September 2, 2025 Back-to-School Resources for Children Who Are Struggling Starting back at school in the fall presents a number of challenges for young children – but especially those who are already struggling. The Child Mind Institute has provided a series of resources for children who might need a little extra help to achieve success. Learn More Children might experience anxiety as they start a new school year – especially if they are attending for the first time. But some students might need a little extra assistance as they navigate the challenges of school. Some students with selective mutism might speak comfortably at home but find it harder to interact at school. Other students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might need tools and strategies to stay organized, while others with sensory processing challenges may need help to stay comfortable and focused. Most children would benefit from a consistent schedule and homework routine, the Child Mind Institute noted. Here are some resources for back-to-school success for children who might be struggling: Selective Mutism and Starting Kindergarten Back-to-School Tips for Kids Who Are Struggling School Success Kit for Kids with ADHD School Success Kit for Kids with Sensory Processing Issues School Mornings Without the Stress Strategies to Make Homework Go More Smoothly
August 12, 2025 Child Mind Institute Provides Resources to Prepare Students for College The Child Mind Institute has shared a list of resources for caregivers whose children are preparing to leave for college. Learn More Getting ready for college involves more than just buying the necessary clothing or dorm-room bedding, the Child Mind Institute writes. Students need to be prepared to get to class on time, get enough sleep, balance academics with social life, and learn to handle inevitable challenges on their own when they arise. The institute has put together a College Readiness Kit that identifies challenges that college students face, especially if they are spending their first year away from home. It also offers strategies for managing these challenges. The toolkit is designed for students to use before they leave for college. It covers everything from how to manage money in college as well as how to troubleshoot challenges such as difficulty getting along with a roommate or failing a midterm. It offers parents guidelines for playing a supporting role, such as how to help a student who is nervous about leaving home or how to support children with ADHD or a learning disorder. Here are the Child Mind Institute’s resources: How Do You Manage Your Money in College? You’re Having a Conflict with Your Roommate: What Should You Do? How to Support a Child Who is Nervous About Leaving Home What Parents of Students with ADHD or Learning Disorders Need to Know Before Their Kids Go to College Medication Management in College Procrastination and College Students Preparing for College Emotionally, Not Just Academically
July 7, 2025 Child Mind Institute Shares Resources on Setting Screen Time Rules for Summer As summer temperatures heat up, parents will likely want to encourage their children to spend more time outside and hope that they’ll spend less time thinking about screen time. The Child Mind Institute has put together a list of resources on how to make effective rules for screen time during the summer. Learn More Most parents will want to limit their children’s screen time and, more importantly, not spend much of the summer arguing about it. The Child Mind Institute has shared tips for identifying the tech-related harms that parents will want their children to avoid as well as the activities they’ll want to encourage. It also discusses how to make a practical plan to achieve both objectives. The resources include recommendations on screen use for children who are neurodivergent and strategies to keep children reading over the summer. The Child Mind Institute proposes ways to provide the structure that children with ADHD need to thrive while on summer vacation. Lastly, the resources explore how parents should not be afraid to let their children become bored because there are lessons they can learn from it. Here are The Child Mind Institute’s resources on how to approach screen time for children during the summer: Screen Time and Summer Neurodivergent Kids and Screen Time Summer Success Kit for Kids with ADHD How to Keep Kids Reading Over the Summer Summer Activities for Kids with Learning Disorders The Benefits of Boredom For more information, visit The Child Mind Institute’s website.
