Success in life has a lot to do with motivation and developing a love of learning. Creating the right conditions for your child to learn and developing their interests is an essential part of that. Here are some ways of motivating your child to learn while at home or at school.

Develop their Interests

Encouraging your child to develop their interests fosters enthusiasm in learning. They may have an interest in computers, cars or animals. You could encourage them to research a particularly topic and then test to see how much they have learnt.

Create a time table

Creating a time table for your child will structure your child’s time around constructive learning activities and will help foster self-discipline and time management. Encourage your child to join you in creating a time-table of activities. You could write out a schedule for the week or weekend that involves time for homework, study and as well as rewards at the end of these activities that may include games, family activities, television programs and snacks.

Minimize technological distractions

Technological distractions include anything such as video games, television, music, cell phones and other technological devices. Kids can waste a considerable amount of their time on these devices and they can be very distracting when doing homework. Try to limit such devices when possible. You could have them play on their PC or PlayStation in a room where you can monitor them. Have the television in the living room and not in their bedroom. You could only allow them to have their gadgets after they have achieved a specific task such as their homework. The child will feel more motivated if they know they have something to look forward to after they have accomplished a task.

Make Learning Fun

One way of motivate your child to learn is to simply make learning more fun. There are numerous computer games, online games and puzzles which combine learning with play. They include math problems, word games, spelling, memory games and writing activities.

Reduce Stress

Kids suffer from stress too and this can have a detrimental affect on learning and their ability to focus and concentrate on tasks. Children can display stress in a number of ways that include changes in eating or sleeping habits, mood swings or physical complaints. Encourage your child to express any problems they are experiencing and provide positive outlets for stress.

Exercise, sleep and diet all play a part. Make sure your child receives plenty of exercise and sleep as this can affect concentration and memory. A bad diet that includes sugary and processed foods can contribute to stress and poor concentration. Foods that can reduce stress include foods high in omega 3 such as fish and foods high in vitamins and minerals such as fruits and vegetables.

Stress can also be caused by external factors such as family problems or bullying so talking both to the child and to their teacher can help get to the bottom of the problem.

How to Motivate your Child in School

You could ask your child what they learned at school on that day. This will help him to retain what he has learned and motivate him to remember what he learns.

Help your child to organize his or her school papers, class work and home work. This will help them to feel more in control of their work and help them manage and prioritize assignments.

Learning is a team effort that includes you, the child, your child’s teacher and other support systems like home tutors. Ensure your child is getting the right education for their learning ability – whether this is special needs help, gifted and talented programs or personal tutors.

Mind Maps: If your child is more visual and artistic encourage them to create mind maps. Mind maps are considered the most effective method of taking notes and are great for when your child is revising for a test as they are easy to review. Mind maps work the way the brain works – by creating associations and connections between information and using both the left and right brain. Memory is improved when the plenty of color and drawings are included in the mind map, both attention and retention of information is increased.

Flash Card: Flash cards are an effective memory-aid tool and help your child learn new material quickly and just focus on what matters. They can be used both for younger and older children. Flash cards are portable and versatile. They can be utilized for virtually any subject – vocabulary, foreign languages, English, Math formulas, History and geography.

How to Motivate your Child to Read

Motivating children to read is much easier when they enjoy what they are reading. It seems obvious but is often overlooked. Encourage them to develop their interests by reading what interests them. It doesn’t have to include just books. This can include magazines, newspapers, online and offline sources relating to a topic that they are enthusiastic about.

Reading beyond their reading level can be demotivating for a child. A book should be challenging while at the same time not so difficult as to cause frustration.

Success Breeds Success

Remember that success leads to more success. If you set achievable goals for your child and you break these goals down into manageable tasks they are more likely to achieve them. When your child achieves realistic goals they will feel good about themselves, and this will help build child’s self-esteem and motivate your child to work at other goals.

