Parents Zone

Written by: The Educational Psychologist Team of the Heep Hong Society For parents, explaining their child’s autism to others can feel like reopening a wound. They fear not only the lack of support from friends and family, but also the potential for misunderstanding or discrimination. So, how should parents approach this with their relatives and friends? Understanding the causes of autism is crucial. When explaining to friends and family, parents must first clarify that the cause of autism is not related to parental neglect or overindulgence. Autism is associated with abnormal brain development, which affects the child’s communication skills, thinking and behavior patterns, as well as their ability to understand the thoughts and actions of others.

撰文︰遊戲治療師馮祉禧 小一的子峰上廁所一段時間還未回來，老師便派男班長到廁所看看。過了一會兒，班長上氣不接下氣地跑回來，說：「整個廁所都濕透了！」於是，老師便親自查個究竟。到了洗手間，老師只見一片澤國，全地都是水和泡，而子峰正在其中一個洗手盤「洗手」。老師問：「你在做甚麼？」他答：「洗手和看看為甚麼有泡泡。」老師為免釀成危險，阻止了子峰的行為。 子峰就是一個滿有好奇心的孩子，但每次他的好奇總為其他人和自己造成一些不便。他喜歡凡事都會查問，更喜歡凡事都會作出嘗試。有一次，他為了試一試自己能否穿過椅背上的洞，把頭困了在那洞之中約一小時，之後工友用工具把椅子折開，他才能成功脫身。雖然他擁有無數可怕的經驗，但還未有令他卻步。老師們都感到束手無策，因為子峰不是壞學生，單靠懲罰是徒然的，還是要想想其他辨法。 「淘氣」 多面睇 以「淘氣」來形容子峰的性格可算最為合適，而這性格也在兒童之中十分普遍，只是程度有所不同。甚麼是「淘氣」呢？我們很容易聯想到「曳」或頑皮等的字眼，大多都帶著貶義。可是，從正面的角度出發，淘氣也可以有很多好處。首先，不難發現淘氣的小孩是很愛玩的，他們無時無刻都擁有玩的動機，而這些動機往往都是來自他們的好奇心。他們透過不同的方法去滿足自己的好奇想法，有時侯他們更不理會後果和限制，親身嘗試探究解答疑難。其次，大部分「淘氣」的小朋友都有些小聰明，比別人更識玩，所以他們會以各種途徑發揮創意，想出神奇的方法去玩。綜合以上，「淘氣」可說是好奇和創意的混合，只是使用時未有適當的控制才會過界闖禍。 如果身邊有一個「淘氣鬼」可以怎樣做？ 一丶放鬆心情 淘氣的孩子很容易令身邊的照顧者變得神經緊張，因他們所做的總是出其不意的，有時更令人感到尷尬。我們要明白淘氣是孩子其中一種本性，他們正在經歷學習的過程，我們要耐心地配合他們的成長速度，避免因為自己的面子而抑壓孩子的成長。 二丶制定界線 淘氣的孩子因缺乏界線概念，而常常越界。我們可跟他們約法三章，並切實執行。這樣既能確保孩子的自身安全，建立他們對規限的概念。 三、滿足好奇心 為了對症下藥，我們必需滿足他們的好奇心。方法是教導他們思考和找出答案的途經。例如，父母可教導他們透過閲讀找出答案，或帶他們到大自然訓練觀察力，這都可幫助他們面對將來遇上的難題。

Source : Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Chiu Shi Cheung   Many children today spend a lot of time looking at computers, phones, or reading, which can strain their eyes. There are some acupoint massages that can help children relieve eye strain.   The first acupoint we’ll introduce is the “Zan Chuk” point. It’s located at the very front end of the eyebrows, about half an inch downward, at the corner of the eye socket. Another acupoint is called the “Jing Ming” point. It’s located at the side of the nasal bridge, right in the middle between the two eyes, near the inner edge of each eye. The third point is the “Si Pak” point, which is about

Written by:Dr. Wilbert Law, an assistant professor in the psychology department at Hong Kong University of Education and a registered educational psychologist.   How do parents react when their children coax and pamper them, ask for different things,  or play with them in a baby-like voice? Do you think children are troublesome? Or do you feel that your child is just messing around, doing nothing serious? But why will children pamper? Research has shown that adults are particularly sensitive to the sound of pampering, so it is easier to catch their attention. It is possible that the child is pampering his parents because he needs your attention at that moment. Sometimes adults are so busy with their

Source: Senior Dietitian, Ng Yiu Fun Many parents ask me, “Does my child need to take supplements?” For example, would fish oil or DHA be better for him? I have children myself, and I don’t let them take any supplements. But some parents say, “Is it really smarter to take supplements?” In fact, if you have a balanced diet, you don’t need any supplements. Why? For example, if you take too much fish oil, it will have an excessive blood-thinning effect, and you will easily bleed out. So we say that if you take too much fish oil, it may not be good for your child. We may have to figure out how to add a

Written by: Doctor Cheung Kit If a child is seriously ill, I think the parents’ suffering is also significant. This is because, in addition to taking the child to see a doctor and taking time off to care for the child, they also worry about giving the child medication. Therefore, the real battle often begins after returning home from the doctor. There is a systematic approach to administering medication to children, and parents can learn how to do it. First, the initial form of medication that children encounter is liquid. Liquid medication can be divided into two types: solution and suspension. The former is a watery preparation, often containing a small amount of alcohol, while the

Source: Psychotherapist, Lee Wai Tong The parents begin feeding the baby milk and gradually introduce paste from the time the baby is born. Then children can start to hold their own utensils and eat on their own, one bite at a time while watching them grow up. But when the children reach the age of 6 to 7, they will suddenly ask their parents to feed them. What is the reason for this? How can this be resolved? Whenever children grow up, their parents are happy, especially when their children eat. In the past, they had to be fed by their parents, but later they learned to use utensils and eat by themselves, which was originally