May our new academic year be beneficial and auspicious for all of us.
I would like to share some things about the points that parents should pay particular attention to in this period.
– Accompany your children to school preferably on the first day of school, maximum the first two days. After handing it over to the class teacher, give information about how and by whom it will be brought home and leave. Seek professional help from a child psychiatrist for “separation anxiety disorder” or “school phobia” if she has trouble separating from you, cries for a long time, or doesn’t want to go to school.
-After letting your child come home from school to rest for a while, have his/her bag open and review together what you did at school. Encourage him for his effort. The discipline of doing homework is gained in the first few years. In this respect, support him to start doing homework in the first years, while sitting next to him and giving direction.
-Sleep hours need to be regulated with the school period. Clarify the hospitalization time with a joint decision as parents. Be firm and consistent in this matter.
– Limit the use of electronic games and computers from this age on. Do not allow the use of tablets for the week except for homework purposes. Limit computer games to no more than two hours on weekends only.
-Follow your child’s harmony with their friends. If there is a persistent problem with this, seek professional help from a child psychiatrist.
-Follow your child’s learning, ability to concentrate. If he is behind his peers academically, seek professional support from a child psychiatrist in terms of “learning disorder”, “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”.
– If there are persistent pronunciation and/or speech disorders, seek professional help by consulting a child psychiatrist.
-At this age, obsessions, some obsessive behaviors or tics may appear meaninglessly. It is very important to get psychiatric support in terms of “obsessive compulsive disorder” and “tic disorder” if these are at a level that will hinder your child’s quality of life and functionality.
-Elementary school age is the age to discover your child’s talents and interests. Make the most of this process, which is the period of testing sports activities and instrument use.
It should be kept in mind that the period between the ages of five and nine is very important for the acquisition of many skills and the development of intelligence, and in case of problems, they should be intervened as soon as possible.
Assist. Assoc. Dr. Neslim G. Doksat
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