Handwriting is vital in many areas of schooling– note taking, test taking, classroom work and homework. Also for communicating ideas which must be comprehended when read.

According to Professor Carey Jewitt from the London University’s Institute of Education, kids’ handwriting is currently the worst it has been in decades, probably due to lack of practice as a result of the digital era. Many educators are now regarding handwriting to be a dying art, but to disregard handwriting would be a serious mistake. In fact, Professor Anne Mangen from the University of Stavanger’s Reading Centre feels strongly that writing by hand strengthens the learning process; when typing on a keyboard, this process may be impaired. This is because when writing by hand, our brain receives feedback which is significantly different than that received when typing on a keyboard.

There are other benefits to handwriting. Psychologist Virginia Berninger from the University of Wisconsin found that writing by hand can get ideas out faster because the process of handwriting activates brain regions involved with thought, language, and short-term memory. In addition, most school and university exams are taken by hand, and illegible handwriting gets a big zero. Moreover, many studies have found that a mediocre essay will score much higher if written with good handwriting and much lower if written in poor handwriting. This is because good penmanship tends to make you (and your written ideas) seem smarter, claims Professor Steve Graham from Vanderbilt University.

What Does Handwriting Involve

Adults take for granted just how many skills handwriting involves. Handwriting involves visual-spatial skills (letter formation and spacing), fine motor skills (small muscle movements, hand eye coordination), interpersonal skills (communication) and memorization. These skills are both physical and cognitive.

These skills can be improved upon in a number of ways so that writing comes naturally to kids who have already developed these abilities. For example one of the reasons children experience problems with handwriting is that they haven’t had enough practice developing fine motor skills. This could explain why girls hand writing tends to be better than boys – activities like sewing, playing a musical instrument and arts and crafts that help to develop fine motor skills and good eye hand coordination.

Activities to Improve Handwriting Skills

Hand-eye coordination – This skill can be improved with such activities as threading beads, knitting, pattern sequencing. Most sport, tweezer games, marbles, pick-up sticks and jacks. Also Dot to Dot Worksheets help with Hand-eye co-ordination, concentration and fine motor skills

Fine Motor skills – Creative activities that can involve paper cutting, gluing, drawing and painting. Holding a paint brush and drawing with crayons, pastels and pencils help to develop those same muscles that will be used for handwriting. Playing with dough and plasticine also help develop muscles that will be used for writing.

Memorization – It is important when writing that children learn to pronounce the words and letters they write as making these associations helps with memorization. You should integrate handwriting instruction with instruction in letter sounds. So when a child is practicing writing a given letter, they are also saying the sound the letter makes.

Interpersonal skills – The child should learn to associate writing with communicating ideas. Encourage the child to express themselves through letters, stories, poems etc.

Tips To Improve Kids Handwriting

It is important in the early years that children develop the correct handwriting habits. Once children have formed bad habits such as poor posture, hand positioning, pencil hold and incorrect letter formation these habits can take time to reverse. However there are things you can do to improve poor handwriting.

Good handwriting involves good body posture, proper use of hands, arms, head and eyes. The child should sit upright with back straight and behind a table of the correct height. The table height should be about 2 inches above resting elbow position, and the chair should support a straight back. Feet should be flat on the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees so that the thighs are parallel to the floor and torso should be upright. One hand should rest on the paper to keep it steady with the other hand gripping the pencil.

The child should grasp the pencil no lower than the paint on the pencil, about one inch from the tip with index finger on top and thumb below. Rest the pencil on the third finger and grip the pencil applying a downward pressure with the index finger.

For better handwriting, your kids should hold the pen with just enough pressure so that it doesn’t slip. Too many children squeeze the pen – this will cause their hand to cramp up, resulting in uneven and erratic handwriting.

When children are learning a new letter they should practice using their entire arm in a sweeping movement forming the letter in the air first. This should help them the correct formation of the letter and motor pattern. It will make it easier for them to recall how the letter should be formed when writing.

