Make a goal to set your child up for overall Academic AND Social-Emotional-Behavioral  SUCCESS this school year!
Are there any RESILIENCE FACTORS that you could improve on???

• Sleep: 10-11 hours per night
• Nutrition: Limit amount of processed foods (middle aisles of grocery store); aim for real foods (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains).
• Exercise: 60 min/day
• Partner with School: Support academic goals at home and communicate with School.
• Facilitate peer relationships
• Provide opportunity to make choices, take risks, and build competency. (It builds confidence and decision-making skills!)
• Teach emotional awareness: Use feelings vocabulary at home, teach & model coping skills, allow expression of all feelings-even the negative ones, and teach communication skills (i.e. “I feel ___”).
• Offer opportunity to be part of extended family and larger community
• Teach cognitive flexibility (i.e. Thoughts-->Feelings-->Behaviors)
• Teach perspective-taking and empathy
• Spend time together

Looking forward to seeing our Burr students and parents again!

I'm hoping that our children are excited to return to school, but it is completely normal to also have some anxiety along with that excitement. The staff does too! Below is a hand-out on managing anxiety about separating from parents and returning to school. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need additional support or if your child is struggling beyond what is within the typical range.

Also, please feel free to contact me directly at any time if you have questions about  your child, or to leave an anonymous note with a question about child development in the envelope on my bulletin board ("The Psych Corner") between the nurse's office and main office. Your questions are likely to help others as well, and I will respond to anonymous questions on my website and/or bulletin board as a general topic for all to read.

Wishing you a smooth transition into the school year.
~Julie

Fun Psych Fact: A 2011 study indicated that people remember information BETTER when it is written in an unfamiliar or less legible FONT. Try posting things for yourself, your children, or your spouse in a different font!
(Scientific American Mind Magazine, May/June, 2015).

Back-to-School Anxiety??

        It is normal for children to experience some anxiety about separating from their parents after summer, beginning an unknown routine, and spending the day with new people in a new environment.  Preschool-aged children are especially vulnerable, as separation anxiety is a normal developmental stage for them. For most children, the anxiety is short-lived and resolves without intervention as the child develops trust and security in both herself, the caregivers, and the new routine. For others, though, it is a more difficult process and some additional strategies may be necessary.
 
Tips for Reducing Separation Anxiety

• Prepare your child by telling and showing him what to expect (i.e. visiting the school, visiting the classroom, talking about the daily routine, telling him where the bus will pick him up, etc.). Make a social story for young children or children who already struggle with anxiety.
• Don’t sneak away! It can be traumatic and undermines trust. Make sure to follow through with promises for pick-up as well.
• Listen to and validate your child’s fears. Don’t try to talk her out of them, but offer understanding that it is stressful for her.
• Check your own anxiety. Parents often contribute to child’s anxiety because the child can sense the parent’s anxiety about the separation. Remain confident, positive, and firm about the separation, even if you are nervous inside. (i.e. “You are okay, You will spend the day at school and then I will pick you up after snack, I love you”, hug, and then exit. Staying to make sure that your child is okay delivers the message to your child that you are not sure that your child will be okay....Talk about any concerns or negative feelings with someone when your child is not around.
• If your child still struggles after 4 weeks or if your child has signs of separation anxiety disorder (i.e. severe distress, extreme fear for safety, unrealistic worries about caregiver, self-destructive behavior, temper tantrums, nightmares, physical symptoms or vomiting, etc.), seek further consultation.

 
What to Expect with Preschooler Separation

• Crying/Clinging at drop-off.
• Crying at pick-up, because they are reminded of how they felt at drop-off.
• Carrying security items around throughout the day.
• Anger/distance toward parent when parent returns.
• Relapses when sick, tired, after vacation, or after a big family change (i.e. new sibling, move, divorce, change in caregivers, etc.)

 
Resources: Separation Anxiety in Children, MaryAnn George, 2010; Separation Anxiety in Preschool, Carla Snuggs, 2010; Factors that Contribute to Separation Anxiety, Carla Snuggs, 2010.
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Did you Know....

