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Some Blog Articles
The Biology of Choking Under Stress
Children More Sensitive to Negative Feedback
Controlling Feelings
OCD, Anxiety, ADHD
Creativity, Bipolar, ADHD
Complex Framework of Reward and Motivation
Don't Worry, Be Happy
Existential Depression & Suicidal Thinking in the Gifted
Extroverts More Ready
to Perform
Generation 'Whatever'
Money, Motivation, ADHD
Mental Toughness and Resiliency
Passion & Perseverance Predict Success
Performance Pressure
Perils of Giftedness,
Confronting the Emma Dilemma
Task-Switching, Emotional Motivation, and Reward
Teaching Optimism
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Parents are often surprised by the intensity of a
child's feelings and emotions. Many factors, temperament, life experience,
environment, and unique nervous system wiring
contribute.
Because the brain processes moods and emotions, differences in wiring and chemistry can contribute to how they respond to challenges or frustrations, and easily they can recover. Children with learning challenges commonly major life stresses from feeling different from their peers, embarrassed by their difficulties or failures, and angry at themselves for what they see as poor achievement. But certain types of neurological differences may also make it harder to control one's feelings so that disappointment changes into blinding rage, or worry....total meltdown.
It is harder for children to contain their emotions because the pattern of development in their brains. But there is substantial evidence to show that emotional regulation usually improves over the course of one's entire life span, and that practice, practice, practice, results in greater control.
Some of the problem is that a child's fight-or-flight "danger" system often activates strong emotional centers before they are even completely aware of what is happening. Children with sensory processing disorders of one kind or another are particularly susceptible to this. Most children benefit from a combination of environmental changes, emotional scaffolding (and structured practice is recognizing and verbalizing emotions), and cognitive behavioral techniques. For some a small number of children, medication may be helpful.
As we add to these pages, we will bookmark helpful links on the Internet and favorite books we've found. The last few years have seen some very exciting advances in the area of emotional regulation in children.
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