A great and fun way to helping your kids improve their handwriting is having them finger write; in other words, writing with their fingers in sandboxes, or shaving cream. You can make this exercise more fun by incorporating it into games and drawing activities.

Buy your kids an assortment of pens and encourage them to try them out. Different pens will result in different handwriting in different children; specifically make sure they have a chance to try both a fountain pen and a ball-point pen as these two kinds of tools can result in significantly different handwriting.

Children should learn a consistent way of forming a given letter every time they write it so that it becomes automatic. Some teachers recommend learning cursive handwring first. This involves a continues stroke rather than manuscript handwriting where each letter is separated by a space. The fluid movements and rounded edges of cursive letters are much easier and more natural for young children to form. Also children have less difficulty knowing where to place the pencil as every letter begins at the same place on the line and the child only lifts the pencil when the entire word has been formed. Another benefit is that joined up writing is quicker which will come in useful during note taking and test taking.

It is a good idea to group similar letters together. For example the letters a, c and d all begin with the same loop and can be taught in one group. Conversely letters that can cause confusion should also be taught together so the child can discern the difference. For example b starts at the top whereas d starts with the loop. Learning these two letters together will help them not to confuse how both are formed.

Use kids handwriting worksheets that contain arrow cues for each letter. This can be useful in a class where monitoring each child is difficult. Arrow cues and dotted letters ensure that the child does not practice incorrect letter formation.

Every letter or number in a worksheet is written within a character spacer line. These writing lines act as a guide and will help the child to properly compose a letter or number with the correct height, width and length. Cursive handwriting worksheets will help the child learn correct letter formation. Eventually the correct method of handwriting will become natural to them. The shift can then move to using regular notebook paper without the need for handwriting guides.

For a comprehensive guide on how to improve your kids’ handwriting, I recommend Master Handwriting , which covers all aspects of handwriting including handwriting worksheets. It also has a section specifically for left-handed children, as there are some techniques which can be especially beneficial for these kids.

Sweaty palms, a racing heart, shaking hands: these symptoms sound as if they belong to someone who is about to go on a roller coaster ride. Yet this what many students experience when they sit down to take a test. A small amount of test anxiety is normal, and nearly every college student experiences this phenomenon at some point in his or her life. However, when that anxiety becomes overwhelming and gets out of control, a student’s entire thought process can go haywire. In such a situation a student can lose all ability to concentrate and consequently do poorly on a test. Luckily, there is a solution to this stress-inducing affliction and it is far simpler than you may think.

The key to reducing test anxiety is writing. Writing is a purging process: research has shown that students do better on an exam when they write about their anxieties shortly before taking it. Writing allows students to release any pent up feelings of discomfort and nervousness they may have, greatly reducing their anxiety level. According to U.S. News & World Report, the catharsis students experience when writing about their thoughts and feelings can also help diminish the anxiety of simply enduring a particularly stressful classroom situation.

Questia.com suggests that the reason students have test anxiety in the first place is that they don’t feel confident enough that they’ll know how to correctly answer all the questions, i.e. they fear that they will achieve a bad grade. While this is a logical concern, an extreme sense of fear, which is what test anxiety and phobia are, is not logical.

However when students writes down their illogical or unrealistic fears, the overwhelming sense of dread they feel can be gradually eliminated, or at least diminished. This enables students to simply be themselves when taking a test, allowing them to feel more refreshed and liberated when facing the challenging questions on the examination.

It is not just the test and its associated grade that brings the students fear. The anxiety also comes from what the future consequences of taking the test will be. For instance, students often worry that getting a low grade on an exam will hurt their chances of being accepted into a good college, or limit their occupational choices thereafter. However, if they simply jot down these fears, even in as slight a form as a list, their overall anxiety will greatly be reduced, and their test results improved.