• Children are often anxious about a school year ending, even though they are excited about summer.
• Summer puts distance between the relationships that they have built with peers and teachers, and takes away the comfort of a predictable routine.
• All children (1) react to change, (2) crave structure/stability, (3) and have anxieties, but children who struggle with an elevated level of anxiety struggle much more with this change. (1 in 8 children have an anxiety disorder, which is an elevated level of anxiety that controls his/her overall functioning).
• Symptoms of a child struggling with end-of-year anxiety include: nervousness, worry, high levels of restlessness, irritability, over-reacting to situations, difficulty concentrating in school (i.e. “My mind is going blank!”), somatic complaints (i.e. stomach pains and headaches, difficulty falling asleep, and difficulty staying asleep. Children may even have panic attacks, or autonomic hyperactivity (i.e. shortness of breath, dizziness, rapid heart beat, dry mouth, nausea, and diarrhea).

What Can I Do to Help My Child With The End-Of-School-Year Transition?

• Discuss some of your summer plans with your child, and get his/her input on activities. Talk about child care plans. Talk about a typical day. Show when special events will happen on a calendar.
• Have a discussion regarding your child’s feelings about the end of the school year so that he can increase his awareness of what he is feeling, why he is feeling it, and how he is showing what he is feeling.
• Help to come up with ideas to getting some of the negative feelings to resolve, such as making a card for teachers, getting phone numbers of friends, and talking about exciting new experiences for the summer and next school year.
• Empower your child by validating his/her feelings instead of trying to talk your child out of them. Many adults think it’s best to distract kids from their feelings or try to change their child’s feelings with positive thoughts, but it often makes the negative feelings last longer and get stronger until they are validated. Listen to your child’s feelings without interrupting, and acknowledge them (i.e. “I know you are nervous about the end of the school year.”). Then, let your child know that you care about her feelings, and that you are looking forward to your summer plans with your child.

                                                                            
                                                                                      --Adapted from Henry, 2016; Family Education.

This time of year with extra daylight and sunshine, it is difficult to resist packing in as much as possible after school---art shows, baseball games, playdates, dance recitals, special weekend activities....
It's important to keep in mind that even with our busy schedules, our children will continue to need the right amount of sleep in order to meet the daily demands of school and home. If anything, they need more, not less! A recent increase in behavioral symptoms in your child could be reduced by something as simple as putting her to bed 30 minutes earlier each night. Below is some important facts to consider about the impact of sleep of a child's academic, emotional, and behavioral functioning.

Click here Did you know....

• Sleep duration accounts for 64% in the variance in cognitive processes that are essential to academic functioning, including working memory, short-term memory, and attention.
• Decreased sleep quantity AND quality is associated with poorer procedural learning abilities and academic performance.
• Shifting children’s bedtimes later by one hour has been associated with fewer positive emotions and poorer emotional regulation within 4 days.
• Insufficient sleep is associated with higher rates of aggression, depressive symptoms, irritability, hyperactivity, accidental injuries, stressful parent-child relationships, and increased problems with interpersonal relationships.
• Insufficient sleep is associated with lower ratings of concentration, self-esteem, emotional/mental health,and life satisfaction.
• As many as 25% of children experience some sleep difficulty
• The prevalence of sleep difficulty is even higher for children with certain medical conditions or psychiatric disorders (i.e. pain, asthma, ADHD, Autism, depression, anxiety)

                                  Factors that Affect Sleep
Quantity: Recommended Total Sleep for Each Age Group
Infants  14-15 hrs
Toddlers 12-14 hrs
Preschoolers 11-13 hrs
School-age Children (6-12 yrs) 10-11 hrs
Adolescents 8.5-9.5 hrs
The 30-60 minutes before bedtime
Start a routine of calming activities like bath, reading, etc. before bedtime. Avoid high energy activities, screen time, and food.
The sleep environment
Television in the bedroom, co-sleeping, and a hectic sleep environment impact quality and quantity.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Your child’s sleep may be impacted by OSA if he is sleepy during the day, has difficulty getting up in morning, gasps for breath in sleep, breathes through mouth, sweats excessively during sleep, is a restless sleeper, or has headaches in the morning.
 