June 30, 2025 Child Mind Institute Provides Resources for Getting Children to Do Chores For most children, chores are a burden that they don’t enjoy and, many times, it can be a chore getting them to pitch in around the house. However, chores can help children to build confidence, independence, and a sense of responsibility to others as well as develop practical skills for taking care of themselves when they get older. Learn More The Child Mind Institute has provided some resources that involve effective methods for getting children to do chores without making it feel like a punishment. It notes that making chores routine as early as the preschool years will help them learn to expect them as they grow older. The resources discuss giving step-by-step instructions on what you’d like them to do, noting that young children and older ones with ADHD might need detailed explanations. In the absence of clear instructions, children might get frustrated or even act out. The Child Mind Institute also wrote that it’s important to praise them for their good work as chores can often be thankless tasks. Here are the Child Mind Institute’s resources for assigning chores to children: How Can I Get My Kids to Do Chores? Building Independence in Preschoolers How to Give Effective Instructions Talking to Toddlers How Can I Get My Child with ADHD to Follow Instructions? Increasing Cooperation in Kids with Autism The Power of Positive Attention
May 26, 2025 Child Mind Institute Lists Best Books on Mental Health for Children As part of national Mental Health Awareness Month, the Child Mind Institute has released a list of the best books of 2024 for children that tackle topics relating to mental health. Learn More Clinicians at the Child Mind Institute reviewed more than 60 titles while compiling the list and eventually narrowed it down to 20 books. The books on the list involved storylines or themes that helped children to understand and handle mental health challenges. The list breaks down the books by topics: anxiety, mindfulness, feelings, sadness and depression, OCD, ADHD, autism, eating disorders, and parental addiction. The lists included Anxiety The Worry Monster (Dr. Catherine Cook-Cottone) What to Do When You Worry Too Much (Dawn Huebner, PhD) Invisible Isabel (Sally J. Pla) Unstuck (Barbara Dee) Mindfulness A Tiny Difference (June Tate) Today (Gabi Snyder) Feelings Bea’s Bad Day (Tom Percival) The Hare-Shaped Hole (John Dougherty) My Thoughts Have Wings (Maggie Smith) Cranky (Phuc Tran) A Terrible Place for a Nest (Sara Levine) Sadness and Depression The Cat Who Couldn’t Be Bothered (Jack Kurland) Gray (Laura Dockrill) A Voice in the Storm (Karl James Mountford) OCD The Very Best Me (Marin Canaday) Puzzled (Pan Cooke) ADHD That Always Happens Sometimes (Kiley Frank) Autism Henry and the Something New (Jenn Bailey) Eating Disorders Louder Than Hunger (John Schu) Parental Addiction Breaking Into Sunlight (John Cochran) For the entire list and the descriptions of the books, visit the Child Mind Institute’s website.
May 19, 2025 Child Mind Institute Provides Resources on Oppositional Defiant Disorder Oppositional defiant disorder is a condition that is characterized by a frequent pattern of angry or irritable moods and argumentative or defiant behavior that is typically diagnosed in childhood. The disorder can affect a child’s relationships, school performance, and well-being. This month, The Child Mind Institute has shared some resources on how to respond to children whose behavioral issues are extreme and ongoing or who have a pattern of challenging authority figures, purposefully causing harm, or refusing to follow rules. Oppositional Defiant Disorder The resources examine how the disorder develops and how specific responses – parents being permissive to keep the peace or overly emphasizing punishment – can perpetuate a negative cycle. The Child Mind Institute also discusses treatment options for parents – such as training to reset the relationship – as well as medication for severe cases. Another article examines how children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can develop ODD, while another includes information on how anxiety, depression, and difficulty managing emotions can lead to behavior that looks like ODD. There is also information on conduct disorder, a serious disorder that can develop in teenagers if behavior problems go untreated. The Child Mind Institute’s resources include: What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)? ADHD and Behavior Problems How Anxiety Leads to Problem Behavior Depression and Anger How Can We Help Kids with Self-Regulation? What is Conduct Disorder? Choosing a Parent Training Program
April 7, 2025 Child Mind Institute Shares Resources on Learning Disorders The Child Mind Institute has shared a series of resources and articles on learning disorders among children that focus on everything from sensory processing issues to how to support children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Learn More The resources provided by The Child Mind Institute discuss how learning disorders evolve as children grow up and how parents can support them over time. Topics include ADHD, dyslexia, sensory processing issues, and how some symptoms of various disorders might diminish over time but then present different challenges. Articles shared by The Child Mind Institute include: Do Kids Grow Out of Learning Disorders? Building Your Education Team Do Kids Outgrow ADHD? ADHD in Teenagers How Sensory Processing Issues Affect Kids in School Do Sensory Processing Issues Get Better Over Time? Learning Disabilities and Self-Advocacy
May 16, 2019 Foster Care Awareness and National Mental Health Month Did you know that May is Foster Care Awareness Month and National Mental Health Month? In recognition of these important subjects, Every Child Inc. has highlighted information and statistics for individuals to consider as we work to better support Pennsylvania’s children, families, caregivers, and community members. Foster Care Facts Approximately 13,000 – 15,000 PA children are currently in foster care and part of the child welfare system. Between 400,000 – 500,000 children in the U.S. are in foster care each year. In 2013, more than 8,000 youth 13 and older lived in the foster care system in PA. One in four PA youth who “age out” of the system experience homelessness and/or struggle with mental health challenges such as depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders, with nearly 1 in 4 youth having been arrested since leaving care. Young PA women in foster care are two and a half times more likely to become pregnant by 19 than young women were not in foster care. Mental Health Facts ADHD, behavior problems, anxiety, and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. Treatment rates vary among different mental disorders: Nearly 8 in 10 children (78.1%) aged 3-17 years with depression received treatment. 6 in 10 children (59.3%) aged 3-17 years with anxiety received treatment. More than 5 in 10 children (53.5%) aged 3-17 years with behavior disorders received treatment. Mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders begin in early childhood: 1 in 6 U.S. children aged 2–8 years (17.4%) had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.
