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September 8, 2026

Child Mind Institute Resources Help Caregivers to Address Children’s Back-to-School Worries

Going back to school in the fall can be an exciting time for children – but it can also be a stressful one. The Child Mind Institute has put together some resources on how caregivers can talk to children about their back-to-school worries.

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As a caregiver, it is tempting to focus on positive aspects of the back-to-school experience, but glossing over a child’s worries can be a missed opportunity to help them share their concerns and prepare to deal with them.

The Child Mind Institute notes that while it is important to emphasize good things about starting school, caregivers should also take children’s worries seriously. This could involve bolstering the confidence of a child with a learning disorder while recognizing that their challenges can make school frustrating.

Caregivers should help children to have strategies in place for dealing with common stressors such as homework or test-taking before they get overwhelmed. The institute provides tips for children going back to school with ADHD and sensory processing issues and teens who are socially anxious.

The Child Mind Institute’s resources include:

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September 7, 2026

Thriving Kids Podcast Episode Focuses on Helping Neurodivergent Children to Make Friends

A new Thriving Kids podcast episode focuses on how to help neurodivergent children to build real friendships.

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In the episode, Dave Anderson, PhD, the Child Mind Institute’s senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education, speaks with Caroline Maguire, MEd, PCC, an ADHD and executive function coach and author of “Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults,” on the topic.

Many children with ADHD, autism, or a learning disorder often think that to make friends, they must “mask” who they actually are. So, they study others, try to blend in, and hope it works. In the process, they conceal fidgeting, agree with opinions they don’t hold, or over-apologize for awkward moments. But, Maguire said, children who work hardest to hide their true selves are often lonely.

Maguire noted that this kind of masking doesn’t build authentic friendships. Instead, true connection comes from shared interests, a shared sense of humor, or shared experiences. Finding common ground is extremely difficult when a child buries the real version of themselves, she added.

If a child struggles to make or keep friends, Thriving Kids has provided a few ideas that caregivers can put to work:

Start with who they are, not who they are supposed to be: Children who feel they have to hide their real selves tend to feel shame, which makes connection harder. Let the child know the goal isn’t to become someone else – it is to find people who click with them as they already are.
Let their interests do the introducing: Shared interests are the fastest way to find your people. Look for structured, interest-based activities where a passion is the price of admission, whether it’s a robotics club, theater group, Dungeons & Dragons table, a sport, or an art class.
Treat social situations as training, not a test: Children don’t need to get it perfect – they need practice. Rehearsing tricky moments ahead of time (walking up to a group, starting a conversation, knowing how to say “no”), role play them at home, and try short “social scripts” for common exchanges. When something doesn’t work, do a calm post mortem together on what happened, which part was hard, and what to do next time.
Right-size the friendship before your child does: Many neurodivergent children get so excited about a promising connection that they instantly crown a new acquaintance their “best friend,” and then are crushed when the feeling isn’t returned with the same intensity. Gently teach them that there are stages to getting to know someone as well as different kinds of connections – f.e., the people you say hello to, acquaintances, new friends, and the rare close friend.
Honor introverted and anxious children: Being introverted isn’t a problem to fix. Quiet children make wonderful, loyal friends. Make sure they still get chances to connect on their own terms. Try hosting the first hangout at home where they are most comfortable and nudge them to stretch just a little past what feels easy, rather than all the way to the deep end.

To learn more, listen to the latest Thriving Kids podcast episode.

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July 22, 2026

Child Mind Institute Resources Focus on Inspiring Children to Read for Fun in the Summer

One of the summer’s challenges for caregivers is making sure that children do not lose some of the skills they have gained over the past year. A critical way to ensure this is to find ways to make reading more appealing for those who aren’t naturally inclined to pick up a book.

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The Child Mind Institute’s latest series of resources focuses on how to prevent the summer slide and encourage children to read for fun during their break.

One of the options explored in the resources are reading a chapter book to a child to share a story they are not yet ready to tackle themselves.

The institute has provided a list of nearly 100 children’s books about mental health as well as a piece on strategies to help children with learning disorders or ADHD with reading.

The Child Mind Institute’s resources include:

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July 20, 2026

Child Mind Institute Resources Provide Advice in Handling “Failure to Launch” Syndrome

In our currently expensive age, it’s common for young adults – especially recent college graduates – to live at home with their parents or caregivers.

Some may be looking for a job, while others might have one that doesn’t pay enough to enable them to live on their own yet. But some adult children live at home for a longer period without going to school, working, or looking for work.

The Child Mind Institute has released a set of resources for caregivers with highly-dependent adult children – known as “failure to launch syndrome” – that describes what can be done for children who are not moving forward.

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The series includes an article on what constitutes highly-dependent adult children as well as the difference between supporting children facing mental health challenges and enabling their dependence.

Another piece examines research that has found that carefully pulling back on accommodations, using principles from a treatment that has been effective in children with anxiety or OCD, can encourage highly-dependent adult children to take steps forward.

Mental health struggles can be a contributing factor to these scenarios, so the Child Mind Institute has included an article on signs that adolescents have anxiety or depression. There is also advice on how to help children develop the confidence they need to do hard things, which is an essential part of the growth process.

Below are the Child Mind Institute’s resources:

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July 15, 2026

Thriving Kids Podcast Discusses How Caregivers Should Keep Up With Children’s Online Activity

In our present age, children are growing up online – with such channels as YouTube, Roblox, group chats, and TikTok – and it can be stressful trying to keep up with what they are watching or playing.

But, the latest Thriving Kids podcast argues, the caregivers who navigate this landscape the best aren’t the ones with the strictest rules – they’re the ones who engage with children about what they are doing online.

