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Child Health & Safety News 6/18: First Child Seat with Airbags

Last updated on July 15th, 2018 at 07:35 pm

In this week’s Child Health News: “What to do if your child’s nude selfie goes viral” bit.ly/2sYtrHm

Welcome to Pediatric Safety’s weekly “Child Health & Safety News Roundup”- a recap of the past week’s child health and safety news headlines from around the world. Each day we use social media to communicate relevant and timely health and safety information to the parents, medical professionals and caregivers who follow us. Occasionally we overlook something, but overall we think we’re doing a pretty good job of keeping you informed. Still, quite a bit happens every day – so to make sure you don’t miss anything, we offer you a recap of this week’s top 20 events & stories.

How to talk to your child about thunderstorm anxiety bit.ly/2lfLKV6 2018-6-17
Before pre-k: Earliest months shape children’s lives bit.ly/2teXY3T 2018-6-17
The Dangers Of Pushing Kids Too Hard, And How Parents Can Learn To Back Off n.pr/2ld6o80 2018-6-17
Safety in Seconds: 30 second water safety video with reminders to help parents keep kids safe around pools bit.ly/2JXwu9K 2018-6-17
Kids can suffer permanent damage from border separations – trauma can damage both the brain and the body doctors say nbcnews.to/2lapETQ 2018-6-17
High school students are having less sex and they’re also less likely to take drugs since they’re spending more time on their cell phones….unfortunately, they’re also more likely to have felt bullied and suicidal bit.ly/2le1S9k 2018-6-16

PedSafe Child Health & Safety News Headline of the Week
First child car seat with airbags launched in UAE bit.ly/2MenTBj
The airbags reduce the forces on a child’s neck up to 55% compared to a standard forward facing child car seat

Effective Treatment of Pediatric Eating Disorders bit.ly/2t02EuY 2018-6-16
Mom Calls Out United Airlines For Putting Baby In Danger by Requiring FAA Approved Car Seat to Be Secured Forward Facing bit.ly/2t3qoOT 2018-6-16
9 Ways Social Media Has Affected the Way We Parent bit.ly/2tacQ3l 2018-6-15
AAP a leading voice against separating children, parents at border bit.ly/2l7xxt4 Over 2 weeks 658 children were separated from their parents at the border, according to recent data from the US Customs & Border Protection 2018-6-15
The Plague Just Showed Up in Idaho for the First Time in 25 Years—Should You Be Worried? bit.ly/2MpNIOO 2018-6-15
9 Ways to Help Your Children Cope with Painful Emotions bit.ly/2sKKTQg 2018-6-15
Is Your Tween (Illegally) on Facebook? Thurs Time Capsule 06/11 bit.ly/2xXzaCX 2018-6-14
How to keep your child safe in the summer heat bit.ly/2JMBLRt 2018-6-14
How to Teach Kids How to Solve Their Own Problems bit.ly/2t4wEVL 2018-6-13
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – The Kid I See Is Not Me At All – Body Dysmorphic Disorder bit.ly/2y2dlSK 2018-6-13
Here’s What Happens When You Combine a Day Care and a Nursing Home bit.ly/2Lz5BJR 2018-6-11
Closing of oil and coal power plants linked to sizable drop in preterm births among women living nearby bit.ly/2Mf244C Women living within 3 miles showed the biggest drop after a closure 2018-6-11
Do I Want My Dog to be Protective of My Child? bit.ly/2JhKDyo 2018-6-11

June 19, 2018 | Filed Under Awareness | Leave a Comment

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – The Kid I See Is Not Me At All

Last updated on July 15th, 2018 at 07:36 pm

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), or body dysmorphia, is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others.

People of any age can have BDD, but it is most common in teenagers and young adults. It affects both men and women. Having BDD does not mean you are vain or self-obsessed. It can be very upsetting and have a big impact on your life.

