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Quirky Kid Forum » Recent Topics http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Parenting and Child Psychology Forum en Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:53:13 +0000 elenai on "Children and non fiction books" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/children-and-non-fiction-books#post-123 Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:58:19 +0000 elenai 123@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ I would like some information regarding childrens ability to read and understand true facts as opposed to fantasy in books. At what age would that be ok and how can this affect their development and ability for decision making in the future. Would this for example encourage them to have their own voice, be able to make realistic and more mature decisons based on facts, more rational, more capable of handling emotional situations with calm and without fear. thankyou LEMG on "Asperger's and Empathy" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/aspergers-and-empathy#post-101 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 10:41:59 +0000 LEMG 101@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ My toddler has recently been diagnosed with Asperger's and I am struggling to understand what "lack of empathy" means exactly. It was not my impression that people with AS were cold, uncaring people. But it is hard to imagine how a person with no capacity to feel for another person could ever experience true compassion or genuinely care about someone else. In my reading, I came across this article, which made sense to me. In particular, this quote - "More generally speaking, our data shows that people with Asperger syndrome have a reduced ability to read other peoples’ social cues (such as facial expressions or body language) but once aware of another’s circumstances or feelings, they will have the same degree of compassion as anyone else." <a href="http://www.grasp.org/media/whocares.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.grasp.org/media/whocares.pdf</a> This made sense to me & I very much hope it to be true. Is it? singlemummy on "Social behavioural problems?" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/social-behavioural-problems#post-168 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:08:59 +0000 singlemummy 168@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ My daughter will be 4 in a few months. For the most part she is a bright, happy, social girl but she struggles with relationship boundaries and social behaviour problems. I am a single mum and my daughters father has never been in her life as we separated while i was in the late stages of my pregnancy. We have lived with my parents and my younger brother since she was born. She seems to struggle with the fact that she does not have a father figure in her life even though she has her poppy and uncle living with her. I try to explain that she is lucky to have a big family with lots of people that love her and that all families are different and don't necessarily have a mum and a dad. For the past year i have been struggling with trying to teach her about strangers and how to behave around people she does not know. She is not shy at all and if we are waiting at a bus stop or at a park she immediately starts a conversation with any adult she can, predominantly male ones, and proceeds to tell them about herself and wants to hold their hand or sit on their lap. I think this is obviously stemming from her lack of father figure but i am at a loss as to what to do about it. It is really embarrassing for me and normally for the stranger as well. If i try to get her to leave them alone she gets upset and goes into tantrum mode and says she is just being friendly. My countless attempts to teach her that this is not the way to behave are falling on deaf ears. She is also like this if we have visitors over and is completely dominating and in their face and not wanting to leave them alone. She is not an emotionally deprived child and her and i are very close and enjoy lots of cuddles and affection. She has been attending day care for 3-4 days per week since she was 12 months old why i have been going to uni and this year has just started a pre-kindy program 2 days per week instead of day care. I have put my studies on hold this year to spend more time with her before she goes to school. Any help or advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated! The whole family is becoming very frustrated with this behaviour to the point where i dread visitors coming over! mazizi on "Thumb sucking" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/thumb-sucking#post-163 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:34:30 +0000 mazizi 163@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, My Son has just turned 3 years old. He has been a thumb sucker since he was a baby and I never gave him a dummy. Initially he used his thumb to sooth himself, that is, when tired, when upset, when hungrey. He had grommets inserted in both ears in July 2010 and his adenoids were also removed, he was 2.5 years old. I am sure that I noticed an increase in his thumb sucking at this time, however, I may have noticed the increase in him sucking his thumb as I was also monitoring more closely what I believe was a speech delay, probably due to to him experiencing problems with his hearing prior to the grommets. I feel that the thumb sucking is increaseing with frequency and vigour both day and night. It often takes him having to do something or hold something for him not to such his thumb. Initially, I was concerned about the impact on his speech development given that he spends a lot of the day with his thumb in his mouth, but that concern is now secondary as he is wearing off the skin on his nose as he rubs another finger across his nose as he sucks his thumb. I am also concerned about the damage that he is doing to his jaw but that is not a priority to the skin break on his nose, which I am worried may eventually become infected and if the thumb sucking is hindering his speech development. In saying this, his speech has improved significantly since his grommets were inserted. My questions are as follow: 1. Could there be any reasons other than to sooth/comfort that my Son is sucking his thumb? 