Social Difficulties
Friendships are important for a child’s development. They provide a sense of belonging and a feeling of being valued and this helps kids to feel confident and happy. When kids have trouble developing friendships it can negatively affect their self-esteem and put them at higher risk for other emotional problems.
Some kids have a natural and innate ability to develop friendships, while others require a bit of extra help. Signs that might indicate a need for intervention are:
- Trouble making friends
- Trouble keeping friends
- Recurrent bullying
- Few friendships with same-age peers and preferring friendships with older or younger children instead
- A preference to spend time doing solitary activities (e.g. reading in the library) during recess and lunch
- Frequent arguments and fallouts with friends
Social difficulties may be a symptom of an underlying problem – like in the case of Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD – but they may also be the result of lagging social skills. Either way, it’s worthwhile seeking the advice of a child clinical psychologist.
Bullying
Bullying is a serious problem in Australian schools. As many as 1 in 6 kids are bullied at school on a weekly basis. As well, the ever increasing popularity of social networking sites like Facebook means that bullying is no longer limited to the school environment; many students are now bullied at home as well.
What Is Bullying?
The term ‘bullying’ encompasses a range of different behaviour. Some bullying incidents are subtle (e.g. exclusion from a game in the playground) while others are more overt (e.g. physical fights). Common forms are bullying parents should be aware of include:
- Physical Bullying – hair pulling, hitting, pushing
- Verbal Bullying – name calling, teasing, or insults
- Social Bullying – social exclusion, malicious rumors
- Cyber Bullying – social and verbal bullying that occurs via social networking sites or text
How Does Bullying Impact A Child?
Whatever the form, bullying can:
- Make a child feel lonely and helpless
- Negatively affect a child’s self-esteem
- Make a child feel anxious and unsafe at school
- Increase a child’s risk for depression
- Make a child feel rejected, confused, and ashamed
What Are Bullying Warning Signs?
Unfortunately 1 in 5 bullied kids feel too ashamed to speak up and seek help and their bullying continues undetected. Signs that might indicate that a child is being bullied include:
- Unexplained (or poorly explained) cuts and bruises
- Increased complaints of headaches or stomach aches
- Changes to appetite
- Changes to sleep
- Behavioural changes
- School refusal or anxiety about going to school
- Low mood or increased irritability
- A loss of enjoyment of usually enjoyable activities
