +0000

Our 2010/2011 Workshop Calendar is printed and ready for posting!

After reviewing our most popular school-based and clinic programs, “The Best of Friends” and “Why Worry?”, we added more motivational programs for high-achievers, such as “Power Up” and a new series for Mums and Bubs, exploring “The Inside Story” of infant development and healthy attachment.

Our online registration has also been stream lined, taking into consideration your feedback. Bookings are now easier and even faster!

See our new Workshop Calendar online or join our Mailing List for your hardcopy in the next 10 days - go to our Contact Page and send us a message with your postal address.

Melbourne workshops are booking fast!

The Quirky Kid 2010/2011 Workshop Calendar is printed on 100% recycled paper.

>>Download a copy now

Christmas Opening Hours

The Tell Me a Story cards

Leonardo Rocker — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:09:59 +0000

We are incredibly proud to introduce a very special Therapeutic Resources – The Tell me a Story cards.

The highest you ever climbed! – The furthest you ever swam! – The fastest you ever ran! -

Children love stories, especially true stories describing adventure and emotional extremes. Often they will ask to hear our stories but how often do they get to tell theirs?

The TMAS cards invite young people to recall and retell their own memorable moments of extremity (Luckiest! Loneliest! Bravest!), as they rediscover a sense of pride in their own achievements. The story topics have been carefully chosen to appeal to young storytellers, with the capacity to engage listeners of all ages.

The TMAS cards are a useful tool for parents and professionals working with young people to facilitate communication, highlight strengths, give praise and boost self-esteem.

The TMAS collection is designed for young people and adults, (aged 6 years and above). We all have stories to tell and the TMAS cards provide a forum for all people to share their experiences, children and adults alike. The cards have been tried and tested with individuals and small groups, throughout a number of different contexts.

>> Download a Flyer or Buy Now!

Auditory Processing Difficulties

Leonardo Rocker — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:48:27 +0000

What is Auditory Processing?

Auditory Processing refers to the brain’s ability to recognise and interpret the sounds from the surrounding environment. People with Auditory Processing difficulties do not process information in the same way as others, as their ears and brain to not completely co-ordinate. Something adversely affects the way these people recognise and interpret sounds, particularly the sounds involved in speech. People experiencing these difficulties may be diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD).

What are the symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?

People with APD may have difficulties with the following tasks:

Focusing on the voice of one person in noisy environments
Remembering instructions given verbally
Distinguishing between similar words, such as slime/climb, thin/thing etc
Filtering out background noise
Sustaining attention for periods of time
Participating appropriately in discussions with groups of people, such as in the classroom.

They may also show academic difficulties, behavioural difficulties and/or social difficulties.

Could it be something else?

Before your child is diagnosed with APD, it is important to rule out the following issues:

Hearing loss
Learning difficulties
Attention problems such as ADD
Other language problems
Major developmental difficulties such as Autism

What can I do if my child is experiencing Auditory Processing Difficulties?

Auditory Processing Disorder is best treated by an Audiologist or Speech Pathologist. However, the following strategies may be implemented to make some tasks easier for your child.

Try to make sure that his learning environments (both at home and at school) are as quiet as possible when concentration is required.
Ask your child’s teacher if she can sit at the desk closest to the teacher’s desk, so the teacher’s voice is loud compared to others.
Give your child written instructions for homework, chores, etc so he can refer if he has forgotten.
Break instructions into small, achievable steps and give small rewards or verbal praise when each step is completed
Visual cues for tasks at home and at school should be provided to aid your child in understanding what is required of her
Ensure you have your child’s attention (e.g. eye contact) before speaking to him
Check that your child has understood what has been said to her by asking her to repeat or summarise the instructions she was given

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Information for this fact sheet was taken from the Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service website; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (2004), and from Child Psychologist Kimberley O’Brien.

Night Terrors @ Woman’s Day

Leonardo Rocker — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:49:09 +0000

Kimberley discussed night terrors with Katrina Vella from Woman’s Day Magazine. You can find more information on the difference between nightmares and night terrors, and what parents can do about them, by visiting our resources page or discussing it on our forum.