This helpful procedure has been proven to work with all age groups, from elementary school to college level. Similarly, this method for reducing test anxiety is effective in multiple settings. The Washingtonpost.com reports that this writing process can also work if the student is taking an online test. The student doesn’t have to be in a classroom for it to be effective. The most important factor is that they are taking a test.

Clearly, instructing a class to write down their anxieties is something to consider integrating into examination. While such a change will not cause students to become any smarter, it can allow them to better express their thoughts by helping them to become more relaxed and focused. Expressing their anxieties on paper will not only provide students the opportunity to become more focused when taking exams, but it also allow them to feel more secure in their abilities in the classroom-testing environment.

How to learn using Mind Mapping

Over the years I have learned a lot about how to learn and how to learn more efficiently by using more effective note taking strategies, better reading strategies, and improving creativity and memory using hand written mind maps and more recently mind mapping software.

I wanted to share what I have learned as it has been helpful to me when studying for exams and will aid others who want to improve their memory and learning and be useful when studying for exams.

When learning and studying for exams at school I was using incorrect methods and strategies for memorizing information. These would include linear note taking which can be time consuming and not at all efficient for reviewing information. Linear notes involve writing ideas in the form of sentences. They also make it difficult to see how the different key topics and sub topics are related.

Advantages of Mind Mapping

Linear note taking lack the visual cues that aid in recalling key topics and elements of a subject that mind maps have. They can even be a hinderance to revision as too much time can be spent writing and trying to locate the key information and not on memorizing the key information.

More importantly they do not fully utilize both sides of the brain. Imagine running in a race using only half of your body. This would be very inefficient if not impossible. Likewise the brain functions much better when both the right and left sides are being used. Just as you would be able to move many times faster if you utilized both sides of your body so your mind functions many times more effectively when you are fully utilising both sides of the brain.

The left side deals mainly with words, numbers, logic, lists. The right side deals mainly with Colour, Rhythm, Imagination, Daydreaming and seeing the whole picture.

The reason a mind map is such a powerful tool for learning, memory and creativity is because it combines all of those activities and they reflect the structure of thought and memory which work via association, imagination and images. Mind maps provide a very powerful aid in studying, problem solving, note taking, writing and decision making. They can also greatly assist creativity and memory as they enable the visualization, organization, association of ideas and information.

The elements of a mind map are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts, and use branches or nodes to associate similar key topics and subtopics arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind Maps enable quick revision and recall of information and they organize information in the same way that the mind does.

Five Main rules of Mind Mapping

Here are five main rules when Mind Mapping suggested by Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Mapping and creator of IMindmap. IMindmap is the only Mind Mapping software that fully utilizes all of these 5 rules.

1. Create your Central Idea.

The image should represent the overall theme or topic for your Mind Map and should stand out using colour and preferably a central image.

If you are creating your Mind Map by hand then insure you have a good sized sheet of paper. Draw a central image in the centre of the paper, of If you are using Imindmap you can choose a central image from the library or create one yourself and select it from your personal collection.

2. Draw the Main Branches and add keywords.

Draw the Main Branches and add a key word for each main area of that theme or topic. Try and use thicker branches near the centre and larger keywords representing the main sub-topics. Making the key sub-topics stand out by placing them nearer the centre of the mind map with thicker branches and larger letters will help your mind differentiate and visualize the key information easier.

Curved organic branches are the most effective as they reflect the structure of your brain and add variety and excitement making the information easier to remember. Straight lines do not excite your mind and are boring. Adding colour and curved branches allow your mind to soak up more information which is crucial for recall.

IMindmap creates organic, natural looking Mind Maps by enabling you to create curved organic branches and organizes the thickness of your branches with the branches nearer the centre of the Mindmap thicker then those on the outside. You can also create the branches in freehand mode.

3. Colour

Colours are exciting to your brain as images. They add extra interest and life and give energy to your creative thinking. Add Colour to your Mind Maps.

IMindmap adds plenty of colour to your Mind Map automatically selecting a colour for you or ifyou want you can add your own colours.

