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The current events can cause children to be anxious and leave them with a lot of questions. Dr. Amy Bailey shares tips for navigating COVID-19 conversations with your child.

A message to families from our founder, occupational therapist Nannette Wicker-Essick.

“Let your children think of their own boundaries, not only in how to take a selfie but also in how they prioritise social media. Talk about perfection (made through filters and apps) and reality.” (Lenneke van Nes, Clinical Psychologist)

“It is important to realise that mental illness is not a sign of a weak personality. Many mental health difficulties are the result of neurobiological differences and/or adverse childhood events that have caused a significant psychological impact on the child.” Dr Adrian Harrison

“It is expected for children to request many expensive gifts from their parents. They are marketed in a way that children could easily feel they are missing out on something by not having these items,” Dr Bene Katabua, educational psychologist at KidsFirst Medical Centre, told Khaleej Times.

Dr Amy Bailey, clinical psychologist and head of psychology at KidsFirst Medical Centre in Dubai, said: “Teenagers may not understand the ‘falseness’ of what can be portrayed by others on social media sites. Therefore they perceive themselves and their own lives in a negative light. This can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression.”

According to Mayssoun Jaber, clinical manager, speech and language therapist at kidsFIRST Medical Center in Dubai, ‘Exposing children to two languages or more at a younger age provides a cognitive boost, helping establish better problem-solving skills.’

“If you look at a typical playground from the age of four years and up, most children will be found playing with same sex peers. This is a phenomenon that is found around the world and seemingly occurs quite naturally.” Dr. Amy Bailey, Clinical Psychologist

“As parents, we need to be mindful of when and how we ask questions. For example, asking a child a direct question once they have had a chance to relax is often more fruitful.” Dr Adrian Harrison, educational and child psychologist

“Distracted parenting syndrome is when a parent is consistently disengaged from their child for a sustained period of time even whilst in the presence of their child,” explains Amy Bailey, clinical psychologist and head of psychology at kidsFIRST Medical Center, Dubai.

kidsFIRST occupational therapist, Alaa Sarrtawi, shares the value and important of occupational therapy in helping children reach their goals (starting at 30:00).

We all know the five basic senses (the sense of vision, taste, touch, smell and hearing), but how aware are parents that there are a whole lot more?

Dr Adrian Harrison, Psychologist at kidsFIRST Medical Center: “Parents often experience an unwanted behavioural response such as tantrums, crying, aggression, sulking, swearing, when the item of strong connection (device) is withdrawn.”

Dr Adrian Harrison, psychologist at KidsFIRST Medical Center, agrees, adding that we’re letting technology rule our lives without realising: “Sometimes I think it’s the implicit cues…”

Opinion is divided. One camp argues that some children just have an ability to perform better than their peers, while others say most people can reach high standards of performance with practice. We speak to Dr. Adrian Harrison, Child & Educational Psychologist at Kids First Medical Centre.  

“Positive parenting can reduce impact of financial family strain.” Dr Amy Bailey, Clinical Psychologist and Head of Psychology, kidsFIRST Medical Centre

We discussed behaviour – from the toddler to the teen. How do you diffuse the drama? Siobhan Leyden is joined by Therese Sequeira Parent Educator based at kidsFIRST Medical Center.

ADHD is one of those things that in my experience – especially in Dubai – gets overdiagnosed. A lot of ADHD symptoms are symptoms many people can have, but it doesn’t mean they all have ADHD. Razmin Shah,  

Children who are bullied are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. Dr Amy Bailey (Clinical psychologist and head of psychology kidsFIRST Medical Center, Dubai)

هناك أسباب عدة وراء تأخر النطق عند الطفل، منها مشكلة في السمع، أوعندما لا يحاور الأهل الطفل كما يجب، اما اللفظ فتتفاوت المشاكل من عيوب خفيفة إلى حادة.ففي بعض الحالات يصعب فهم كلام الطفل ومن ناحية أخرى يعاني الطفل معاناة شديدة

“Claire (Whitehead) – As a rule of thumb, if the child is not talking or has minimal interaction by the age of two years, parents should seek the opinion of a professional.”

“…too little sleep will affect a child’s concentration, memory and accuracy and there, negatively impact performance.” – Esra Uzsayilir

“Dr Adrian Harrison is a psychologist at kidsFIRST Medical Center in Khalifa City. He says a little bit of staging can go a long way to easing your little one into school life.”

“Parents, educators and health professionals need to be aware of and knowledgeable about the conversations and concerns that children are having.”

Video (in Arabic) about the importance of play for children’s development from kidsFIRST Speech and Language Therapist, Souad Mouawad, with Omo Arabia.

Dr Amy Bailey, a clinical psychologist in Dubai, explains that these gender-stereotypical parenting practices arise because people have a desire for their children to fit in and be accepted in society.

Dr Sonia Singhal, a psychologist at Family First Medical Centre in Dubai, said: “A parent’s depression can have a significant negative impact on a child’s emotional, behavioural, academic and social development.

Javier Arguello, Founder and Executive Director of COGx, talks about the latest buzzword in teaching – STEMpathy. He says schools must teach both science…

James Mullan, Co-Founder of WhichSchoolAdvisor and SchoolsCompared, and Cheryl Pickering, Head of Schools at KidsFirst, are back to talk about special needs in schools.

Adolescence can be an extremely tumultuous period for children and parents. Often, it can feel like your once loving and affectionate child suddenly wants nothing to do with you.