If you have a story and would like to discuss it with us, please contact us to schedule a time. Kimberley O’Brien enjoys sharing the best of her therapeutic moments with the media. View our media appearances to-date here.

Confidentiality in Separation and Divorce

Leonardo Rocker — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 02:44:00 +0000

The Australian Psychological Society has recently produced the Guidelines for working with young people, to assist psychologists working in the complex area of child and adolescent mental health. The following questions and answers present the key legal and ethical considerations for psycholigsts working with young people and are based on extracts from these new guidelines.

Is the consent of both parents required before a psychologist can provide services to a child?

When a psychologist is engaged to provide a psychological service to a child, the consent and involvement of both parents is desirable, although not legally required. However, there are situations where obtaining the consent of both parents is not possible, or appropriate.

What about parental consent where the parents of the child are separated?

If a psychologist is aware that the parents of the child are separated, he or she may assume that the parent who organised the consultation has the legal authority to access a psychologist on behalf of the child. Even if there are existing Court Orders, the psychologist is not required to establish whether the decision to consult a psychologist has been made jointly by the parents.

If the presenting parent says that they do not wish the other parent to be involved, and the other parent reportedly opposes the decision for the child to see a psychologist, the psychologist should discuss this further with the presenting parent and child, and make a professional judgement about whether to provide services. In making that decision, the best interests of the child are most important.

Where parents are separated, what if the other parent seeks information from the psychologist about the services being provided to the child?

If the presenting parent and child have not given consent for disclosure of information to the other parent, then a psychologist must protect the confidentiality of the young person. This includes refraining from acknowledging if a psychological service has been provided at all. If the other parent does contact the psychologist for information, the presenting parent will be informed and encouraged to resolve the issues directly.

What are the limits to confidentiality when providing services to young people?

Psychologists must comply with any legal requirements to report child abuse and neglect. Psychologists must also disclose information in situations where failure to disclose information may result in clear risk to the young person or to others, in order to avert risk.

You can contact us for further information or to make an appointment.

Separation and Divorce workshop for children in Sydney.
In addition, we also run the ‘Doing the Splits’ workshop. Visit the workshop pages to make a booking:

- http://childpsychologist.com.au/workshop/doing-the-splits-sydney

Separation and Divorce workshop for children in Melbourne.

- http://childpsychologist.com.au/workshop/doing-the-splits-melbourne

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Leonardo Rocker — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:31:57 +0000

Children with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) experience high levels of anxiety and worry about a number of events or activities, and find it difficult to control these worries. They may worry about as punctuality, school performance or catastrophic events such as earthquakes. The intensity, duration or frequency of the child’s worries is far out of proportion to the actual likelihood of what they fear. In addition to their worries, these children often experience restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension and disturbed sleep. Children with GAD typically seek approval excessively and require constant reassurance about their performance and their other worries.

What should I look for?

Does your child have excessive anxiety or worry about a number of events or activities?
Does your child find it difficult to control their worries?
Does your child appear restless or ‘on edge’?
Is your child easily fatigued?
Does your child have difficulty concentrating?
Does your child appear irritable?
Does your child appear tense?
Does your child have difficulty falling or staying asleep?
Does your child have restless and unsatisfying sleep?

How can the Quirky Kid Clinic help your child?

The Quirky Kid Clinic is a unique place for children and adolescents aged 2-18 years. We work from the child’s perspective to help them find their own solutions. If you suspect your child may be experiencing symptoms of Generalised Anxiety Disorder you might consider one of the following options:

Book an individual session with our experienced Child Psychologists
Register for the “Why Worry?” workshop or
Contact us for more information

Reference:

American Psychiatric Association:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000.

Children and Money

Leonardo Rocker — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:46:17 +0000

Giving children pocket money is an important way to teach children about money and how to manage it. Furthermore, it helps children develop independence and attitudes towards both saving and spending money.