4. Add Child branches

Add child branches and Keywords from your main branches representing sub sub-topics. Try and stick with single words as they will generate many more associations and connections allowing your mind to spark off new ideas and thoughts. Single words will provide power and flexibility to your Mind Map.

If you are using Imindmap you can always add hidden notes or links to your branches so your Mind Map remains clear and easy to follow.

5. Images

A picture can paint a thousand words and images have a huge impact on your brain. The more you use them the better. Try and use images rather then words when you can as they encourage imagination and creativity and make it easier for your mind to recall information. You will also be fully utilizing both sides of your brain in the process.

Imindmap makes attaching images or icons to any branch very easy and has an image library enabling you to search for thousands of images online or offline. Or if you wish you can import your own or sketch your own using Imindmaps drawing tools.

6. Add Connections

Create plenty of connections between the different branches as your mind works best by creating associations and connections between ideas. It likes to link up 3 or 4 things together. If you connect branches and therefore ideas you will understand and remember a lot easier. These connections will start forming the rest of your main branches then your second level branches and then third branches until you run out of ideas.

Relationship arrows should also be used to connect two ideas which are related but may not follow one another.

To enhance your Mind Map, with IMindmap you can insert a collection of different features including Notes, links to websites or documents, clouds, arrows, floating images, text and even your own sketches.

If you think your Mind Map is getting too large you can easily link it up to a child Mind Map.

You can also export your MindMap as a webpage, image, PDF, Word or PowerPoint to be used as a presentation.

In the following video Tony Buzan, who invented Mind Mapping and helped create Imindmap explains the benefits of Mind Mapping and why it is so effective.

Download Tony Buzan’s iMindMap Today

Kids’ memory is usually disorganised and that makes them forget quickly. They often forget what homework was given in school; spellings they learnt recently and some times they are unable to recall people’s names. Due to disorganised thoughts they tend to give less importance to these facts and fail to register the information in their mind and thus forget. By stimulating their brain with activity that motivates them to think, recall and organise will certainly enhance their memory.

Children can remember better if the activities they are involved in are visual and or audio based. They can retrieve information better if they see and hear. To constantly feed your kid with such activity could be quite demanding but online memory games will surely help you in this regard. This is also the reason why we see that today’s schools are including more of these AV aids and or involve child to draw more to remember more. Got it?

Number Scrambler

This game will help the kids in recalling phone numbers, spellings, signs and symbols. The game is scientifically devised to cater to the intellect of the brain and to build the memory skills of children. The game is interactive and it displays numbers and the audio tells the number that has to be stored in your mind and type it when asked to. You have a similar process game that will help you learn spelling and signs.

Finding the Suspect game

This memory game requires some sharp memory, and when you start it may be appearing quite easy but as you progress and find out the suspect, difficult and harder to crack. However, it can certainly prove to be a good memory game not just for kids even for adults; or may we say the ageing adults.

Jelly Bean Match

All you need to do in this game is to match the jelly bean by color; it is very simple and easy to play. When you successfully match all the colors you win. It is real fun and at the same time you will be feeding your memory to recall better.

Simon Memory Game
This game is classic memory game in which you have to repeat the series of colors and sounds that are displayed. There is another game called the ‘Celebrity Simon’ and the instruction for the game is to remember the sequence of goofy celebrities who need to be associated with the strange noise they make.

Studies disclose that a lot of stress in a kid’s life can affect their memory drastically. So it is necessary for the parents to balance between play and studies. Online memory games serve the purpose of both and kids will enjoy these memory games while learning something new.

Lots of Kids are anxious about taking tests. They can feel pressured to do well and it can have a detrimental effect on their self esteem should they fail. Children wrongly associate test success with how smart or capable they.

The reality is success at tests is in a large part down to factors which can be improved dramatically with some effort.

