From the moment they learn that they will have children, parents organize many things in their lives accordingly, work accordingly and can do anything for them. However, in some cases, parents' efforts may be insufficient and they may need support. It should not be forgotten that getting psychological support neither shows that your child is deficient nor that you are an inadequate parent. Every person may need psychological support.
So, when should we get psychological support for our child?
Although some of your child's behaviors may not be considered normal, they may actually be age appropriate. For example, your child may be 2 years old and suck his thumb. Thumb sucking behavior is a behavior that should not be shown after the age of 3. At the same time, the continuity of the behavior and how intense it is is also important.
Some behavioral disorders:
Nail Biting: Nail biting behavior usually begins in childhood and can continue until later ages. This behavior can be ignored until the age of 3-4. Solutions such as scolding, scaring and punishing are not helpful, on the contrary, they can cause severe emotional problems for your child. It should be examined how the child performing the behavior feels as a result of this behavior. It will be useful to seek psychological support in cases where approaching your child in a positive way and trying to eliminate the underlying cause that you can identify is not enough.
Thumb Sucking: Thumb sucking behavior may seem normal until the age of 3-4, but it should be noted that it turns into a habit afterwards. It is something that needs to be done. As with nail biting behavior, scolding, scaring or punishing will not make the child stop this behavior. The child should be approached in a positive way and the reason why he/she behaves this way should be investigated. One of the main reasons for thumb sucking behavior (although it varies for each individual) is anxiety and fear. It will be useful to seek psychological support when approaching your child in a positive way and trying to eliminate the underlying cause that you can identify is not enough.
Bedwetting: If your child is over 5 years old, at least 2 times a week for 3 months. If he continues to wet his bed and this has a significant negative impact on his life, bedwetting is a situation that requires you to get psychological support. It would also be useful to get checked by a doctor.
Aggression: Your child's deliberate harm to others or objects or bullying is a situation that should be emphasized. “My child's character is like this, there is nothing I can do.” You shouldn't think like that. Because if aggressive behavior is not controlled and the underlying cause is not worked on, it can cause bigger problems. Punishing or scolding the child are not solutions that will eliminate aggression. It would be useful to get psychological support.
Defiance: If your child has an angry/restless mood, is argumentative and shows oppositional behavior frequently in the last 6 months, this is a situation you should pay attention to. It should draw your attention that if your child is under 5 years old, he/she performs these behaviors on most days for at least 6 months, and if he/she is 5 years old or older, he/she performs these behaviors at least once a week for at least 6 months. If these behaviors and moods negatively affect themselves and those around them, getting psychological support will be positive for your child.
Do not lie: Children cannot fully understand the importance of lying until the age of 5-6, and cannot fully distinguish between dreams and reality. However, after the age of 5-6, the child begins to distinguish between dreams and reality. If lying behavior occurs frequently during this period, it is a situation that should be taken into consideration.
Anxiety Disorders: Anxiety disorders are a condition that can appear in many ways and has many different types. is a disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, test anxiety, phobias, separation anxiety disorder and mutism are some of these.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can be explained as the fears and physical reactions an individual feels after a traumatic event that deeply affects the person. Events such as the death of a loved one or sexual assault can be given as examples of traumatic events. After such an event, your child may avoid certain situations or experience traumatic situations that affect his/her daily life for more than 1 month. It will be important to get psychological support if he/she exhibits behaviors such as recalling or constantly remembering.
Generalized anxiety disorder is a condition in which excessive anxiety, distress and anxiety are experienced in various situations, the individual cannot achieve full success in controlling these emotions, and daily life is affected accordingly. It is a disorder in which one is unable to perform his/her skills. If you have a child who has been excessively worried about events and situations for at least 6 months and has difficulty controlling this anxiety, it would be beneficial to seek psychological support.
Exam anxiety is a condition commonly seen in children, especially adolescents. Talking about the exam may cause behaviors such as stomach ache during the exam, nausea, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, creating disaster scenarios, tension, irritability, pessimism, quitting studying, and leaving the exam before completing it. It is important to get psychological support to cope with this process.
Although phobias vary, there are some types such as social phobia, specific phobia and school phobia. Social phobia is the behavior of avoiding social situations for 6 months or longer. It makes daily life difficult. Specific phobia is the behavior of avoiding objects such as animals, needles, etc. for 6 months or longer. School phobia is the reaction such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea etc. when he/she has to go to school. Such situations should not be overlooked and support must be sought.
Separation anxiety disorder is the child's fear that the people he loves (especially his parents) will die or get sick, he is afraid of being alone, he does not want to sleep outside his home, he has to stay away for a while. It indicates fear of having to go through this process again and anxiety when separated from loved ones. If this anxiety affects your and your child's daily life, it is important to get psychological support.
Mutism or selective mutism is the situation where the child can speak in some situations but does not speak or prefers to speak in others. It would be beneficial for him to get psychological support by making sure he knows how to speak.
Fear: Fear of school, fear of the dark, fear of doctors, fear of death and many other fears may arise in children. Some fears appear at certain age levels and then disappear, but if you think that your child has a fear that affects his daily life, you may want to get psychological support.
Stealing: 2-year-old children think that everything belongs to them, so taking something from someone else's hand. may want. 3-4 year old children know that they should not take anything without permission during this period, but they still cannot resist the desire to take it. Between the ages of 5 and 8, it is a period when children can frequently display stealing behavior. If your child shows this behavior between the ages of 5-8 and beyond, it is important for him/her to receive psychological support. Scolding your child, punishing or resorting to violence will not solve this situation.
Eating Disorders: It occurs as an eating disorder, especially in children. He/she is reluctant to try new foods, does not eat some foods at all, and eats as little as a "bird". Getting angry, scolding or punishing the child does not resolve this situation. It is important to get support from an expert.
Escape from School or Home: This problem, which we usually encounter during adolescence, indicates that the child runs away from home or school without the knowledge of the parents. In this process that pushes children to use substances, exhibit risky behaviors, commit crimes or be expelled from school, both school and psychological support should be received.
Tics: Continuously repetitive physical behaviors and different sounds made from the throat or mouth can be described as tics. . Its frequency may increase at the age of 10. When detected, support from an expert is required. It can show continuity afterwards.
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