Symptoms of BDD

You might have BDD if you:

worry a lot about a specific area of your body (particularly your face)
spend a lot of time comparing your looks with other people’s
look at yourself in mirrors a lot or avoid mirrors altogether
go to a lot of effort to conceal flaws – for example, by spending a long time combing your hair, applying make-up or choosing clothes
pick at your skin to make it “smooth”

BDD can seriously affect your daily life, including your work, social life and relationships. BDD can also lead to depression, self-harm and even thoughts of suicide.

Getting help for BDD

You should visit your GP (*doctor) if you think you might have BDD.

They will probably ask a number of questions about your symptoms and how they affect your life. They may also ask if you have had any thoughts about harming yourself.

Your GP may refer you to a mental health specialist for further assessment and treatment, or you may be treated through your GP.

It can be very difficult to seek help for BDD, but it’s important to remember that you have nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. Seeking help is important because your symptoms probably won’t go away without treatment and may get worse.

Treatments for BDD

The symptoms of BDD can get better with treatment.

if you have relatively mild symptoms of BDD you should be referred for a type of talking therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which you have either on your own or in a group
if you have moderate symptoms of BDD you should be offered either CBT or a type of antidepressant medication called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
if you have more severe symptoms of BDD, or other treatments don’t work, you should be offered CBT together with an SSRI

1. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

CBT can help you manage your BDD symptoms by changing the way you think and behave. It helps you learn what triggers your symptoms, and teaches you different ways of thinking about and dealing with your habits. You and your therapist will agree on goals for the therapy and work together to try to reach them.

CBT for treating BDD will usually include a technique known as exposure and response prevention (ERP). This involves gradually facing situations that would normally make you think obsessively about your appearance and feel anxious. Your therapist will help you to find other ways of dealing with your feelings in these situations so that, over time, you become able to deal with them without feeling self-conscious or afraid.

You may also be given some self-help information to read at home and your CBT might involve group work, depending on your symptoms.

CBT for children and young people will usually also involve their family members or carers.

2. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

SSRIs are a type of antidepressant. There are a number of different SSRIs, but the one most commonly used to treat BDD is called fluoxetine.

It may take up to 12 weeks for SSRIs to have an effect on your BDD symptoms. If they work for you, you will probably be asked to keep taking them for several months to improve your symptoms further and stop them coming back.

There are some common side effects of taking SSRIs, but these will often pass within a few weeks. Your doctor will keep a close eye on you over the first few weeks. It’s important to tell them if you’re feeling particularly anxious or emotional, or are having thoughts of harming yourself.

If you are no longer having any symptoms, you will probably be taken off SSRIs. This will be done by slowly reducing your dose over time to help make sure your symptoms don’t come back (relapse) and to avoid any side effects of coming off the drug (withdrawal symptoms), such as anxiety.

Adults younger than 30 will need to be carefully monitored when taking SSRIs as they may have a higher chance of developing suicidal thoughts or trying to hurt themselves in the early stages of treatment.

Children and young people may be offered an SSRI if they are having severe symptoms of BDD. Medication should only be suggested after they have seen a psychiatrist and been offered therapy.

3. Further treatment

If treatment with both CBT and an SSRI has not improved your BDD symptoms after 12 weeks, you may be prescribed a different type of SSRI or another antidepressant called clomipramine.

If you don’t see any improvements in your symptoms, you may be referred to a mental health clinic or hospital that specialises in BDD, such as the National OCD/BDD Service in London**.

These services will probably do a more in-depth assessment of your BDD. They may offer you more CBT or a different kind of therapy, as well as a different kind of antidepressant.

Causes of BDD

We don’t know exactly what causes BDD, but it might be associated with:

genetics – you may be more likely to develop BDD if you have a relative with BDD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or depression
a chemical imbalance in the brain
a traumatic experience in the past – you may be more likely to develop BDD if you were teased, bullied or abused when you were a child

Some people with BDD also have another mental health condition, such as OCD, generalised anxiety disorder or an eating disorder.