It is useful to remind a nervous test taker that the test is about knowledge and skill. So, the trick to successful test-taking is to follow the five “P” strategy:  Plan, Prepare, Practice, Be Positive and Punctual.  These strategies assure that a student is able to effectively demonstrate his/her grasp of a subject.

Plan — At least a week before the test date, Set aside time each day to spend a little time reading, reviewing, and remembering.  Break the expected information (chapters, ideas, techniques) in to sub-sections and plan on focusing each day on just one sub-section.  This step is important because it allows students to mentally prepare for the test.  The pre-test jitters are reduced because the student is aware of the time put in and the effort to learn boosting his/her confidence.

Kids know when they haven’t done their best.  Students who don’t plan for the test often feel unprepared because they know they may have shirked their responsibility avoiding the nose-to-the-grindstone time spent.  And, their self-acknowledged lack-of-effort undermines the confidence that is required for successful test-taking.

Prepare — Some kids can just read the material and “get it”.  Others need additional modes of information input.  Outlining the chapter or rewriting notes from class in an outline form can help kids organize the information.  Outlining also helps to illuminate what pieces of information are missing.  Plus, for “visual” kids, a visual snapshot of the outline creates a picture that the student can access visually during a test.  Sometimes talking about what you know helps cement it into your memory.  Reading through an outline out-loud and telling someone else between-the-lines information, helps “auditory” learners store the information.  They’re thinking, talking and hearing their own words, making them more memorable and available during a test.

Practice –Making up test questions can often help students practice before taking the test.  When important information is formed in a question, the key ideas can be emphasized.  When taking the test, students are wise to “highlight” (in their minds if not on the test paper), the key words that determine what the question is really about.   Practicing the process of breaking questions down into their key words makes the process easier and more accurate when taking tests. In addition, having some idea about what might be on the test and how it might be worded can ease the jitters and build confidence during the actual test.

Be Positive – Remember: You can do it — others have done it — and most have survived!  And, if the student has planned, prepared, and practiced for the test, he/she has the best chance of doing well.  A little like Dumbo’s feather, kids who have done the work have more confidence because they believe they are prepared.  Unlike Dumbo’s feather, it is legitimate confidence based upon real study skills.

Be Punctual –to prevent feeling rushed or hurried.  Student’s anxiety creates a physical state of anxiousness (nervousness, sweating, heart palpitations, rapid breathing).  Then when kids “feel” anxious, they think they “are” anxious.  This mistaken belief can often block a student’s ability to relax during the test –with his/her mind open and available for the questions on the test.  Being relaxed before the test begins (by being on time) helps keep students relaxed and attentive during the test, confident they are ready to do their best.

For children, depression treatment may include psychotherapy either alone or in combination with antidepressant medication. Research indicates that the best approach for most children is a combination of both. Treatment can be provided by a psychiatrist. In more severe cases hospital care may be required.

There are a number of different types of psychotherapy available and treatment will vary between different children and different types of depression.

Causes of Childhood Depression

It is important when treating depression in children not to forget the cause and only treat the symptoms. Depression will often have an underlying social and psychological cause that cannot be address through the use of medication alone.

These can include a family breakup with two parents splitting up, a friendship break up or problems such as abuse or bullying at school. Temporary episodes of depression can be brought on by exam fears. Some children are less resilient, more sensitive, and less able to cope. As a result they can become depressed more easily.

Treatment usually consists of counselling or psychotherapy and antidepressants. Simply having them talk about their problems to family and friends is often a major step towards recovery

Antidepressant medication

Antidepressant medications are often an effective way to treat depression in children and adolescents. However, antidepressants can produce harmful side effects. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that an extensive analysis of clinical trials showed that antidepressants may cause or worsen suicidal thinking or behaviour in children and adolescents.

However leaving depression untreated can itself lead to a higher risk of suicide.

Cognitive behaviour therapy.

Cognitive behaviour therapy has been shown to have a better success rate then antidepressants at beating depression for good and preventing a relapse into depression once treatment has stopped.