2. Other than the concerns I have outlined above, should I be concerned that my Son sucks his thumb because he feels insecure etc? 3. Are there any strategies that I can try to stop the behaviour or should I just ignore it and wait for him to stop when he is ready? Note: I have tried bandaging his thumbs (as he sucks both) trying not to restrict the mobility of his hands and figures, I remind him freqeuntly to stop sucking and I am now trying a product called thumb busters but I am still waiting on the second to arrive as he simply changed thumbs. Amy on "Masters programme help" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/masters-programme-help#post-141 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:31:20 +0000 Amy 141@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, I am wondering if you can help me. I completed my BA in education & psychology from Canterbury Uni in NZ. I had always planned to apply for the masters of child and family programme at Canterbury and to register as a child psychologist in the future. I am currently living & traveling in the UK, and have decided to study & settle in Australia instead of NZ. What is the process to becaming a child psychologist in Australia? IS the masters in a clinical programme? or is there a programme like the one in NZ? I have the time to study in the uk via distance learning, while I cross off the final countries from my travel list. I have seeked help from the Australian psychological society, and also contacted some Uni's in Australia. They were helpful, but I am very confused. Thank you for your time and help Amy Leo Rocker on "Co-Sleeping with Children" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/co-sleeping-with-children#post-130 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:14:50 +0000 Leo Rocker 130@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Recently we posted a fact sheet on co-sleeping with children: <a href="http://childpsychologist.com.au/resources/co-sleeping-with-children" rel="nofollow">http://childpsychologist.com.au/resources/co-sleeping-with-children</a> Co-sleeping can be a controversial topic as it involves personal preferences, cultural considerations and sometimes social aspects as well. For this reason we would like to welcome parents to share their stories and strategies here. This post will me moderated by Quirky Kid Staff. Jake Duke on "Transition to Secondary School" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/questions-regarding-my-assignment#post-121 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:53:33 +0000 Jake Duke 121@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi Kimberley, Thank you so much for your time and effort. Below I have attached information regarding my story and the questions I wish to have answered: My story is regarding the Queensland Government's plan to bring year 7 into high school by 2015. (Similiar to the NSW education system.) This plan comes as they have introduced a grade know as Prep, which students must complete before entering year 1. This will ultimately make students 1 year older in year 7. (13 - the current age of a year 8 student.) However, the government plans to trial the program in 2013 with normal year 7 children who have not completed prep. These kids will therefore only be 11-12 years old instead of 13 when moving into a high school environment. My story looks at some of the concerns around pushing such young children into an environment like this: So, my questions are: 1. Are students of that age too young to be in an environment they could share with 18 year olds? How much will being a year younger make a difference to these children's maturity and ability to handle the larger high school setting? 2. What are some of the possible effects such a premature transition can have on a young mind? Because, from personal experience, it is apparent that some of the things children are exposed to at high school school require a certain level of maturity and responsibility that these kids may not be ready for. 3. Does this raise concern about young children being bullied by older kids? If so, what effects does bullying have on such young minds? Also, feel free to make any other comments you find appropriate or contact me on 0430086412 if you have an queries. Also, please note that this is only an assignment. Regards, Jake Duke bh on "Caring arrangement- 20 month old" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/caring-arrangement-20-month-old#post-113 Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:18:07 +0000 bh 113@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, I am a separated Dad of a 20 month old son. His mother left close to 8 months ago and has refused letting my son stay overnight with me. We have had 2 mediations; at the first she agreed that after the 2nd mediation my son could stay overnight with me (his cot is still in his bedroom with me). She reneged on that agreement and has not indicated when my son can stay overnight with me. The current arrangement is that: • I pick my son up from his Mother's and take him to day care, my son is with me for just over an hour. I pack his lunch. • Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I pick him up from daycare at 4 PM. Feed him, bathe him and get him ready for bed and then drop him off at his Mum’s at 7 PM. • One day on the weekend I have my son from 8 AM to 5 PM. He sleeps in his cot for approx 2 hours, I manage to resettle him if he wakes in this time. I would like to have a shared care arrangement but his Mum does not believe our son should have 2 homes until he is old enough to choose. His mother has openly, in front of our son, has said she hates me. She regrets having a child with me. Some nasty stuff. I assume her bitterness towards me is driving her behaviour, but who knows. I have attempted 2 independent mediations and a letter to her lawyer to try to get to a more even arrangement, but to no avail. What is your view of children of this age and care arrangements? And how best is it to operate with an ex-partner that is very bitter? rachael2611 on "3 year old lacking indendence and language skills" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/3-year-old-lacking-indendence-and-language-skills#post-110 Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:34:26 +0000 rachael2611 110@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi All, I am a very worried Mum seeking some much needed advice. I am very concerned about my daughters development over the past 12 months. My ex and I seperated 12 months ago, when our daughter (A) was just hitting 2 years old. We have since had a 50% shared car arrangement. 