Things you can try yourself

1. Support groups for BDD

Some people may find it helpful to contact or join a support group for information, advice and practical tips on coping with BDD.

You can ask your doctor if there are any groups in your area, and the BDD Foundation** has a (UK based) directory of local and online BDD support groups**.

You may also find the following (UK based)** organisations to be useful sources of information and advice:

2. Mental wellbeing

Practising mindfulness exercises may help you if you’re feeling low or anxious.

Some people also find it helpful to get together with friends or family, or to try doing something new to improve their mental wellbeing.

It may also be helpful to try some relaxation and breathing exercises to relieve stress and anxiety.

Editor’s Note:

* Clarification Provided for our U.S. Readers

** Resources Outside the UK:

IOCDF – Non-Profit Foundation- provides information and support for individuals with OCD and BDD – link is specific to teens and young adults
Local US Resources for Body Dismorphic Disorder – list of top 1000 cities
Anxiety and Depression Association of America – online support groups for BDD

From www.nhs.uk

June 13, 2018 | Filed Under Community | Leave a Comment

Child Health & Safety News 6/11: # Suicidal Kids Hospitalized Double

Last updated on July 3rd, 2020 at 03:09 pm

In this week’s Child Health News: A record number of children died of flu this season. This is the highest number in a flu season excluding pandemic years. Approx 80% had not received a flu vaccination this season nbcnews.to/2sHWijY

Why Grandmothers May Hold The Key To Human Evolution https://n.pr/2y2U97u
Want Your Child To Eat (Almost) Everything? There Is A Way n.pr/2LACLc0 2018-6-10
Instead of Freaking Out When Daycare Raises Tuition Follow These Tips bit.ly/2sIHFwE 2018-6-10
Firefighters install child safety equipment in family homes bit.ly/2xXgTpc 2018-6-09
“One out of two of America’s children will have a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder – things like addictions, ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression, etc. by age 18,” bit.ly/2sVcNIq 2018-6-09

PedSafe Child Health & Safety News Headline of the Week
A recent study on mental health by Greg Plemmons, M.D. at VUMC children, found that the number of school-age children and adolescents hospitalized for suicidal thoughts or attempts has more than doubled since 2008. http://bit.ly/2MaIJla

When Jordan found out she had scoliosis, it was the scariest day of her life. Learn how she turned it all around and learned to love what made her unique: http://ms.spr.ly/6011rNTX3 2018-6-08
The Father’s experience in the NICU | bit.ly/2M9th8X 2018-6-08
Outdoor Fun for Allergic Kids? Absolutely! Just Be Prepared bit.ly/2Hq1o8E 2018-6-08
Tomorrow morning, SOLO: A Star Wars Story is #SensoryFriendlyat AMC bit.ly/2Jyjsml 2018-6-08
The Sleep Fairy and 4 Other Tricks to Help Your Kid Sleep cle.clinic/2M6wPc1 – Great advice from the Cleveland Clinic 2018-6-07
Special Siblings: How a Child Sees Special Needs – Thurs Time Capsule 05/11 bit.ly/2sAOWOO 2018-6-07
What Budget Cuts Mean for Third Graders in a Rural U.S, School nyti.ms/2M1sV3U 2018-6-06
How To Manage Atopic Eczema – An Itchy, Scaly Children’s Rash bit.ly/2M3ZNsH 2018-6-06
Artist Reimagines Disney Princesses As Career Women And It’s Everything bit.ly/2LjMT96 2018-6-05
Summer puts special emphasis on water safety with kids bit.ly/2stLGFa 2018-6-04
How to Teach Your Kids Empathy-Building Skills bit.ly/2J3ubWx 2018-6-04
Video on child hunger shows kids reacting to the fact that 1 in 5 children in the U.S. is hungry – terrific to see them offer their ideas on solutions bit.ly/2JbbAaX 2018-6-04

