Child Mental Health

Why we need to be aware of diagnostic overshadowing

Whilst traditionally a term used in more  medical environments, over recent years the recognition of diagnostic overshadowing has increased. Diagnostic Overshadowing occurs where a child (or adult) symptoms are attributed to their previous diagnosis rather than exploring their cause, meaning or what they relate to. Diagnostic Overshadowing was first coined in 1982, by psychologist Steven …

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Children’s Activity: Regulation Strategies

What is regulation When we think about emotional regulation, we are also looking at children’s emotional literacy we are considering: How we acknowledge our feelings Our ability to label our feelings Our skills to be able to regulate ourselves Learning strategies, and supporting children to practice these as part of their daily routines, allows them …

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Why self-care is our first priority

We so often hear about ‘self-care’ and its importance. However, frequently this is attached to images of beaches, bubble baths and extravagance, which is not viable day to day. The reality is that self-care is a consistent practice that needs commitment and very often – scheduling. But, why do we need it? Supporting regulation When …

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7 Reasons girls are not recognised as having autism

We frequently find that parents of girls with autism report their daughters being missed for significant periods of time. In my own therapy and coaching practice, I invariably meet a large number of girls aged 14 and above who have not been referred for assessment, and who have had significant challenges emotionally, socially and with …

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ADHD, Boredom and Sensory Seeking

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. This means that the brain structure is different in those with ADHD in comparison to someone who is neurotypical. ADHD is associated with a dysregulated dopamine system. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. Dopamine is linked with movement, memory, pleasurable reward and motivation, behaviour …

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Are you stopping a speeding train?

Are you someone who sees the challenges that others are getting into and finds yourself involved in their worlds, trying to stop them?  Are you someone who, when you see someone struggling, you feel an overwhelming need to relieve their struggles? Who shortly afterwards finds yourself exhausted and the other person feeling irritated with you?  …

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Children’s Activity: Where are your feelings?

Identifying that our feelings are fluid, and ever moving supports children to understand that they do not need to always feel ‘happy’. For so many children and adults, there is a pressure to always be ‘happy’, when in reality our feelings move continually throughout the day. Learning to differentiate between different feelings is an important …

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Why we need to stop blaming social media for diagnosis

Something that has become more prevalent over recent years is the number of professionals that I speak to who blame social media for individuals (adolescents and adults) seeking a diagnosis. Often, this surrounds needs such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit disorder, but can branch out to a number of different diagnoses. This might …

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