This is because the objective is to change the way something thinks and behaves. Therefore unlike drugs which treat the symptoms, cognitive behaviour therapy attempts to address the cause.

Often depression is caused by a faulty thinking process caused by a situation. This situation results in negative thoughts, emotions, physical feelings and actions.

Learning to change the way you think and behave to a situation can in turn change someone’s feeling. Cognitive behaviour therapy attempts to change the way you behave and think about yourself, the world and other people.

Conclusion

Remember, early detection and treatment of depression is important at any age — and family support is essential. If you suspect that your child is depressed, contact your child’s doctor or a mental health provider.

Antidepressant medications are often an effective way to treat depression in children and adolescents particularly in conjunction with psychotherapy. However, it is important to be aware of the possible side effects of antidepressants and the alternatives to antidepressant medication.

Which antidepressants are approved for use in children?

Prozac (fluoxetine) is approved for use in children and adolescents for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), and Luvox (fluvoxamine) are approved for use in children and adolescents for the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Other antidepressants for adults that are not approved for use in children include Paxil (paroxetine), Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Wellbutrin (bupropion), Effexor (venlafaxine), Serzone (nefazodone), and Remeron (mirtazapine).

However a doctor can use their medical judgment to prescribe other antidepressants for children.

What are the risks associated with Antidepressants?

Antidepressants can produce harmful side effects and complications. Antidepressants carry warnings about their possible link to suicidal behaviour.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required that black box warnings be placed on all antidepressant medications warning that they may result in increased risk of suicidal tendencies in children and adolescents. A black box warning is a safety warning that the FDA issues for some prescription medication.

You can find this warning on the package insert. It usually contains a black border that surrounds the text of the warning. [See Image]

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that an extensive analysis of clinical trials showed that antidepressants may cause or worsen suicidal thinking or behaviour in children and adolescents.

The analysis showed that children taking antidepressants had about a 4 percent chance of developing suicidal thoughts or behaviour, compared with only a 2 percent chance in children taking a sugar pill (placebo).

The FDA in October 2004 issued a public health advisory and began requiring manufacturers to label antidepressants with strong warnings about the link to suicide in children.

However, not all mental health researchers believe these warnings are necessary. Some studies have reported opposite results — that suicide rates in children decrease when they take antidepressants.

Should any antidepressants be approved for use in children?

Just because there is a warning about a possible link between antidepressants and suicidal thoughts does not mean that antidepressants should not be used to treat depression.

The warnings that come with antidepressants should just be used to weigh up the pros and cons before using these medications.

Antidepressants can be an effective way of treating depression and often work well with psychotherapy. They are not used to just treat depression but other disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Depression and other disorders can prevent your child leading a happy and fulfilled life or engage in everyday activities. Depression can in some cases lead to suicide if it is not treated.

Should I take my child or adolescent off anti-depressants?

You should consult with your doctor responsible for your Childs medication to discuss the best course of action if you observe worsening depression or the emergence of suicidal thinking.

Do not halt the antidepressant medication without first consulting with the prescribing doctor as this can cause discontinuation symptoms if stopped abruptly. If your doctor advices that your child should stop then follow his advice carefully on how to do this.

What groups benefit the most from antidepressant drugs?

Antidepressants may be particularly helpful for children who:

• Suffer from severe, chronic or recurring depression
• Suffer from psychosis or Bipolar disorder
• Do not often have access to therapy
• Suffer from Dysthymia depression

Are there alternatives to antidepressants?

Huge improvements to mood and overall health can be gained by what you eat. What you eat affects brain chemistry.

Making changes to your children eating habits can dramatically effect their mood. The following changes have been recommended:

Give them a balanced diet and a rich nutritional supplement. Low levels of serotonin levels in the brain are known to have a significant impact on mood and many factors that contribute to low serotonin production are created by nutritional deficiencies.