7 days with me, 7 days with her Dad.. and so on. She has had been quite delayed with her speech over this time, so I have been taking her to a speech pathologist to see if we could get her some help. During our last pathology visit, her specialist told me that she thinks more of A's problem is her behaviour. The reason for this was because she was struggling to get A to sit still long enough to do the tasks she needed her to do. I find I have the same problem with her at home as well. I know this is a very common thing for children her age, and I am hoping with more practise she will master the art of paitence. The deepest concern I have is for another issue the specialist made me aware of.. A's lack of independence and lack of interest in being independent. The specialist said at the age of 3 (which A nearly is) she should be showing interest in wanting to do this for herself. Like dressing herself, feeding herself, learning to use the toilet etc. But A has shown NO interest in these kind of activities. I have tried many times over the past 12 months to get A toilet trained, but she gets upset if I am too persistant. I wouldn't consider A a naughty child, as she does as she is told most of the time and is generally polite in nature. She doesn't throw tantrums when she doesn't get her own way, but cries. I don't give in to her, I make her do as I am asking and she usually realises that she has no choice and goes and does the task. What I am wondering is, am I failing to do something critical to help A become independent? Is there a disorder associated with these developmental delays? Is there anything I can do to help her? Would regular childcare be of any benefit to her? (It makes it hard with the 50% care arrangement) I would be ever so grateful for ANY advice or opinions. Constructive critisism welcome!! Thankyou, Rachael jessieb on "Birth Order Interview Questions" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/birth-order-interview-questions#post-27 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:14:35 +0000 jessieb 27@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ I emailed the clinic, enquiring if a psychologist would be able to answer my interview questions for my independent research project, which focuses on birth order stereotypes: the youngest child. If a professional/expert in the field (i.e psychologist) would be able to answer these questions, and add any extra information if they can, it would be very much appreciated. 1. Do you believe that there is truth behind the concept of birth order? 2. Do you think that there is enough evidence to confirm the birth order theory? 3. Do you believe that personality is influenced by a persons birth order? Explain. 4. Do you believe that the stereotyped characteristics for the youngest child are relatively accurate? Explain. 5. Is birth order a major factor that influences child development? Explain. 6. Do you believe that the youngest child is a favourable position in a family? 7. From your experiences, what are the personality traits/characteristics of the youngest child in a family? Are these characteristics relevant to every last born child? Why Not? 8. Do you believe that the youngest child has any advantages/disadvantages over their siblings? List/Explain. 9. Do you believe that the youngest child has a different parenting style employed when they are being raised, compared to older siblings? 10. Do you believe that youngest children are put under additional pressures compared to older siblings? Explain. Thankyou for your time. Sincerely, Jessie jandemum on "Toddler disapline" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/toddler-disapline#post-91 Fri, 06 May 2011 21:56:40 +0000 jandemum 91@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, I have been separated from my ex for nearly 1 1/2 yrs now. My daughter was only just 1 and my son was 3yrs old. Both children dealt with the leave very well. (my ex was away for work 50% of the year) so their worlds did not change a great deal other than a new house. In the last couple of weeks my now 2-1/2 yr old has started crying out for her father if she is trouble. For example- she hit her brother during an arguement. I placed her in the naughty corner where she became upset and started crying for her father. This is someone who she would not mention for weeks on end, and if he is home she see's once a fortnight. Where has this come from and how should I deal with it??? I am stuck in that my intial response is to say he isn't here, and can't help her, but this doesn't sound great fpr a 2yr old. Help please EllieBiles on "Children and sex" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/children-and-sex#post-105 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:35:07 +0000 EllieBiles 105@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, My name is Ellie Biles and I am a Journalism student from the University of Technology Sydney. I am writing a story about the relationship between children and sex portrayed through the media and influences such as child beauty pageants. It would be great if it is at all possible for someone with experience on the issue to perhaps answer three quick questions for me. As I am working to a deadline it would be great if you could get back to me as soon as possible Q1. How does being subjected to sex at a young age through society and the media effect a child later on in life? Q2. Do you believe child beauty