June 12, 2018 | Filed Under Awareness | Leave a Comment

Outdoor Fun for Allergic Kids? Absolutely! Just Be Prepared

Last updated on June 22nd, 2018 at 01:50 am

After the cooler weather subsides and winter seems far behind us, many of us are all too ready to head out into the sunshine. The feeling of freedom from monitoring our indoor allergies, the wonderful warmth on our skin during warmer days and splashing around in a pool make our days a little less nerve-wracking. For parents, watching our children run freely and breathing fresh air leaves us exhaling and settling into a season of hopeful happiness. For children, it’s a time of year to peel off your socks, kick off those shoes and rip off the heavy clothing so that they can feel the sunshine on their faces again.

Without thinking, we bound into the next season but where there is an all too perfect scenario, there may be some circumstances that catch us off guard. Of course those with allergies always have that silent voice in the back of their mind telling them to be cautious, to be prepared. But what about symptoms that leave us concerned and unsure of what the safety of our health is? How do we know what to watch for so that we can be as prepared as possible and be able to tackle it with less anxiety?

Knowledge about allergies and allergy triggers is always being updated. The best way to combat a situation is to have the necessary information to assess the situation before or as it happens. Although it is impossible to know everything that could happen, there are some factors that may be able to be prevented or, in the very least, considered so that you stay calm and save the meltdowns for another time. A key element to remember is that not all symptoms come from foods.

Urticaria Also known as hives. Anyone with food allergies often associate hives with coming in contact or ingesting an allergic food. Because hives are commonly a red flag to what we need to avoid next to prevent anaphylaxis, the appearance of hives may cause us to jump to the worst case scenario. Without a doubt, always err on the side of caution first however urticaria can also appear from other triggers that may not be as severe or life-threatening. Some forms of urticaria are caused by:

Water – Aquagenic urticaria are hives that appear when the skin comes into contact with water, regardless of the temperature. Once the water is removed, the hives usually disappear within approximately 30 minutes.
Sunlight– Also known as photosensitivity, this form of urticaria is believed to be caused by the immune system reacting to sun-exposed skin as it thinks it’s a foreign item. Exposure time that sets off the reaction can begin with as little as just a few moments in the sunlight. Because the severity of exposure varies from person to person, it is best to discuss your symptoms with your physician.
Plants– Our skin is delicate and since it’s our first line of defense, it makes our skin more prone to fighting off anything that feels unlike what is supposed to be us. This means that sometimes just passing by a plant that you are allergic to or other plants with oils (such as poison ivy or oak) tells our skin that there is an invader about. You can protect yourself with long sleeves and pants, get tested for environmental allergies and always wash up with soap and water to avoid spreading to other areas of your body that was not exposed.

Alpha-Gal allergy has been an increasing story lately. For those who haven’t heard, this is an allergy to red meat but also (possibly) due to some ingredients in medications that “includes antibodies derived from animals” from the bite of the lone star tick. Most of the symptoms of alpha-gal allergy are similar to typical allergic reactions however anaphylaxis is said to be delayed after eating red meat versus an immediate onset that happens with typical food allergies. While many of us are trying to avoid ticks due to Lyme Disease, the thought of developing an allergy to foods from a non-food source introduces a brand new set of fears. Avoiding ticks is a given but consulting with a physician and having two auto injectors on hand for possible future anaphylaxis is a must along with a new food plan that will not include red meats or medications that contain ingredients from mammals. Auto injectors are typically prescribed for those with food allergies and although this allergy may be somewhat difficult to pinpoint, having two auto injectors to prepare you in the event that a future allergic reaction occurs will keep you one step ahead of an unexpected emergency but two steps ahead of your immune system’s safety as well.

With all of this being said, don’t fear the warmer weather, embrace it. Teach your family how to spot symptoms and how to play safely. Always use the buddy system and carry all of your necessary allergy medications to be one step ahead of the unexpected. Above all, remain calm and remember that life is too short to let any allergy keep you from spending time with your family.

