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The need to come to terms with how parental mental health influences the mental health of children has come into sharper focus as the US grapples with a crisis of children experiencing higher rates of anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide. (Illustration by Anna Vignet/KQED) Author: To read Blanca Torres' article, please click here. Pandemic 'forced us to look at the shadows' During the first year of the pandemic, nearly two-thirds of caregivers, including parents, reported adverse...

By The Statesman, October 22, 2022 As a result of strict parenting, the way the body perceives the children’s DNA might alter. Children who grow up with restrictions may have these modifications “hard-wired” into their DNA, increasing their biological risk of depression in adolescence and later in life. Presenting the work at the ECNP Congress in Vienna, Dr Evelien Van Assche said: “We discovered that perceived harsh parenting, with physical punishment and psychological manipulation, can...

ANI, The Statesman, October 22, 2022 As a result of strict parenting, the way the body perceives the children’s DNA might alter. Children who grow up with restrictions may have these modifications “hard-wired” into their DNA, increasing their biological risk of depression in adolescence and later in life. Presenting the work at the ECNP Congress in Vienna, Dr Evelien Van Assche said: “We discovered that perceived harsh parenting, with physical punishment and psychological manipulation, can...

Source: image Author: To read Abigail Mundy's article, please click here. “I just feel like kids have it harder nowadays,” a 15-year-old boy in Rhode Island, USA, tells his father, shortly before taking his own life. Earlier in Ken Burns' new two-part documentary series, Hiding in Plain Sight , grainy footage from the 1950's shows a boy joyfully throwing a paper airplane. Mid-flight the paper transforms into aluminium and the plane hits the World Trade Center, the scene cutting cleanly to...

Author: To read Harmony Hobbs' article, please click here. Often, parents of children with special needs struggle to find Halloween costumes that will accommodate medical equipment or provide a proper fit. And figuring out how to make one? Yikes. When looking for the right costume, kids with unique needs have a lot of extra factors to consider: wheelchair wheels get tangled up in too-long material, feeding tubes could get twisted the wrong way, and children with sensory processing disorders...

If you’re reading this, it is most likely because you are someone who has been impacted personally by childhood trauma. I wish we were most definitely connected for other reasons, but I’m also glad to be a resource and support to you in your healing journey. But lately …. well …. something has just felt like it was missing. And then fate/the universe decided it was time for me to own up to it. A little while ago, I did an interview in which I said something along the lines of: “Well, I don’t...

By Andrew Gregory, Photo: Anthony Devlin/PA, The Guardian, October 18, 2022 Children whose parents lack warmth are more likely to grow up overweight or obese, according to the first study of its kind. The effects of different parenting styles on children’s weight have been determined for the first time – and suggest parental warmth is key to a healthy weight, researchers at the International Congress on Obesity in Melbourne, the biennial congress of the World Obesity Federation, will say on...

Courage to Caregivers will host its third annual Caring for Caregivers Virtual Summit on Wednesday, November 16, and Thursday, November 17, 2022, from 9 am to 12:30 pm ET as part of National Family Caregivers Month. This year’s theme is Getting UNStuck: Moving From Languishing to Flourishing. The event is free for licensed professional caregivers and anyone providing care to a loved one with mental illness. All are welcome to attend one or both days. CEUs are provided for Ohio professionals.

November 9, 2022 11:00 AM 3:30 PM EST Virtual via Zoom Learning how little bodies register and retain trauma physically and physiologically is key to helping children release toxic stress. Register HERE. After any long period of stress or trauma—such as getting through a pandemic—it is normal to experience emotional de-regulation. As we prepare for post-pandemic life, it is normal to experience de-regulation as a result of long periods of stress or trauma. In Echo's Trauma-Informed Yoga for...

By Becky Harlan and Summer Thomad, Photo: Meredith Rizzo/NPR, National Public Radio, October 17, 2022 Do you remember what it was like to be a kid? So much of the day was directed by adults. Wake up. Get dressed. Brush your teeth. Eat your breakfast. Get in the car. Go to school. Sometimes kids listen to the instructions — and sometimes they don't. And when they don't, that can be very frustrating for parents. So how can parents get their kids to be more apt to comply? It might sound...

Babies Need a Safe Place to Explore Creating a “yes” environment means having a safe space for babies to explore on their own. With careful baby proofing, parents can promote autonomy, and reduce the amount of times they need to say “no.”

Hearing Multiple Languages in the Home Research shows that being exposed to multiple languages in the home can improve children's executive function skills, like attention, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. Plus, speaking in their native language can allow caregivers to express their full range of thought and emotion.