About Emotional Disabilities

Emotional disabilities tend to affect children the most. A person who is emotionally disabled may become emotionally distressed from a chemical imbalance within the body. Behaviors that are brought on by this disability include mood swings, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems. The condition can make it difficult for a child to succeed in school or function in normal life. Children who suffer from autism or bipolar disorder also suffer with emotional disabilities. These children are often placed in special education programs when they enter public school.

How Is A Diagnosis Made?

• The degree of the emotional disability can vary. Not all children are adversely affected. Some children only have a mild form of emotional distress. A psychiatrist often makes a diagnosis based on the child's behavior along with other tests. Various things are looked at such as the child's social behavior, attitude, educational performance, social skills and behaviors, such as aggression or anxiety.

Effects

• Emotional disabilities affect the person who suffers and family and friends who deal with the behaviors on a daily basis. Many families who deal with extreme forms of emotional disability often suffer with depression and anxiety. Parents can become overwhelmed because they never know what to expect. Their efforts may not pay off right away so extreme patience is required.

Warning Signs

• Some of the most common warning signs are a loss of interest in school, depression, social withdrawal, hyperactivity, sleep problems or fatigue. However, these are just a few of the most common warning signs. It is also important to keep in mind that just because a child has some of these behaviors doesn't necessarily mean that the child has an emotional disability. All children experience these things at different points in their lives. You should be concerned if your child is displaying any of the behaviors over a prolonged period of time.

Considerations

• If your child is emotionally disabled get professional help. There are many instances where parents are unsure how to discipline a child with emotional disabilities. Often these parents may become very strict or hard on the child in order to correct the behavior. In some cases this can make the problem worse for certain personality types. Strong willed children may continually provoke their parents and reinforce a negative cycle of fighting. The harder the parent tries the harder the child may push creating a war between parent and child. This can cause a life long destructive relationship rather than a loving parent child connection.

Prevention/Solution

• Foster children are more likely to have emotional disabilities because some of these children come from an abusive home. One of the major ways of preventing emotional disabilities is to prevent the abuse from starting in the first place. Abusive parents need to seek professional help before they leave life long scars on their children. Children do need discipline, but abuse and discipline are two very different things. The word discipline means to teach and guide. Children need to know right from wrong and they need to have limits. Abuse happens when a child is verbally put down or physically hurt in some way. Children who are protected from abuse grow up more mentally and emotionally stable than children who suffer abuse throughout their lives. In some instances the emotional disability cannot be prevented. This happens when children suffer from a condition such as autism or bi-polar disorder. Medication may be necessary in order for the child to live a normal life.