Resources: Laracy, Ridgard, and DuPaul, NASP Communique,2015; Owens, 2007; Steenari et al, 2003; Vriend et al, 2013; Curcio, Ferrara, and DeGennaro, 2006; Fredriksen, Rhodes, Reddy, and Way, 2004; Gregory, Van der Ende, Willis, and Verhulst, 2008; Robers, Robers, and Duong, 2008; Stein, Mendelsohn, Obermeyer, Amromin, and Benca, 2001; Roberts et al, 2008.
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 “Into every life, some rain must fall.”—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1842
            It may be the holiday season, but it doesn’t mean that our community is experiencing only joy. The holidays are often very difficult for anyone who has experienced a loss, and an especially difficult time to experience tragedy or trauma.
            The following is a culmination of information to help with understanding and managing grief, identifying normal versus extreme reactions to trauma in children, and tips for building resiliency in children.

  The Child’s Trauma Experience--taken from nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety and School Crisis Prevention and Intervention: The PREPaRE Model

• It is not unusual for children to display symptoms of acute stress after a traumatic or crisis event (i.e. natural disaster, act of violence, death of friend/family member).
• Common initial crisis reactions include:
  • Emotional Symptoms: shock, anger, numbing, terror/fear, guilt, sadness, grief, irritability, hypersensitivity, helplessness, hopelessness, loss of pleasure from activities
  • Cognitive Symptoms: Impaired concentration, impaired decision-making, memory impairment, confusion, decreased self-esteem, decreased self-efficacy, intrusive thoughts, worry, nightmares
  • Physical Symptoms: fatigue, insomnia, somatic complaints, impaired immune response, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, decreased appetite, startle response, decreased libido
  • Interpersonal/Behavioral Symptoms: alienation, social withdrawal, increased relationship conflict, vocational impairment, refusal to go to school, avoidance of reminders, school difficulties, crying easily, change in eating patterns, tantrums, regression in behavior, aggression, risk-taking.
• How adults handle the crisis can have a significant effect on how traumatized children become. It is important that adults remain calm and reassuring to the extent possible.
• In most cases, reactions are temporary and will gradually lesson in days/weeks following the event.
• Exposure to event is not enough to seriously traumatize child; instead, it is based upon the child’s individual experience and how threatening he/she views the event based upon the child’s individual risk factors and perception. The following factors affect the child’s perception:
  • Specific crisis event: Severe emotional trauma is more likely to occur after aggression, events that are sudden/unexpected, events that involve devastating consequences, events with long durations, or intense experiences.
  • Exposure: The closer a child is to the location of crisis and the longer their exposure, the greater the chance that it is viewed as very threatening.
  • Relationships: Those who have relationships with the victims of the crisis, especially strong relationships, are most at risk for severe distress.
  • Adult reactions: Those children who have seen parents and teachers panic, and sensationalized media reports can intensify a child’s reaction.
  • Individual Risk factors: Family factors (children who are not living with their families, have had family violence, have a family history of mental illness, or have caregivers who are severely distressed by the crisis), Social factors (children without network of friends and relatives), Mental health (children with depression or anxiety disorders), Developmental level (younger children who recognize the threat are more likely to have severe stress reactions), and Previous trauma experience.
• Be vigilant for extreme reactions, and get immediate mental health support, especially if they are interfering with daily life functioning (i.e. child not able to play, go to school, etc.) and are long-lasting (i.e. do not lessen after a week or so).
  • Dissociation: Feeling as if in a dream world, feeling as if your body is not yours, being in a daze, emotional detachment, amnesia
  • Intense emotional reaction: hysteria, fear, helplessness, horror
  • Intense hyperarousal: Panic attacks, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle reactions, difficulty falling/staying asleep
  • Significant depression: feeling of hopelessness,loss of interest in most activities, persistent fatigue, complete lack of motivation, withdrawal from people, difficulty feeling positive emotions
  • Psychotic symptoms: Delusions, bizarre thoughts, catatonia
  • Maladaptive coping: substance abuse, self-medication, suicidal or homicidal thinking.
  • Common reactions (see above) that last more than about 2 weeks.

Young Children Get Stressed, Too!!!

  If your young child is having more frequent or more intense melt-downs at home, or is frequently getting upset over little things that aren’t normally a concern, he/she may be experiencing stress. Adults often think that children only need supports in place if the child has experienced a significant loss (i.e. moving, divorce, death), but children often feel significant stress in “typical” situations as well, such as: Every child has a different threshold for the demands of the day (i.e. being told what to do, completing academic work, peer conflict, having to wait to use the bathroom or to eat when hungry, etc.) Your child’s melt-downs or upsets could be a release of just keeping up with daily demands.