pageants are damaging to children and their self-esteem? Q3. How can parents retain their child's innocence and protect them from being introduced to sex too early on in their development? Aylish on "Psychological effects of obesity on children" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/psychological-effects-of-obesity-on-children#post-102 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:39:00 +0000 Aylish 102@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ hello, I am Aylish Nelligan and for my year 12 child studies assignment i am investigating the psychologial effects obesity has on children in schools i was wondering if i would be able to ask a few questions? sorry if they are not very clear. is it true the obese children are more likely to develop diseases such as OCD? Do obese children have low confidence? Is there a link between obese children and their ability to perform in the classroom? thankyou, Aylish prissieandrea on "TIGER PARENTING PHENOMENON" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/tiger-parenting-phenomenon#post-98 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:00:14 +0000 prissieandrea 98@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hello, I am currently in the process of completing my HSC and as part of the completion I must complete a major work known as the Personal Interest Project (aka 'PIP'). For my PIP I have chosen to do a study into the comparison between Tiger Parenting and Western Parenting and how the different styles affect the parent-child relationship in relation to the child's academic and extra-curricular performance. It would be extremely helpful if I got some feedback from a professional's perspective on the topic. Before I proceed into the the questions I will give a brief definition of what a 'Tiger Parent' is, so that more clarity will come about when answering the questions. Tiger parents are strict parents who demand excellence in academics (and other extra-curricular activities) from their children. It would be great if you could please answer these three questions: 1) Do you think that the ‘Tiger parenting’ style of parenting is affective? 2) Why do you think parents ‘pressure’ their children to perform well in school and/or in your extra-curricular activities 3) What are your views on parents putting pressure on their children and how would it affect their relationship with their children? Thank you for your time and responses. Andrea Kitong AllyKat on "Child Psychologist" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/child-psychologist#post-88 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:33:58 +0000 AllyKat 88@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ I am doing a research paper on child psychologists and their experience compared with the information I have learned in my Child Psyc class, and have a few questions for someone in the field… What made your decide to work with children? What qualifications have you received in becoming a child psychologist? Can you describe the theoretical applications used in your work, and their impact on the population? What types of cases have you recently been working on? What has been your most trying case? What is a typical case for you and what is your process for working them? Any particularly noteworthy experiences? Maddie on "Families with autistic children." http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/families-with-autistic-children#post-90 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:01:31 +0000 Maddie 90@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ I'm currently completing a year 12 assessment on 'How having an autistic child affects the socioemotional wellbing of a family' and I was wondering if I could ask a few questions; - Do you find that relationships form differently or change after having a child with autism, if yes, how? - What are the biggest problems experienced by families with autistic children? i.e. money, schooling, emotional strain. -What is the effect on the whole family of having an autistic child emotionally? Thank you, Maddie. Katherine on "The impact of tecnology on children's creativity" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/the-impact-of-tecnology-on-childrens-creativity#post-93 Wed, 11 May 2011 17:30:29 +0000 Katherine 93@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi there, Kimberley O’Brien recently discussed the impact of technology on children's creativity. It certainly sparked some interesting discussions about the benefits of pen and paper learning versus computer-based learning. You can read the article by visiting the Daily Telegraph online: <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/technology-put-kids-at-risk/story-fn6b3v4f-1226052774583" rel="nofollow">http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/technology-put-kids-at-risk/story-fn6b3v4f-1226052774583</a> A similar article can be found on the Sky News website: <a href="http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=610817&vId=" rel="nofollow">http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=610817&vId=</a> and also Nine MSN: <a href="http://news.ninemsn.com.au/mobile/national/8246891/technology-may-stunt-development-report?_sp=2045&_s=f971d3b2-9118-4cb3-b1f1-f2244ac74292" rel="nofollow">http://news.ninemsn.com.au/mobile/national/8246891/technology-may-stunt-development-report?