When to introduce pocket money and how much to give:

While there is no right or wrong time to start giving your child pocket money, most Australian children are usually given pocket money from the age of six.
Research has also determined that on average, children between six and ten receive an ‘income’ of $20-25 per month.
It is important for parents to consider an amount that they themselves are comfortable with. Factors to consider when choosing this amount should be based upon the family’s financial situation, and the child’s spending needs.

Important concepts for parents to teach children:

the value of money: the relative price of things
spending: accepting that money is gone once it’s spent
earning: understanding that earning money can be hard work, but usually that’s the only way to get it
saving: using short-term and long-term goals
borrowing: understanding the importance of repaying borrowed money.

Tips for Parents:

Let your children make mistakes when it comes to saving and spending their money.
You may want to restrict your child from spending their money inappropriately, for example, on excessive amounts of junk food, or on dangerous toys/items.
Children often mimic the spending and saving habits of their parents. Parents can teach their children such habits by modelling appropriate spending and saving techniques, and by discussing their methods with their child.
It is also recommended that parents pay their children on a set day in order to develop a routine. This means trying to avoid giving your child advanced payments or supplementing their usual budget with additional funds.
Some parents choose to link daily chores or additional chores with pocket money, while others view family contributions and pocket money as separate issues. There is no set rule when it comes to handling this, so each family must determine what is best for them.

*Information for this article was gathered from the Raising Children Network and Kids Money and Kimberley O’Brien.

Smacking and Children

Leonardo Rocker — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:26:19 +0000

The issue surrounding parents, children, and the use of corporal punishment is one that is currently of extreme importance.

Is Smacking Children ever OK?

Smacking children is never ok for a number of reasons. Firstly, smacking children is a form of abuse that is punishable by law. Children have the right to feel safe and protected, and therefore should not be subjected to violent treatment. In addition, children tend to mimic the actions and behavior of adults. Children who are subjected to violence often lash out in violent ways themselves.

Consequences associated with smacking children:

can result in trauma and extensive harm to the child;
can lead to the destruction of trusted relationships;
poor self-esteem;
learning difficulties;
behavioral problems;

Where parents can go to get help:

By seeking support and attempting to learn new methods to better discipline children, parents are taking a critically important step. They can seek various forms of support including:

practical and personal suppor, information based support
enroll in classes- i.e. anger management, parent training classes

Alternative methods of discipline:

Parents can discipline their children in a number of ways without ever resorting to hitting or smacking. When parents are upset they should:

take time to cool down before disciplining a child
explain the reasons behind their actions to the child
focus on encouraging verbal communication and interaction
explain how to prevent future occurrences to the child
be sure to remain both empathetic and patient when disciplining the child

The Quirky Kid clinic offers consultation, parenting training and our popular workshop, Raised on Praise.

References:
Raising Children Network , and Kimberley O’Briem, Chidl Psychologist

Children and the Media

Leonardo Rocker — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:05:26 +0000

In today’s society children are becoming more connected to the media than ever before. With so many entertainment mediums available, children are continuously being bombarded with both advertisements and messages, some of which are positive, however many of which are negative. Many of these messages have led children to wrongly believe that being rich, famous and beautiful is most important.

In order to help combat the negative effects of the media, parents can help their children in a number of ways:

Talk to your children about what they see on the computer or television. By encouraging them to think critically and be skeptical about what they see, they may become more inclined to think critically about other aspects of their lives in the future.

Resist putting a computer or television in your child’s bedroom. Instead, place such items in more public areas of your home. This way, your child will not watch indiscriminately, and you will know exactly what is being watched.

Ask your children to tell you what they like best about the people in their lives. By having your children make a list of these qualities, you can compare them to the most commonly liked qualities of celebrities (e.g. rich, famous), and demonstrate that most people are not liked purely for superficial reasons.

Make sure you remain informed about the types of media that your children are viewing. By staying current, you will be able to have intelligent conversations with your children about the messages and content that they are being exposed to.
Use one of our resources to create a positive home and environment where conversation and communication is nurtured. The Tell me story cards are the perfect conversation starter.