June 8, 2018 | Filed Under Community, donation footer | Leave a Comment

Child Health & Safety News 6/4: New Marshmallow Test New Result

Last updated on June 11th, 2018 at 11:59 am

In this week’s Child Safety News: A Quarter Of Kids Regret Live Videos They Post On Apps: Here’s How Parents Can Help bit.ly/2ksi2eT

The Positive Role of Heroes in Children’s Lives ow.ly/Y19n30jPiD3 2018-6-03
If you’re not ready to delete Facebook, here are 13 simple things you and your kids can do on your social accounts, phones, and devices to keep data safe. comsen.se/2sDqV93 2018-6-03
A physician lurked on Facebook mom groups. Here’s what she found. bit.ly/2stEEAh 2018-6-03
Grand Challenges Canada will invest over 10 million Canadian dollar to test new ideas to address challenges in women’s and children’s health in developing countries bit.ly/2xBkNnz 2018-6-03
Teens, Social Media & Technology Report 2018 pewrsr.ch/2LM84Si YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular online platforms among teens. Fully 95% of teens have access to a smartphone, and 45% say they are online ‘almost constantly’ 2018-6-03
Study: Parenting, child care services have most potential to help low-income families bit.ly/2J43ReJ 2018-6-02
Teenage depression: If a parent doesn’t get treatment for a child, is that abuse? bit.ly/2xEhlIQ 2018-6-02
Summer Gross Motor Planning – Printable Summer Activity Calendars | Pink Oatmeal bit.ly/2stxafP 2018-6-02
Health ‘time bomb’ of 22,000 UK children who are severely obese at 11 bit.ly/2sofvWO 2018-6-02
Music Therapy for Children – helps kids cope with their treatment by entertaining and distracting them bit.ly/2xmcegk 2018-6-01

PedSafe Child Health & Safety News TOP Headline of the Week
‘Marshmallow test’ may not pick out successful kids, after all bit.ly/2L4WtfN
replicating the test with new technology showed surprising results.

Safety expert warns about Mermaid Tail swim toy bit.ly/2xvjzdN…if they have one, only use it for photo ops, and make sure you’re in the water with them 2018-6-01
Is My Child the Right age for Social Media? bit.ly/2s0ecy0 2018-6-01
Nigeria: Vaccination Still Eludes 75% of Children – Report bit.ly/2ISynZa 2018-6-01
7 Steps to Getting Your Child to Stop Sleeping In Your Bed bit.ly/2IRf1Dt 2018-5-31
Ray Ray’s Story: A Call to Action for Parents and Caregivers – Thurs Time Capsule 10/11 –bit.ly/2srWLpl 2018-5-31
How Can I Find the Best Pediatric Surgeon for My Child? bit.ly/2IODxFw 2018-5-31
Enrich your grandbaby’s first year! Milestones you can share! bit.ly/2IPqJi8 2018-5-30
Telemedicine helps improve participation in clinical trials through the use of step-by-step video to achieve informed consent, telemedicine appts, online symptom diaries and e-fund transfers bit.ly/2skJuPw 2018-5-30
First Pediatric Liver Transplant Performed in Central Florida bit.ly/2kr5rbR Surgeons and support staff from Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh traveled to Orlando to train the team and assist 2018-5-30

PedSafe Child Health & Safety News #2 Headline of the Week
What’s the Best Place in the World to Be a Kid? Not the U.S. – it ranks between Belarus & Russia – 36 out of 175 on the Save the Children report bit.ly/2kOt5PD

