Children are often diagnosed with mental health or learning challenges in middle and high school after having struggled for years without support.
Some of them could have been identified and gotten help earlier if adults in their lives had recognized the signs. The Child Mind Institute has put together resources on how to keep an eye out for early signs of developmental disorders.
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The institute’s resources on how to recognize signs cover a number of developmental disorders, including autism, ADHD, nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD), and dyslexia.
One article focuses on NVLD at various ages, from preschool to high school, and how in young children it can show up as a motor delay or difficulty drawing shapes, building with blocks, or doing puzzles.
Another discusses how some of the earliest signs of autism include delays in simple gestures such as pointing and sharing objects with others. One resource focuses on how learning disorders such as dyslexia and dyscalculia often aren’t caught until a child is struggling to keep up in school, but there may be early signs in preschoolers, such as trouble with rhymes or counting.
A resource on ADHD in preschool discusses how identifying it early can help children get behavioral support they need to succeed when they get to elementary school. Anxiety and depression are covered in two other resources.
The Child Mind Institute’s resources include:
It’s not unusual for children to go through periods when they feel unmotivated in schools, especially during the cold winter months or when the next long break feels like a long time away.
The Child Mind Institute has put together a list of resources for helping children to remain motivated in school.
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There are a variety of factors that could prevent children from being motivated in school – including everything from ADHD to anxiety or a learning disability. However, children without a diagnosis can also struggle to remain consistent.
The Child Mind Institute’s resources cover what might be behind a child’s behavior, from boredom and frustration to social issues, and how to offer the right support.
Struggling with a particular skill can be especially hard for children who are gifted in other areas. If a child appears to be losing steam in one area, acknowledge their efforts in a different area to help boost their confidence.
Below is the list of the Child Mind Institute’s resources.
It can be challenging for caregivers during the process of seeking a diagnosis for a child, but even more so if they learn the child is struggling with two – or more – mental health or learning disorders.
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The Child Mind Institute has put together a series of resources on what experts call co-occurring disorders. Having multiple disorders is not unusual: One study found that 40 percent of adolescents diagnosed with a mental health disorder met the criteria for another.
Some of the most common combinations include autism and ADHD, anxiety and depression, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and learning disorders together with anxiety or depression. Additionally, children with Tourette’s often have OCD or ADHD.
The institute’s resources include a piece on co-occurring disorders that examines why they happen frequently and how they affect treatment. In some cases, two disorders are diagnosed together, but one is often identified later when treatment for the first doesn’t resolve some symptoms.
Sometimes, a second disorder is developed as a result of a child’s struggles with the first – especially depression, anxiety, or substance abuse. In any of these cases, the conditions must be treated carefully for the child to thrive, as treatment for one could complicate the other, particularly if multiple medications are being used.
Below is the list of the Child Mind Institute’s resources on co-occurring disorders.
Books can be a great method of helping children to cope with such issues as ADHD, anxiety, the loss of a loved one, or regulating their emotions.
The Child Mind Institute has compiled a list of 2025 books that tackle the topic of mental health and included other resources.
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Stories that address mental health topics for children are becoming more prevalent. Among the Child Mind Institute’s selections are picture books for young children and graphic novels and YA books for tweens and teens.
Topics include everything from teaching children how to read – including those with dyslexia – as well as how to help preschoolers learn mental health skills.
The Child Mind Institute’s list of resources include:
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.
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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.
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:
Anxiety disorders cause people to feel frightened, distressed, or uneasy during situations in which most people would not feel that way. Left untreated, anxiety disorders can make it hard for students to get schoolwork done or study. It may affect their relationships with peers and teachers, too. In some cases, students with anxiety disorders miss a lot of school days. Or they may avoid school altogether.
Nemours KidsHealth has compiled common anxiety disorder facts sheets that affect children.
Anxiety Disorder Fact Sheets
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). With GAD, children have many worries and worry much of the time. They may also have physical symptoms, like headaches, stomachaches, muscle tension, or tiredness.
- Phobias. A phobia is an intense, unrealistic fear of a specific thing. Some kids have a phobia of dogs. Others have a phobia of spiders or snakes. A child with a phobia will go to great lengths to avoid the thing they fear.
- Social anxiety. Kids and teens with social phobia have an intense fear of being judged. It affects them in social or other situations. They will avoid situations where they may have to meet new people or perform.
- Selective mutism. Some students are too fearful to talk at all in certain situations. Kids and teens with selective mutism are able to talk, and talk well. But they are too fearful to talk in some situations outside their home or with people other than friends.
- Panic disorder. Some students have panic attacks, a sudden and intense episode of fear. They can include physical symptoms like a pounding heart, shortness of breath, or dizziness. Panic attacks can happen unexpectedly.
- Separation anxiety. It’s normal for babies and very young children to have some separation anxiety when they are apart from a parent or caregiver. But when separation anxiety lasts beyond the early school age years, students may have trouble coming to school.
Educators and child care providers can also access the Anxiety Disorder Fact Sheet information in Spanish.
The Child Mind Institute recognizes that the new school year can bring new challenges for parents and educators alike. Parents play an important role in building a positive learning support at home through being responsive to children’s learning challenges or behavioral problems.
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About the Event
The Child Mind Institute will be hosting a virtual session on Helping Your Child Manage Back-to-School Stress. This hour-long call with expert clinicians will help parents learn how to use reinforcement and validation to support children in managing their anxiety. Specific coping strategies will be shared, along with information about how to tell when to seek professional support.
This event will take place on Wednesday, September 14 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be hosted by Katie Peinovich, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker for the School and Community Programs team at the Child Mind Institute. Ms. Peinovich provides evidence-based trauma treatment to children in the New York City public school system and works with parents, teachers and school administrators to deepen their understanding of childhood trauma, its impact, and how to connect affected children with high quality care.
Participants must pre-register for this webinar and will receive an invitation to their email.
Are you interested in learning how mindfulness practices can impact a child’s ability to deal with stress, anxiety, and trauma? Join Megan Davis on November 19 for “Compassionate Classrooms: Mindfulness-Based Skills to Promote Resilience and Connection.”
About
The goal of this webinar is to introduce mindfulness skills that educators, therapists, and paraprofessionals can integrate into the classroom to build resiliency, distress tolerance, and connection. At the end of this session, you will have gained insight into how simple mindfulness practices directly impact our body’s ability to downregulate in the face of stress, anxiety, and trauma. You will be able to integrate concrete skills into your classroom to support students’, as well as your own, wellness.
Featured Topics
In this webinar, Megan Davis will:
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- define a basic understanding of how stress impacts the nervous system and our ability to self-regulate,
- demonstrate breathing exercises to calm and balance an activated nervous system,
- demonstrate mindfulness exercises to regulate and widen the “window of tolerance”,
- help professionals plan for how and when to integrate skills into a typical school day (virtual or in-person),
- and provide opportunities to reflect on current self-care practices and how they translate to the culture of classroom wellness.
Registration
This webinar is best suited for K-12 teachers, librarians, school leaders, therapists, and counselors. To register, visit the EdWeb website.
Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center on October 26 for “Building Resilience While Social Distancing: Parental Depression & Coping” to learn coping skills you can share with parents to address the effects of isolation in the short and long terms.
About
This webinar will explore the similarities between isolation and depression, paying close attention to the distinct needs and behaviors of parents suffering from depression and anxiety. Participants will learn coping skills they can share with parents to address the effects of isolation in the short and long terms. Participants will also learn when to consult with mental health professionals in their work with families.
Registration
To register and learn more, visit the event registration page. Space is limited.
