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Depression

60 Books About Disabilities and Differences for Kids

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60 Books About Disabilities & Differences for Kids

Published on mrsdscorner.com

As a teacher, or parent, who works in education… we meet a lot of students with different abilities and specialties. And sure, we have Autism Awareness month and disability awareness… but it’s so much more than just being aware.

Below you’ll find a curated list of books on special needs, acceptance, and tolerance. There are also books that describe children who have other differences that may make life a little challenging, like walking, hearing, seeing, understanding social cues, and more. These are books that you can use to introduce the topics presented to other children, teachers, and adults.

 

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Cutting and Self-Harm

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Cutting and Self-Harm

Published by damorementalhealth.com

Are you concerned that a friend or family member may be cutting or engaging in self-harm? Or have you done so? Understanding the signs and causes of self-harm can help you step in and take action.

When you’re able to make an informed assessment, you can find the right treatment. It’s critical to stop self-harm before it escalates to a severe level. Keep reading to learn about the signs, causes, and treatments associated with self-harm.

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Let it Go: Parents, Let Teens Unwind This Summer

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Let It Go: Parents, Let Teens Unwind this Summer

by Dr. Liz Matheis, published on psychology today.com

The past 15 months have been unprecedented. As I always ask – how many pandemics have you lived through? Our teens made insane changes quickly and suddenly, and although they initially welcomed them, that is not the sentiment right now.

Our teens became anxious, sad, overwhelmed, socially isolated, and grieved for all the milestones they missed. They have learned how to “meet” with friends using apps, bake together, watch movies together, and all within the virtual world.

Even though March 2020 through June 2020 were boring and academics didn’t look anything like our teens knew them to be, they chugged along and hoped for a different September.

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Understanding Teens’ Invisible Struggles During COVID-19

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Understanding Teens’ Invisible Struggles During COVID-19

written by Dr. Liz Matheis, published in www.psychologytoday.com

Our teens are suffering.

Children are not used to a routine that is repetitive with so little change from day to day. Nowadays, their school days consist of sitting in front of a screen with little variation, little social interaction, little true academic instruction, little focus, and a whole lot of missing of their school routine as they remember it to be prior to March 2020.

Their extracurricular activities are limited and interactions are not the same. Spontaneous social interactions are being missed. Our teens miss sitting next to each other, sharing lunch together, riding the school bus together, and all of the conversations and interactions that took place on a daily basis. One student shared with me that the biggest highlight of his day has been what he is going to eat. How incredibly boring and disappointing. Many teens (and adults) took for granted the variety of their days and the freedom that they had—until it was gone.

 

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Dealing with COVID-19 Anxiety One Year Later

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Dealing with COVID-19 Anxiety One Year Later

by Dr. Liz Matheis, published in The Mighty 3/2021

COVID-19 anxiety. Pandemic anxiety. It’s still here, one year later. It’s transformed, morphed into something new with a little something old.

In the days leading up to March 13, 2021, I became emotional and dreaded seeing that date on my calendar. I didn’t realize that, in my body and spirit, I knew that the one-year mark was coming up and I was feeling increasingly anxious and stressed by the idea of this “new normal” becoming “normal.” I don’t want it to be normal anymore.

We are all tired of feeling anxious about the coronavirus. We have learned to adapt to new routines such as masks, disinfecting our hands, disinfecting surfaces and keeping distance from people in a store or on the street. These new routines are not natural and they are taking a toll on our mental, emotional and physical health.

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Parenting Teenagers with Depression During COVID-19

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Parenting Teenagers with Depression During COVID-19

by Dr. Liz Matheis – Published in Psychology Today, 3/28/2021

Our teens are suffering. They have been suffering for the last year and as a parent, it is heartbreaking to watch our (bigger) babies hurt so badly. Our teens are grieving the loss of so many milestones such as graduations, dances, proms, field trips, athletic games and tournaments, school plays and theater, and the spontaneous social interactions that they crave and need.