Study: Bath Oils for Childhood Eczema Provide No Medical Benefit bit.ly/2ISppuM 2018-5-30
The Surprising Benefit Of Moving And Grooving With Your Kid n.pr/2GTdtmG 2018-5-29
Canon USA helps launch child protection campaign bit.ly/2xgnBqe May 25th was National Missing Children’s Day 2018-5-29
How the #MeToo Movement Opens Conversations Between Parents and Kids bit.ly/2kwggt7 Instead of teaching “no means no”…teach “yes means yes”. Someone may not be able to say NO…Unless they can say YES you do NOT have consent 2018-5-29
Promoting Oral Health in Childhood: A Quality Improvement Project bit.ly/2s9iB1o 2018-5-28
Advice for Parents: Find Nap Mats Without Flame Retardant Chemicals bit.ly/2ILynKk What kind of impact would you think switching mats had? 2018-5-28
Would You Buy Your Special Needs Child a Dog Chew Toy? bit.ly/2xiK2uD 2018-5-28
Medical student seeks to ensure access to preferred contraceptive methods bit.ly/2GSja4a 2018-5-28

June 5, 2018 | Filed Under Awareness | Leave a Comment

How to Teach Your Kids Empathy-Building Skills

Last updated on July 15th, 2018 at 11:53 am

Empathy is the critical ability that puts us in other people’s shoes and helps us feel with them. Research finds that this immensely human trait can be cultivated. That means we can teach empathy to kids just like reading, math, and writing because it is made up of social-emotional skills that can be developed.

But in today’s test-driven, digital-driven, competitive culture, cultivating kids’ empathy is low on our priority lists. It’s a big reason American’s teens empathy dipped 40 percent in just 30 years! In fact, almost 75 percent of today’s students rate themselves as less empathetic than their average counterpart three decades ago.

It’s time we recognize that empathy is anything but soft and fluffy, but crucial for our children’s success, happiness, and character, as well as key to helping them become contributing members of a global world.

So how do we weave in empathy-building into our packed days? That’s what I spent ten years researching as I wrote UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World. In the process I found dozens of simple cost-effective strategies like the one that follows. I also recognized that our best hope for children to develop habits of empathy is for educators and parents to work together in their empathy-building efforts. What follows is one of the effective ways I’ve observed. Not only does it match the research but also is most likely to help kids actually develop the skill so they can use it without us!

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Shipley is a private school with a stellar academic reputation, but it also embraces social and emotional learning to prepare students for life. I observed Shipley’s monthly “Parent Drop-In Day,” where Lucy McDermott’s second graders schooled their moms and dads in a crucial empathy-builder called, “I Messages.” I realized that how her students were learning the core social-emotional skill is exactly how parents and educators should teach any empathy-builder to kids.

An “I Message” (or “I Statement”) is a sentence frame to assert the feelings, beliefs, values, or concerns of the person speaking. The message generally begins with the word, “I,” (contrasted with starting with “you,”) and can be a valuable interpersonal communication tool to help children share their concerns, views, or feelings to another in a respectful way.

The strategy also reduces conflicts and restores relationships so “I Messages” can be a technique to keep empathy open and reduce the notorious Empathy Gap. The sentence frame has been used for years, but too often students must be prompted by an adult to use it. Ms. McDermott was teaching the skill so her students were more likely to transfer and use it outside the classroom..

Empathy-building skills must be developed and practiced repeatedly before children can “live them.”

McDermott’s parent program began with eight-year old Sammy introducing the empathy skill to parents.

“We use ‘I Messages’ to help us share our feelings with words such as: angry, sad, hurt, uncomfortable and frustrated,” he explained.

Then Josh explained the benefits: “‘I Messages’ help us to solve disagreements and conflicts. They help us communicate, and allow us to really listen to each other.” And he held up a chart showing the formula:

“To give an ‘I Message’ start by saying: ‘I feel…when you…because… and I need you to…”

“To receive an ‘I Message’ respond by saying: ‘You feel…when I…because… I will…’”

Next, students showed parents how to use “I Messages” by role-playing different scenarios. This was the powerful piece. Research substantiates that children learn skills best by showing-not telling-them what it looks like. These students were showing the empathy skill to their parents. Brilliant!