_sp=2045&_s=f971d3b2-9118-4cb3-b1f1-f2244ac74292</a> While technology has many benefits for a child's learning, parents and teachers should ensure adequate handwriting skills are developed especially by the ages 8-10. What is your opinion about the benefits of the more traditional styles of writing compared with word processors, and how do you feel it is impacting on children's creativity? Leo Rocker on "How to become a child psychologist" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/how-to-become-a-child-psychologist#post-5 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:46:06 +0000 Leo Rocker 5@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ One of the common questions we are asked here at the Quirky kid Clinic is “How do I become a child psychologist?” Kimberley O’Brien, our principal child psychologist replies to all these questions personally, however, we now using these forums to avoid repeats and use our time more effectively. I will post a series of questions and answers as replied by Kimberley on her Sydney Morning Herald radar blog. If you have any input or suggestion, please reply to each individual post. troy74 on "Custody/visitation between two countries" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/custodyvisitation-between-two-countries#post-85 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:15:08 +0000 troy74 85@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ hi there any help/advice would be greatly appreciated in this situation. IN 2009 my Swedish UK resident wife of two years left in the middle night while 7 months pregnant and returned to her home town in Sweden, her reason being I was emotionally abusing her (I believe she was suffering from anti-natal depression and according to her friends and research it does seem the case) , for whatever reason she remained in Sweden and since my son has been born I have traveled to Sweden as much possible in attempt or be a father in his life. In April 2010 she said she wanted a divorce and to have sole custody of my son, all the legal stuff falls under Swedish jurisdiction and so I have travel to sweden for court hearings as well. My wife's lawyer has been trying to negotiate an 'out of court' settlement for custody in order for me to agree for my wife to sole custody, currently it looks like I will get to visit my son every 6 weeks and have 4 days unsupervised visitation with him plus when back in the UK I can one 15 minute skype call per week. My son is currently 19 months old. MY question is - with 6 week interval visits and one skype call a week, will my son know who I am ? is it enough time for now to establish a relationship, I'm not sure my ex encourages a relationship outside this schedule despite video uploads and presents I send my son , my wife's lawyer is trying to convince me that this is enough contact due to his age , I will be seeing a lawyer soon but I just wanted maybe some advice from experience , my fear is that this isn't enough contact and with my wife having another partner, my son will be confused etc. I have no intention to disrupt my wife's life , I have no animosity towards her or jelously etc other than when she hinders my time with my son and all I want is to have good regular contact with my son and in the future him to be able to come to the uk. If someone who has a similar experience feels this is an ok arrangement to have then I'll feel reassured , I did ask my wife's lawyer for more visitation time such as putting my son to bed and reading him a story and an extra skype call per week but it was denied so have now had to get a lawyer as thought this wasn't unreasonable, especially since these are requirements for me agreeing to her having sole custody, it seems my wife's lawyer wants me to agree to sole custody on their terms? so any advice from experience regards contact with mys on is greatly appreciated thanks SarahS on "Children and illness" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/children-and-illness#post-83 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:41:17 +0000 SarahS 83@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ I have a nearly five year old and a four month old, and have just been told I have cancer and need radical surgery. While we haven't explicitly told our five year old, she knows 'mummy's got a sore tummy' and we have started traveling to Melbourne. I thought she was fine, however in the last week she has started weeing on the floor and being difficult and 'fragile' if she doesn't get her own way at kinder. This is all very out of character for her, and I'm concerned that the next few months are going to be hard enough for her with a new brother, my mother moving in with us, and my recovery. I would be really grateful for any advice, resources or reading material that might give me a way of helping her cope with the difficult few months ahead. Thanks. Intrepid2608 on "High Conflict between Separated Parents" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/high-conflict-between-separated-parents#post-79 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:59:07 +0000 Intrepid2608 79@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, My ex-parter and I have been separated for 8 years. Our children are 11 and 13 and we have a 50-50 custody arrangement. My ex is vilifying me in front of the children and lying to them about negotiations regarding contact arrangements made between us and this is causing the children not only great stress but also creating the situation whereby the children's previously stated intentions of spending time with me are changed. How do you handle this? I know that the common advice is not to talk about the other parent in front of the kids but when the other parent is abusing you and manipulating the kids to such an extent how is it that I can just stand by and say nothing? This situation is made worse by me currently being in another country for work for the last 2 months. lawreyjean on "Where to buy WISC-IV from?" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/where-to-buy-wisc-iv-from#post-76 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:54:08 +0000 lawreyjean 76@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi Kimberley, for my private practice, I need to buy WISC-IV to assess children's IQ. Can you please suggest where to buy it from? Also, what issues should I consider when buying it? its quite expensive. Thanks, Jean Anonymous on "Interview with a Third Culture Kid" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/interview-with-a-third-culture-kid#post-42 Thu, 27 May 2010 12:58:45 +0000 Anonymous 42@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Karina is a nineteen year old half British, quarter Chinese, quarter Filipino girl who has lived in Hong Kong for most of her life. She has recently graduated from an International School there, and I asked her a few questions over facebook about her experience.