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Depression | Recognizing Depression, Causes and Treatments

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Depression | Recognizing Depression, Causes and Treatments

Written by: Rachel Green and Wendy Rhodes 

Published in www.weightedblanketguides.com Last Updated: April 2020

Depression is a common mental health issue, affecting 16.2 million adults in the U.S. – that is 6.7 percent of all Americans over the age of eighteen. Depression can have many causes, such as genetics, hormones, brain chemistry, physical health, and major life changes. With clinical depression being so prevalent among Americans, many are searching for natural methods to offer relief from depression.

While medication is often necessary for the effective management of depression, some drugs can be habit-forming or have negative side effects. Also, natural methods can also be paired with medication or therapy to enhance the treatment of depression.

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"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Julie C.
"Dr. Matheis has a remarkable ability to understand the unique needs of her patients and address them constructively. She builds strong, meaningful relationships with patients and their families, encouraging trust and collaboration. When working with my son who struggles with autism-related anxiety, she created an environment in which he was able to calm down and open up to her in ways I had not seen before. She was able to reach him and helped him work through his crisis/problem. Most importantly, she empowered him to move forward."
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"Dr. Matheis is amazing. She has tremendous resources and loads of energy. She is not willing to accept anything less than the most effective results for her clients. She made me feel as if my son was her top priority throughout the entire process. I would, without reservation, give her my highest recommendations.  Thank you, Dr. Matheis!"
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"Dr. Matheis has an amazing ability to read kids and connect with them. She has been an invaluable resource for our family over the past several years and has helped us with everything from educational consulting, to uncovering diagnoses as well as family therapy. Working with Dr. Matheis never feels clinical and most importantly, our children love and trust her. We can not thank you enough Dr. Liz!"
- Anonymous
"My teenage son had been seeing Dr. Matheis through his senior year of high school, as he was only diagnosed with ADHD at 16 years old.  Dr. Matheis came highly recommended from our pediatrician and she has done wonders for our son as well as our family, navigating new ways for him to deal with his diagnosis without the use of medication.  She taught him ways to organize himself and even when something did not work for him, she patiently continued teaching him new ways to keep himself on track.  She has also helped us as parents to understand how his mind works so that we did not continue to blame his lack of focus on him, rather on his unique way of thinking.  Thank you Dr. Matheis!!!!"
- LG
"Dr. Liz is the best! Our family was directed to her by our Pediatrician to assist with figuring out severe mood changes, severe anxiety, strange new fears and food aversion that had come onto one of our children literally overnight. After just a couple of visits, she suggested that the issues may actually be rooted in a physical issue and suggested we immediately take our child to be swabbed for strep, because Dr. Liz suspected PANDAS (a pediatric autoimmune disorder brought on by strep). The same Pediatrician that suggested Dr. Liz would not do the swab (they do not believe in PANDAS and we no longer go there) but I took my child to my doctor who did the swab and it was positive for strep. When our child went on antibiotics, within 24 hours all symptoms went away and our child was back :-) Dr. Liz then recommended a PANDAS specialist who helped us and our child is in complete remission and is happy and healthy. We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Liz for her knowledge of all things, even the most remote and unusual and for helping us so much! Thank you!"
- Anonymous
"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Anonymous
"Thank you, Dr. Liz. Although we have told you countless times, it will never feel enough. You have listened when J could barely speak and continued to listen when he was sad, angry and confused. You've challenged him and directed us in our roles as parents. You've helped J face his fears while the list evolved and changed, and yet you've stayed committed to 'the course.' We pray that your children realize that time away from them is spent helping children learn and that vulnerability is a sign of strength and bravery."
- June I
"My son was admitted to an Ivy League school when only 2 years ago, you assessed him and saw his struggles, his Dyslexia. We are grateful that he no longer has to carry that deep feeling of inadequacy or shame that must have kept him so self conscious and from reaching his potential. He has the PERFECT program for him. He has A's in high math and economics. He became a Merit Scholar, a Boys State legislature, the HEAD captain of the football team and help a job ALL while studying and managing his classes and disability. I am PROUD of you, a young doctor, who knows and sees the vulnerability of children and helps them recognize "it's NO big deal" God bless."
- Anonymous

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