Limiting consumption of carbohydrates. While you should not eliminate all complex carbohydrates limiting carbohydrates can reduce depression.

Limit food and drink containing colourings and preservatives.

Exercise releases endorphins which creates a natural euphoria and reduces stress.

Sunlight contributes to mood and there is a real connection between vitamin D deficiency and depression. It’s commonly known that natural sunlight stimulates vitamin D production in the body.

According to a number of studies including the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry up to 2.5 percent of children and up to 8.3 percent of adolescents in the U.S. suffer from depression.

If you believe your child is suffering from depression, talk to your doctor or mental health provider. A test for depression will usually involve a question and answer session with your child. A Diagnosis is usually based on their medical history and symptoms, so your doctor will need to talk to the child first.

Psychiatric Depression Tests

There is no clinical test for depression, but there are a number of psychiatric tests and questionnaires to measure depression. The two main methods used in psychiatry come from guidelines published by the American Psychiatric association and the international guidelines provided by the World Health Organization.

1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Published by the American Psychiatric Association it is a classification system based on all the known recorded symptoms associated with a particular mental condition. Your doctor will ask your child if they have certain symptoms, depending on their answers, they should be able to identify what the condition is.

2. International Classification of Diseases.
Developed by the World Health Organization and used for a whole range of illnesses including mental illness this method is based on the known symptoms associated with a particular mental illness.

Diagnosing Depression in Children

A test for depression is more difficult with children then with adults. Children are usually less capable of expressing their feelings and will express their moods in a more physical way. Some may be withdrawn and tearful, others may become irritated and hyperactive.

Secondly depression can go unrecognized by families and physicians as signs of depressive disorders in young people are often viewed as normal mood swings typical of adolescence. Also health care professionals can be slow to ‘label’ a child with a mental illness diagnosis.

However early diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorders are critical to healthy emotional, social, and behavioural development.

A test for depression usually involves asking the child if they suffer from certain symptoms which are commonly associated with depression. These may include

• Tiredness, headaches, stomach aches or vague physical complaints which appear not to have a tangible cause.
• Insomnia, sleeping irregularly, too often or not enough
• Changes in weight
• Irritable, sulky, being quite and introverted
• Loosing interest in favourite activities or hobbies
• Decline in school performance and exams
• Poor self esteem or regular feelings of worthlessness
• simply appearing unhappy much of the time
• major changes in weight
• contemplating suicide

If depression is diagnosed then it is important to find out what form of depression your child is suffering from.

Depressive disorders include a number of different types. These include major depressive disorder (unipolar depression), dysthymic disorder (chronic, mild depression), and bipolar disorder (manic-depression).

IQ tests and aptitude tests differ in that aptitude tests tend to test knowledge or experience in a specific area. Aptitude tests have a variety of uses in education, professional establishments, military and psychology.

IQ tests should be less focused on knowledge or cultural orientation and test a wider range of innate abilities.

They should test more then one intelligence, otherwise known as Multiple Intelligence’s. These include the following.

Abstract reasoning IQ

Abstract reasoning is an excellent measure of basic mental ability. It predicts how fast children will learn new ideas and concepts and how they utilize the knowledge they have already gained. A child that scores high on abstract reasoning tends to learn quickly and understand complex problems faster. They may have excelled at activities like puzzles and legos at an early age and learned to read early.

Logical-mathematical ability IQ

Children with mathematical/logical ability exhibit many characteristics. Math, science may be their favourite subject in school. They tend to be good at computing, experimenting, searching for patterns. For instance, they may enjoy solving puzzles, counting, collecting and classifying things, and take an analytical approach to problems. Mathematical/ logical intelligence entails the ability to reason either deductively or inductively and to recognize and manipulate abstract patterns and relationships. These are the kinds of skills highly developed in scientists, engineers, economists, accountants, detectives and members of the legal profession.

Famous examples: Albert Einstein, John Dewey.