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In the podcast, Dave Anderson, PhD, senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement for the Child Mind Institute, joins actor Busy Philipps for a conversation about what modern parenting entails.

The discussion focuses on why staying connected to children on social media takes active participation, not just passive monitoring, and why watching what they watch (even if it drives you a bit crazy) is important.

Philipps also talks about her own ADHD diagnosis in her late 30s and how that has shaped how she parents. The discussion also takes on more challenging topics – such as the “manosphere,” mental-health misinformation on TikTok, and how to keep children thinking critically about what they are consuming while keeping communication open.

Some expert-supported strategies for staying engaged with children’s media use include:

Watch and play together – and talk it through. The best way to counter negative messages that children pick up online is to experience it alongside them and point out when something isn’t right.
Model the tech habits you want to see. Experts agree the single most effective thing a parent can do is to curtail their own screen use first. Children should be used to seeing your face, not the top of your head bent over a phone. Establish tech-free zones and hours that apply to everyone, caregivers included.
Start from trust, monitor thoughtfully. If a child is on social media, it’s reasonable to follow their accounts and keep an eye on their page, but experts caution against going through texts without a real reason.
Help children build confidence offline. A sense of self that doesn’t depend on likes or followers is a good protection against the pressures of growing up online.

To learn more, listen to the latest Thriving Kids podcast episode.

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July 8, 2026

Child Mind Institute Resources Focus on Children’s Summer Anxieties

For many children, summer is a relaxing time during which they can take a break from homework or getting up early in the morning – but the season can also bring its own stressors.

The Child Mind Institute has released some resources on some of the things that stress children during the summer, whether it’s summer camp, unpredictable schedules, or travel.

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Changes in routine can cause worry about the unknown, especially for children who struggle with mental health challenges such as ADHD or anxiety.

The Child Mind Institute’s resources include a discussion on how to support children who might be feeling anxious about summer activities. They feature some suggestions for children who are nervous about camp, whether it’s apprehension about meeting new people or fear of being separated from their caregivers for longer than they’re used to.

The resources also include a piece in which experts weigh in on how to make travel easier for children with mental health challenges and how to support children who are easily upset by sensor surprises, such as hot sand or loud firecrackers.

Lastly, the resources include an article on how to manage boredom and use it to help children develop independence.

The Child Mind Institute’s resources include:

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July 7, 2026

Resources Provide Tips on Monitoring Children’s Summer Screen Time

While some might consider summer fun to be swimming, barbecuing, or taking part in an adventure outdoors, many children would prefer the extra time to play their favorite video game or spend time on TikTok.

In a new set of resources, the Child Mind Institute notes that loosening the rules for screen time might seem fair when school’s out – however, a lack of rules will not work.

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The institute’s strategies for summer screen time rules include information on how to offer children more freedom to play games or connect with friends online without encroaching on what they need to do to stay healthy during the summer months.

The beginning of the season is a good opportunity to assess a child’s tech use, identify the risks you want to avoid, and make a practical plan.

The resources also include an article on screens and neurodivergent children, including those with autism, ADHD, or a learning disorder. It focuses on how these children might be able to get an additional benefit from online engagement, but also be more vulnerable to addictive or unsafe behaviors.

One article addresses the issue of when children are ready for social media use, while another discusses how to create a structure for the summer that makes children feel comfortable. There are also pieces on how to get children to spend more time outdoors and how building chores into their lives helps to teach them responsibility and feel the value of contributing to the family.

The Child Mind Institute’s resources include:

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June 8, 2026

Child Mind Institute Provides Resources on How to De-Escalate with Autistic Children

Allowing a child’s temper tantrum to run its course is often a method employed by many caregivers, but tantrums from children with autism might need a different approach.

In a new set of resources, The Child Mind Institute discusses how to de-escalate when children with autism are having a meltdown.

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Meltdowns, the institute writes, are similar to tantrums in that they share such traits as crying, screaming, door slamming, and harsh words. But they differ in that they are an intense involuntary response to outside stimuli, such as stress, powerful emotions, or sudden changes.

Meltdowns can go on for hours and have the potential to become dangerous to the child and others if not effectively defused.

Among the Child Mind Institute’s resources are an article that covers the different stages of an autistic meltdown as well as the dos and don’ts on how to de-escalate.

There is also an article on the sensory processing issues that can trigger extreme behavioral responses from children with autism or other developmental disorders. There are also some tips on how to help autistic children to build communication skills and manage responsibility.

Another resource discusses common causes of behavior problems in children – such as anxiety and ADHD – and how to help them regulate strong emotions or impulsive urges.

The Child Mind Institute’s resources include:

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June 2, 2026

Child Mind Institute Resources Focus on Medicating Children with Tics or Tourette’s

Tics can upset children and disorders such as Tourette’s, ADHD, or OCD can interfere with their lives.

Medication can be a helpful part of treatment for such disorders, but clinicians who are prescribing should take into consideration that many children with one condition often have another, the Child Mind Institute notes.

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Clinicians will want to prioritize treating what is causing the child the most difficulty, the Child Mind Institute writes in a new set of resources – which is often not the tics, but the disorder.

The institute’s resources examine the two main types of medication that are effective in reducing tics as well as the pros and cons of each and the steps leading to an effective treatment plan.

The first recommended step in treatment is a specialized therapy known as comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT), rather than medication, which may be prescribed if therapy alone doesn’t alleviate tics.

If a child also has ADHD, it is important to ensure that their ADHD medication isn’t making the tics worse. Occasionally, when a second disorder causes a child a lot of stress, treating that can alleviate tics as well.

Below are the Child Mind Institute’s resources on how to treat tics and disorders such as Tourette’s in children.