Psychologically Speaking By: Claudia Trinklein-Engman April 2010
Psychologically Speaking About Problematic Behavior
When should we as parents become concerned about our child’s behavior and consider seeking professional advice and/or help?I have compiled the following list of behaviors that are considered by professional mental health practitioners to be possible indicators of a child who is experiencing emotional difficulties.When two or more of these behaviors are exhibited by your child, I would encourage you to consider some sort of mental health intervention e.g. parent support groups, age-appropriate child groups, appropriate reading, and/or brief or longer term counseling or therapy.It is important to remember while reading this list, that I am discussing extreme behavior, which is consistent over a period of time.We all experience some of these issues within our lifetime.Yet, if it seems to be getting in the way developmentally for your child, I would take it very seriously.
Excessive shyness
Exhibiting of fears
Nervous habits – thumb sucking or nail biting
Resentment of authority –challenging behavior – ignoring directions
Excessive temper tantrums
Anxiety about pleasing adults
Excessive crying or dramatic mood swings
Tendency to put others down
Bullying of others – teasing
Difficulty making and/or keeping friends
Apparent helplessness
Apparent loneliness
Excessive bragging or boasting
Inability to concentrate, appears preoccupied much of the time
Fear of risk
Need for constant praise, craves attention – manipulates for attention
Sudden changes in behavior – very aggressive or very withdrawn
Any suicidal ideation or preoccupation with death
Sudden drop in school performance
Unwillingness to discuss problems
Sleep Disorders
Eating or feeding disorders
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