Then came the grand finale: Moms and Dads practiced the skill in child-led “tutoring sessions.” And interactions were priceless. One was plain unforgettable:

“Dad, I’m frustrated when you use your cell when I’m talking, because I feel you care more about your phone than me,” one boy told his dad. “I want you to put your phone away when I talk to you, please.”

From the Dad’’s pained look you knew his son’s words hit home. And then it was the Dad’s turn to use the “I Message.”

“Josh, you’re frustrated because you think I care more about my phone when you talk to me,” he answered. “You want me to put my phone away when you talk.” And then added, “Thanks for telling me, I promise to work on that.” His son smiled broadly: Dad was really “getting it.”

Lucy McDermott was teaching her students empathy-building skills using four steps that are crucial to mastery.

First, students named and described the empathy-building skill.

Second, they explained the benefits: “’I Messages’ help us to solve disagreements and conflicts, communicate, and really listen to each other.”

Third, students demonstrated “I-Messages” through role-playing and practiced.

Fourth, students taught the skill to someone else (in this case, their parents).

Those four steps are also the optimum way to teach any new social-emotional skill or empathy-building habit to a child.

Tips to Engage Parents in Empathy Building

Lucy McDermott found an ingenious way to help her students teach their parents a critical empathy-building skill. But what about parents who weren’t at her event? And what other ways can educators help parents learn skills to expand their children’s empathy? Try these tips:

Make a video of an event like McDermott’s and share it with parents at your back to school night, parent conference or to new students.

Have students make a video showing how to use the skill and send it home for them to share with their family on flash-drives.

Put your video on a television monitor and show it on a screen in your school hallway like a PSA announcement so everyone entering your building sees the skill.

Create a worksheet or poster of the skill, and send it home as “homework.” Each child teaches the empathy-builder to their parents who sign a form substantiating the parent-child practice.

Turn the worksheet of the empathy-skill into a small magnet for parents to put on their refrigerators as an ongoing reminder.

Finding simple ways to educate parents about social-emotional skills improves the likelihood that students will use them both inside and outside the classroom. You can use the four steps to teach your child any empathy building skill in UnSelfie (and there are dozens). Just choose one skill a month (or as long as it takes), and keep reviewing, modeling, reinforcing and practicing it until the child can use it alone. Transfer!

4 Steps To Learn An Empathy-Building Skill

Step 1: Explain

Tell the child why the empathy skill matters, and how it will boost success. “Mindful breathing helps you stay calm.”

Step 2: Show

Kids learn skills best by showing what they look like, not lecturing or telling them. (Can you imagine a football coach telling his quarterback, “Go throw the football.”? Of course not! Effective coaches show how to throw the ball, and then correct players when wrong). Teach empathy skills like a coach.

Step 3: Practice

Learning a new skill usually takes around 21 days of repetition, so choose one new empathy skill each month and practice it together a few minutes a day. Mastering a skill takes lots of practice opportunities. You might role-play the skill together, practice with family members, have the child teach a younger sibling or show Grandma via Skype. Do acknowledge your child’s empathy-building efforts.

Step 4: Use

Continue providing practice opportunities until the child can use the skill without reminders, reinforcement or coaxing. Even better, make empathy skill-building a family affair, and practice together until the skill becomes automatic and your child can use it alone.

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Teens today are 40 percent less empathetic than they were thirty years ago. Why is a lack of empathy—along with the self-absorption epidemic Dr. Michele Borba calls the Selfie Syndrome—so dangerous? First, it hurts kids’ academic performance and leads to bullying behaviors. Also, it correlates with more cheating and less resilience. And once children grow up, it hampers their ability to collaborate, innovate and problem-solve—all must-have skills for the global economy. The good news? Empathy is a trait that can be taught and nurtured. UnSelfie is a blueprint for parents and educators who want activate our children’s hearts and shift their focus from I, me, and mine… to we, us, and ours. It’s time to include “empathy” in our parenting and teaching! UnSelfie is AVAILABLE NOW at amazon.com.

June 4, 2018 | Filed Under Affiliate, Community | 2 Comments

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