CHILDRENS CLINIC

If your child develops an eating disorder, you might be unsure about how to solve the problem and how to act on it. Eating disorders occur when your child tends to either eat in excess, or eats too less. The behavior of your child is also subjected to change because of an eating disorder. It is likely for him to get withdrawn, rude, and touchy. This makes it difficult for you to deal with them at a time when communication is necessary. Here are some essential tips that you should follow in dealing with eating disorders in children:

1. You should get advice about how to talk to your child. It will help you in realizing that your child is likely to be defensive as their eating disorder is a form of coping. Hence, it is normal for a child to be reluctant about letting go of it. If your child is undergoing treatment, the treatment team has a vital role to play. However, your constant love and support are also very important.
2. It is important to talk to your child about the condition, even though he cannot accept that he is having a problem. Communication is an essential part of treatment, which you should never ignore. You should not blame or judge your child, and refer proper resources to him. You have to be prepared for a negative response from your child.
3. You should educate yourself properly about your eating disorder. Abstain from talking to your child about his appearance, even in the form of a compliment. Use ways for boosting your child’s self-esteem and confidence.
4. Abstain from referring to weight problems and diets followed by other people. You need to assure your child that you will be there for him, no matter what. You should talk to him about activities he should get involved in, in a positive tone and approach.
5. Coping with the meal times of your child suffering from an eating disorder is very important as well. Consult your child’s treatment team to know about ways of arranging your meal times ideally.
6. Take your child out for shopping and agree on having meals that are acceptable, from both your and his end.
7. You should have an agreement with your whole family regarding meals, which will help to set the expectations of everybody. Agree on not talking about fat content, calorie content, or portion sizes during meals.
8. You must abstain from consuming low calorie food items in front of them. Try to keep the meal time atmosphere positive and light hearted. Do not focus on others during meal times and teach your child to concentrate on his own meal.

It might happen that you may not find your child, at twelve months to two years of age, at the same level as their peers in verbal communication. You think it's just a developmental problem they are facing and put off seeking professional advice; an intrinsically wrong step to take, because your child might be suffering from Speech Delay.

Delayed speech, or alalia, can be roughly defined as a delay in the development and use of the biological mechanisms that produce speech.

The symptoms of speech delay are roughly categorized into age related groups, generally beginning at the age of 12 months and continuing through the early adolescence, and they are:

1. Age: 12 months
   • It is indeed a symptom if your child cannot point at objects or cannot manage gestures, such as waving good-bye.
   • Another symptom is that if your child does not prefer to communicate verbally as much as his/her peers.
2. Age: 15-18 months
   • If your child is unable to pronounce familiar syllables or simply cannot call you even by this time, it's a worrying symptom.
   • You find your child unable to, or simply not reciprocating to 'no', 'hello', 'hi', 'bye'.
   • If your child is unable to extend his/her vocabulary up to 15 words by fifteen months, then it's a symptom.
3. Age: 2-4 years
   • You find your child unable to spontaneously produce speech and words.
   • Another worrying symptom is if your child is lacking consonant sounds at the beginning and end of words while speaking.
   • If you still find your child unable to form simple sentences and words, then it is indeed a troubling symptom, confirming the disorder.

The causes for the speech delay disorder are:

1. A primary cause can be physical disruption in parts of the mouth such lips or palate, which may be deformed.
2. Another serious cause can be an oral-motor dysfunction which is the disruption in the creation of the specific area of the brain which deals with speech and communication.
3. The disorder can also be attributed to impairment in the development of the child's intellectual, receptive and expressive abilities.
4. There can also be psychological causes involving school environment and peer relationships which might lead to disruption of speech patterns and reluctance in speech expression and development.

ADHD is often diagnosed as a complex neurological disorder which is medically described as a developmental impairment of the self-management functions that are linked to brain operations. It impacts the important functions that are required to assess, plan and carry on with a normal life.

Causes of ADHD
ADHD is generally caused by bad parenting, too much sugar consumption and even playing too many video games. ADHD is a brain-based disorder and brain images have shown that people suffering from ADHD to possess psychological differences in their brains.

There are studies which revealed that a child is four times likely to be diagnosed with ADHD if his/her relative suffers from the same brain disorder, thus, clearly pointing to the genetic factor of carrying ADHD. Exposure to dangerous chemicals such as toxins in food, carpeting and flooring, cleaning products, lawn products and several personal care products can also induce ADHD in a child. When these toxins disrupt the development of the brain, a disorder such as ADHD occurs.

Symptoms of ADHD
There are a number of symptoms of ADHD. There are mainly two categories of symptoms of ADHD. They are:
ADHD - Primarily Inattentive Type of Symptoms

1. The person affected often fails to pay close attention to details and are prone to silly mistakes in schoolwork and other tasks.
2. They often lack the attention or are unable to retain attention on the task at hand.
3. It seems that the affected person is not listening when spoken to directly.
4. They do not follow the instructions given to them and fail to complete their tasks and activities.
5. They face difficulty in organizing things.
6. They avoid engaging in tasks that require constant mental effort.
7. They are prone to losing things essential for tasks and activities.
8. They are easily distracted by unnecessary and trivial stimuli in their surroundings.
9. They are forgetful of their daily activities.

ADHD: Primarily Hyperactive-Impulsive Type of Symptoms

1. The affected individual is fidgety and constantly taps their hands, feet or squirms when seated.
2. Leaves their seat and stands up on occasions where they are required to be seated.
3. They run or climb in certain situations where it is inappropriate and unnecessary.
4. They are unable to engage in or play in leisure and quietly.
5. They are hyperactive as if they are driven by some kind of motor.
6. They talk excessively and unnecessarily on all occasions.
7. They will blurt out answers even before the question is finished.
8. They are unable to be patient and wait for their own turn to arrive.
9. They have a tendency to interrupt and intrude others and take over their privacy.

It is advised to consult a doctor if one or many of these symptoms are noticed in an individual.