* Paris: "Where do you feel like home is? Do you feel like you have a home?" Karina: Well I really feel like my home is Hong Kong as it's so mixed in culture, has its own type of humour and has moulded my personality. I've never really felt completely British, or Chinese or Filipino because I don't speak both Asian languages fluently and the humour is so different for each culture. Paris: Do you think growing up in HK has given you advantages over British kids who have lived in England their whole lives? Karina: Well yeah because HK carries traditional values and is competitive, and competition is something that everyone in HK has. Education is so important in HK, being the best etcetera and it’s so fast paced that people are always grabbing opportunities. For example, young high school kids are already organizing charity events and fashion shows. They're very driven at a young age and because HK has resources to help the youth, it helps. Paris: Do you think you'll ever go live in the UK? Karina: No. I don't feel British. Paris: Have you lived in HK your whole life? Karina: Yes. When I was in high school it was mainly Asian students and I never really felt I could fit in with either Asian crowd or western crowd. *Some minor alterations to spelling from the original facebook interview appear. Third Culture Kids and Global Nomads Sites to look at: <a href="http://www.tckid.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.tckid.com/</a> <a href="http://www.denizen-mag.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.denizen-mag.com/</a> <a href="http://www.ori-and-ricki.net/english.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.ori-and-ricki.net/english.html</a> These websites may help your own Third Culture Kid or Global Nomad to feel less isolated. Joanne Dodo Holloway on "Separated Parents" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/separated-parents#post-69 Wed, 27 Oct 2010 02:18:24 +0000 Joanne Dodo Holloway 69@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi! I'm looking for other people's perspectives, thoughts, etc. on an issue I am currently having with my ex-husband. My 9 year old son spends every other weekend with his father. He travels 3 hours each way to be with his father. To date I have tended to be flexible with the arrangements believing that my son's relationship with his dad to be important. So when his father decides to not have our son for a weekend because he has friends over from interstate or he is going on a "trip", I comply. I voice my opinions but still comply. I leave it up to my ex to explain the situation as is requested. This year my son has the opportunity to spend 26th December until 2nd January with his three cousins and uncle. He last saw them October 2009 when they were over for my father's funeral (not a very happy occasion). My ex is not happy with this as his weekend falls on New Year. I have offered to let our son spend Christmas with his dad instead of New Year. My ex claims he is unable to change his work roster to cater to this option. I offered to holiday in his part of Tasmania with our son and his cousins so that he could see him. My ex declined this stating that he did not want to see our son and his cousins together. In the past my ex has given up spending Christmas and New Year with our son so that he could travel interstate to be with his family and attend a conference (not work related). I discussed the options for the Christmas/New Year period with our son. Explaining that he was more than welcome to divide the time between his cousins and he father and that his cousins would understand as they are in the same situation. My son insisted that he wanted to spend the entire time with his cousins. My son brought up the times that his dad had chosen to spend his weekends away and also the Christmas his dad decided to spend interstate. My son asked me to communicate his wishes to his dad and to try to make his dad understand. I did this and now my ex is saying that I was wrong to discuss this issue with our son. Stating that he is too young to understand the values and implications of such a decision. He is cross that I have placed our son in this position. These comments are coming from a man that insisted our son choose each fortnight if he wanted to visit with his father. His father is also of the opinion that our son is old enough to stay at home by himself whilst he goes out for a massage. I'm not sure what I am looking for here ... perhaps the opinions of others and what they would or would not have done in the same situation. Maybe I'm looking for peoples thoughts on whether my son is old enough to be included in this decision about Christmas ... My ex is getting quite nasty about the whole situation ... I'm lost at what to do next ... any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! mavp on "Prolonged Absence" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/prolonged-absence#post-63 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:58:27 +0000 mavp 63@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi everyone, I am hoping to gain some general advice to help me make a decision. I have an opportunity to move interstate and earn some better money which means I will not be able to see my 3.5 yr old for up to ten weeks at a time. I was wondering how this might impact on her. The money will allow me to provide a home and future security for my daughter and I. Any advice, suggestions are welcome as this is the one factor holding me back. Thanks. lawreyjean on "gain confidence in private practice" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/gain-confidence-in-private-practice#post-61 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:17:44 +0000 lawreyjean 61@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ hello, i'm a registered psychologist but currently don't see clients. this is mainly because i don't have enough confidence. please guide me how can i build confidence in this regard. nataliedudukovic on "MENTAL ILLNESS" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/mental-illness#post-60 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:13:44 +0000 nataliedudukovic 60@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, i'm Natalie and i am currently doing my Diploma in Childcare and i'm doing a presentation regarding mental illness i have a question and it'd be most helpful for my presentation if you could please answer it? its: 1. how do practitioners manage children with this illness in early childhood setting. i'd prefer if you could please email me the answer. thankyou alot. kkirby on "Twins" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/twins#post-58 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:37:29 +0000 kkirby 58@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, My name is Kaila Kirby, I'm a Year 12 Student from Wilderness School, South Australia. As a part of my subject for Early Childhood Studies I have an assignment (Special Study) and I've chosen to investigate if 'Its a challenge for twins to develop their own identity'. I was hoping you might be able to answer the questions below. 1.Do you see evidence of twins having identity problems? Please Explain 2.What suggestions/methods do you use to encourage twins to establish their own identities? 3.How do you advise parents to assist with the development of individual identities of their twins? Please Explain Thanks Leo Rocker on "Childhood Independence - What are the parents perspective?" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/childhood-independence-what-are-the-parents-perspective#post-23 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:58:11 +0000 Leo Rocker 23@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Recently, we have posted a resource page discussing child independence. <a href="http://childpsychologist.com.au/resources/childhood-independence" rel="nofollow">http://childpsychologist.com.au/resources/childhood-independence</a>. This was a very popular post, especially with the North American readers. Some parents have raised questions saying our recommendations were too conservative. Now, we would like to ask your opinion. How do you deal with your children independence? apple blossom 8 on "Teddy Bear" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/teddy-bear#post-44 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:18:43 +0000 apple blossom 8 44@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ I am a senior high school student doing a project on the teddy bear. Does anyone know how it has affected us psychologically? ie, in our mental development? How do psychologists use the teddy with children? And so on. I hope someone can answer my questions before Monday 7th June as my project is due then. Thanks!! Anonymous on "The 'Write' Path" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/the-write-path#post-40 Thu, 13 May 2010 14:21:30 +0000 Anonymous 40@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ I just recently posted my first piece up on the Quirky Kid website about getting children to write, and what benefits there are. I spoke with Kimberley O'Brien who is the principal child psychologist at the clinic and we discussed how writing not only provides a healthy sharing of ideas between family members, but also that writing provides a great outlet for self-expression and may mean that a child suffers less emotional angst because they have a tool to express themself. I also provided some tips to get children writing, such as getting them to keep a journal, writing letters, or getting your child to enter writing competitions that I gathered from interesting sources. Here is the post link: <a href="http://childpsychologist.com.au/resources/kids-writing" rel="nofollow">http://childpsychologist.com.au/resources/kids-writing</a> Below are some links I compiled of upcoming writing competitions you may want to encourage your child to participate: Australia wide competitions The ABC “Australian Word Map” competition An ABC run competition with the aim to get kids to include regionalism’s, words which are region specific to create a word map. With prizes to be won. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/wordmap/competitions/kids_comp.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.abc.net.au/wordmap/competitions/kids_comp.htm</a> NSW Competitions writenow! This is a competition run by the Sydney Morning Herald for students in NSW or ACT in years 7, 8 & 9 and must choose one of three story starters provided to continue the narrative. Maxamine 1000 words <a href="http://www.swf.org.au/writenow-competition/" rel="nofollow">http://www.swf.org.au/writenow-competition/</a> Young writer of the year award This competition is for young people between years 10-12 at school and up to 21 years of age. For this competition entrants need to incorporate the word trigger provided by the Sydney Morning Herald. This year, the trigger word is “Silver.” <a href="http://www.youngwriter.smh.com.au/" rel="nofollow">http://www.youngwriter.smh.com.au/</a> Entries close 25th June WA Competitions The Tim Winton Award for Young Writers The award is open to all students between the ages of five and eighteen in the Perth metropolitan area. <a href="http://www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/template.asp?navSelect=15&mainNavID=15&pageRecID=35" rel="nofollow">http://www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/template.asp?navSelect=15&mainNavID=15&pageRecID=35</a> Competition closes 30th of May 2010 The Randolph Stow Young Writers Award Available to kids in the mid-western regions of Western Australia, there are different competitions for children aged between year 4 and year 12. <a href="http://www.alia.org.au/awards/merit/randolph.stow/" rel="nofollow">http://www.alia.org.au/awards/merit/randolph.stow/</a> Submission date is no later than July 4th 2010. Make Your Own Story Book Competition This competition is organised by the Children's Book Council of Australia (WA Branch) annually and involves school children creating a picture or story book of their own. There are no word limits and is open to children between year 1 and year 8. <a href="http://wa.cbca.org.au/wamyosb.htm" rel="nofollow">http://wa.cbca.org.au/wamyosb.htm</a> Competition closes the 4th of June 2010 If you have any of your own tips that you would like to share on how to get children writing, or if you have found any other great writing competitions for children, please feel free to share them with us below, especially as I found it difficult to find local writing competitions for some of the states. Anonymous on "Young children, desig and behaviour" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/yr-12-student-project#post-38 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:02:27 +0000 Anonymous 38@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi, I am a year 12 student doing Design & Technology. For my Major Design Project I will be designing a kit to encourage 4 year olds to brush their teeth regularly. It would be greatly appreciated if you could respond to my questions. 