How do you know when it’s time to get help for your child? It’s a tough call for any parent. Parents and school staff are usually the first to recognize that their child has a problem with emotions or behavior. Still, the decision to seek professional help can be challenging for all involved. While there is no one right answer as to when to seek additional help, below are specific signs to look for (based on age ranges) that support reaching out to a mental health professional for assistance:
TODDLER-AGED (24-36 MONTHS)
- No involvement in pretend play
- Failure to understand simple instructions
- Little interest in other children
- Extreme difficulty separating from primary caregiver
- Rarely changes emotion or often appears sad
PRESCHOOL-AGED (3 TO 4 YEARS OF AGE)
- Still clings or cries when parents leave at drop-off time
- Shows no interest in interactive games
- Ignores other children
- Doesn’t respond to people outside of the family
- Doesn’t engage in fantasy play
- Resists dressing, sleeping, using the toilet
- Lashes out without self-control when angry or upset
- Cries frequently, seems highly sensitive
- Often appears sad
- Has many worries and/or fears
KINDERGARTEN-AGED
- Exhibits extremely aggressive, fearful or timid behavior
- Is unable to separate from parents
- Is easily distracted and unable to concentrate on any single activity for more than 5 minutes
- Shows little interest in playing with other children
- Refuses to respond to people in general
- Rarely uses fantasy or imitation in play
- Seems unhappy or sad much of the time
- Avoids or seems aloof with other children and adults
- Doesn’t express a wide range of emotions
- Has trouble eating, sleeping or using the toilet
- Can’t differentiate between fantasy and reality
- Seems unusually passive
ELEMENTARY-AGED CHILDREN
- Marked fall in school performance
- Poor grades in school despite trying very hard
- Severe worry or anxiety, as shown by regular refusal to go to school, go to sleep or take part in activities that are normal for the child’s age
- Extreme fear about a specific thing or situation
- Frequent physical complaints
- Excessive and frequent sadness
- Hyperactivity; fidgeting; constant movement beyond regular playing with or without difficulty paying attention
- Persistent nightmares
- Persistent disobedience or aggression (longer than 6 months) and provocative opposition to authority figures
- Frequent, unexplainable temper tantrums or excessive and frequent irritability
PRE-ADOLESCENTS AND ADOLESCENTS
- Marked decline in school performance
- Inability to cope with problems and daily activities
- Marked changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
- Extreme difficulties in concentrating that get in the way at school or at home
- Sexual acting out
- Depression shown by sustained, prolonged negative mood and attitude, often accompanied by poor appetite, difficulty sleeping or thoughts of death
- Severe mood swings
- Strong worries or anxieties that get in the way of daily life, such as school or socializing
- Repeated use of alcohol and/or drugs
- Intense fear of becoming obese with no relationship to actual body weight, excessive dieting, throwing up or using laxatives to lose weight
- Persistent nightmares
- Threats of self-harm or harm to others
- Self-injury or self destructive behavior
- Frequent outburst of anger, aggression
- Repeated threats to run away
- Aggressive or non-aggressive consistent violation of rights of others; opposition to authority, truancy, thefts, or vandalism
- Strange thoughts, beliefs, feelings, or unusual behaviors
If you have questions on these signs or any other concerns related to mental health, contact a licensed mental health professional at Solutions Counseling at 763-515-4563 for more information.
Resources: The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Early Childhood Direction Center of Syracuse University