The following are some general tips for helping your child to DE-STRESS:

1. Manage YOUR stress first! Even when you think that you are handling your stress outside of the view of your child, your child is picking up on small changes in your body language, behavior, voice, level of patience, etc. These changes can be unsettling to a child, and the child will sometimes become stressed and act out as well. Your child is often a “barometer” of the family’s stress level, especially if you have a sensitive child.

2. Temporarily remove all “non-essentials” from your schedule. Many parents think that they are denying their child opportunities for skill development if they are not involved in extra-curricular activities. Actually, depending on the child’s threshold and other activities of the day, extra-curricular activities can be very stress-inducing for young children because it puts additional demands on their self-control when they haven’t had a chance to re-charge their systems after a day at school or daycare. Not only is the child not mentally available to learn the new skills anyway, but the constant adult directions to follow more rules (i.e. get necessary materials for activity, hurry to eat or get in car to go, pay attention, stop moving around, stop making noise, etc.) causes even more stress for both parent and child. A mellow afternoon or evening in the backyard may be just as beneficial, if not more so.

3. Allow time for free play! Along a similar line as item #2, research indicates that free play is tremendously beneficial (and necessary) for young children. Did you know that pretend play with other children not only allows children a time to de-compress, but it actually develops cognitive functioning...AND executive functioning?! Holding a play scheme in one’s working memory while integrating and adjusting the scheme based on other children’s ideas and actions actually helps to develop the self-control that we are hoping that they for school and home!

4. Make naturally “emotionally regulating” tools available for your child.

• The opportunity to move fast: running, scooters, bikes, etc.
  
  
• The opportunity to be outside in nature.
  
  
• Calming music—try different types to see what works for your child. Classical tends to stimulate the mind, jazz tends to relax the mind.
  
  
• Sensory activities: playdoh, sand play, swimming, bubble baths, crunching leaves outside, cutting colored paper, coloring, etc.
  
  
• The opportunity to cuddle and just be together, without an agenda.
  
   
  
  5. Provide your child with consistent routines and clear expectations regarding what will happen each day. Visual schedules are very helpful (lists for older children, pictures for younger children), as well as simple prompts of what to expect before things happen (i.e. FIRST ___, THEN___). If your child struggles with a particular part of the day, you can even make a simple story about what your child can expect.
  
   
  
  6. Make sure you allow for plenty of rest! Too often we short-change our child’s sleep in order to fit in all of the things we want to do or think that we should be doing.
  
   
  
  For more information on child stress symptoms and additional strategies for a “stressed out” child, check out http://nasponline.org/families.
  
   
  
  This informational sheet is for general purposes. There are other possible causes of the above symptoms (i.e. increased melt-downs), and there are other recommendations that may be necessary depending on your child’s needs. Please consult your pediatrician, as well as a trained mental health professional, if you are concerned regarding your child’s behavior.
  
  

I'm excited to start another school year with your children!

My Role:
My role at Burr School is  (a) to provide parent and teacher consultation regarding student academic, social, emotional, or behavioral learning concerns, (b) to conduct assessments in order to generate additional interventions  when regular education interventions are not successful, (c) to provide temporary emotional or behavioral supports to all students as needed, (d) to provide long-term counseling services to those students who need support in order to be successful in school, (e) to connect families to community resources, and (f) to help in facilitating the social-emotional-behavioral development of ALL students here at Burr.

Please feel free to contact me if:
*You have a concern regarding your child's academic, social, emotional, or behavioral well-being
*You would like a referral to community supports, such as counseling services, crisis supports, community agencies, behavioral therapies, etc.
*There has been a change in the family that negatively impacts your child's school functioning (i.e. move, blending families, death, divorce, illness, loss of income, etc.).
*You would like more information regarding the special education process, child development, or various disorders that affect learning.

Transition Back to School:
Also, although most children adjust well from the summer back to a new school year, some children do struggle significantly with the adjustment. Please check out the link below for ideas on how to support your child with the transition back to a structured day at school, leaving parents, etc. I'm also available for support if needed. Wishing you and your children a successful transition back to school!

~Ms. Wessinger