1. I would like to include an encouragement component which uses a reward system e.g. a sticker chart. could you please advise whether this will be an effective system in modifying bad habits & encouraging the children to brush their teeth? 2. My research has identified that 4 year olds respond to action hereos and fairytale heroines. Can you please confirm that this would be an appropriate statedgy to include in the kit. 3. How important are the use of illustrations, colour, shape and texture in getting a young child to repond to encouragment? 4. As a pyschologist what would you suggest should go into this encouragment kit? Thankyou so much for taking the time to answer my Questions! Leo Rocker on "Getting Children to Eat Their Veggies" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/getting-children-to-eat-their-veggies#post-24 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:12:20 +0000 Leo Rocker 24@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ We recently published a post with strategies on 'getting children to eat veggies. Now we invite you to share you own strategies and discuss what work and what does not with other parents here at 'Huddle'. The link to the fact sheet is here: <a href="http://childpsychologist.com.au/resources/getting-children-to-eat-their-veggies" rel="nofollow">http://childpsychologist.com.au/resources/getting-children-to-eat-their-veggies</a> Leo Rocker on "Quirky Kid Workshops (Children)" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/quirky-kid-workshops-children#post-33 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:07:43 +0000 Leo Rocker 33@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Q) Do parents attend to workshops with their Children? A) We have children, parents and professional workshops. Most of the children workshops are only for children. Parents receive a written feedback at the end of the session, usually, within a week of the workshop. There are some workshops that parent and child may attend, like the "Sort it Out", for example. Q) Do you provide feedback after the workshops? A) Yes. We provide a brief written feedback after each workshop. They are posted to parents within 10 days of completing the Quirky Kid workshops. We do not provide verbal feedback on the day, however, parents can book additional time with the facilitator would they wish to have further or more personalised feedback. Q) My child has been diagnosed with an ASD, can she/he attend to your workshops? A) Children diagnosed with an ASD are required to attend to an individual session before registering to a Quirky Kid Workshop. Most of our workshops are only 2 hours in duration and not designed for a child with an ASD. There are, however, more appropriated programs like 'The Best of Friends in Schools' that offer a better structure. One of our Child Psychologist , in consultation with the parent, develop the most suitable intervention to each the child and this may include a workshop, Q) My child can not attend to the workshop, do you offer a refund? A) No. Workshop registration are non-refundable. Groups are for a maximum of 4 participants and preparation starts days in advance. Therefore, we apologise and empathise but are not able to offer you with a refund. Leo Rocker on "Professional dilemmas" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/professional-dilemmas#post-32 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:06:21 +0000 Leo Rocker 32@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ ; melali on "Information needed on twins" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/information-needed-on-twins#post-26 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:10:57 +0000 melali 26@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Hi. Im doing a year 12 assignment on twins. My topic involves exploring the factors contributing to loss of identity in twins. What aspects in a twins life impacts on their feelings of an identity loss? Do they differ between male and female twins? Leo Rocker on "Schooling across generations" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/schooling-across-generations#post-25 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:01:12 +0000 Leo Rocker 25@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Recently, Kimberley O'Brien, our principal child psychologist, discussed changes in the school experience across generations with Lottie Barr from Voyeur, Virgin Blue's in-flight magazine. The article was really interesting but we would like to know more about your experience as well as your children. You can read the story on your next Virgin flight or online from page 30 at: <a href="http://childpsychologist.com.au/appearances/school-experiences-voyeur-magazine" rel="nofollow">http://childpsychologist.com.au/appearances/school-experiences-voyeur-magazine</a> Let us know your opnion. Leo Rocker on "We will start soon" http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/topic/we-will-start-soon#post-4 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:44:50 +0000 Leo Rocker 4@http://childpsychologist.com.au/forum/ Dear forum user, Thank you for your patience. We will be starting very soon. In the mean time if you have topic ideas please email me at <a href="mailto:info@quirkykid.com.au">info@quirkykid.com.au</a>. Warm regards Leonardo Rocker