NEWSLETTER Term 1 2018

Term 1 2018 Dear Members and Friends of Support for Learning Welcome to the first newsletter of 2018. Many events have taken place since the last newsletter and summaries of various talks and workshops are included. Thank you for your continuing support. On Saturday 17 March we held or annual Hands on Workshop for teachers at Maitisong. Over 200 delegates attended. We were very grateful to Dr Kiran Bhagat who presented the keynote on Stress Management and Wellness for Teenagers. We would also like to thank the following presenters for giving up their Saturday morning and sharing their expertise;

J. Maphisa Maphisa: Clinical Psychologist Sanne Watson: Primary School Teacher Melody McCambridge: Primary School Teacher Amornrat Sachdev: Educator and School Counsellor Lulu Tlale: Psychologist Retha Mori: Speech Therapist Joe Schmidt: Secondary School Science Teacher

At the beginning of 2018, Mark Kluckow, a Clinical Psychologist from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, spoke to staff and children at various schools in Gaborone. A talk for parents was held at Maitisong highlighting ‘Positive Parenting’. In November, 2017 Dereck Jackson, educationalist and psychologist, counselor and author, spoke about ‘Using Mindfulness to help Teachers and their Pupils develop Resilience.’ Our conference in June 2017, celebrating 25 years of Support for Learning, included a Keynote speech by Alice Mogwe, founder member of Dishwanelo, Botswana Centre for Human Rights. Her inspirational speech was entitled ‘Social and Emotional Well-being of Children’ and is included further on in this newsletter. Russell Pengelly, an ICT specialist from Cape Town is a Special Needs teacher and spent 3 years in Orapa as part of the DEBSWANA Special Needs team in the 1990’s. He was one of the original founders of the Special Needs Association of Botswana. His presentation was ‘Using Technology in the quest for effective Support for Learning’. Dr Lizzie Harrison, a Social Media expert at The Digital Law Co in Johannesburg, presented on ‘The Legal, Disciplinary and Reputational Risks of Social Media’. Much of her work involves creating social media strategies and policies for corporates and schools, drafting social media agreements and providing training and workshops on social media law, particularly for young people. Julia Koutzayiotis, a resident Life Coach and rehabilitation yoga instructor gave a presentation on ‘Mindful Coaching and Developing Confidence’. This presentation highlighted how mindful coaching can be used as a system for our youth to be taught the basic life skills necessary for building and maintaining lasting confidence.

Gavin Keller, Education Consultant, Principal of Sun Valley Primary School, and CEO of the Sun Valley Group of Schools, an NPC in Cape Town gave an interactive and passionate presentation on ‘Growing Brains’. Nearly 170 delegates attended this conference and took away ideas and innovative teaching methodologies to implement in the classroom. Feedback is included further on in this newsletter. Many of the presentations are included in this newsletter. I would like to thank all the presenters for giving up their time to share their knowledge and expertise to develop the skills of our teachers here in Botswana. Thank you to all the schools who took part in the fund-raising Civvies Day in February 2018. Through your efforts and sponsorship we will be able to reduce the cost to delegates for our mini conference on Saturday 09 June at Maitisong. Upcoming events The Support for Learning Mini-conference planned for Saturday 09 June is now POSTPONED util Term 3. Further information and registration details to follow. Support for Learning Committee Angela Warwick Chairperson Frida Brahmbhatt-Deurwaader Secretary Bev Dunlop-Jones Treasurer Phil Huebsch Laola Gilbert Bhekinkosi Ncube Ruwayda Khan Grace Kamba Gail Lees Beauty Abbey Farai Makuyana Sian Griffiths

Emotional and Social Well-Being of Children Conference. S4L. Alice Mogwe. 17 June 2017.

The Emotional and Social Well-Being of Children Conference. Alice Mogwe. DITSHWANELO – The Botswana Centre for Human Rights. 17 June 2017. Opening Speech.

Your body hears everything your mind says.

Naomi Judd

Are you all healthy?

Do you feel safe?

Do you feel cared for?

Do you feel that you have a voice and are able to influence your situation?

If you have answered YES to all of these questions, then you are ‘ready to learn’.1 Can you say the same for all of the students in your classroom? In other words, do you have a healthy classroom? How are the emotional and social well-being of your students?

I previously addressed your Conference in 2009. How many of you remember what I said, then? I chose to speak about a group of students who would be considered to be different from others. I spoke about the possible challenges of teaching third gendered children in the classroom. In a healthy classroom, a third gendered child would feel safe. How would you go about ensuring that in your own classrooms, today, in 2017?

It is generally accepted that emotional well-being is the basis for effective communication and interaction with others. Compromised emotional well-being can lead to behavioural difficulties in both childhood and in adulthood. In childhood these may be in the form of aggressive and hurtful behaviour towards other children or withdrawal from those around them. Dealing with such situations requires an opening up of a communication channel, making it clear that you care about them and providing counsel about how to deal with the situation which is causing the behavioural difficulties.

Social well-being is based on the recognition of the set standards of acceptable behaviour. These include how to respect yourself (self-esteem) and how to engage with others in a respectful manner, through socialisation, engaging and sharing. Unacceptable or socially disruptive behaviour can take the form of excluding others, name-calling or bullying.2 Increasingly, research is indicating that there is a significant impact of social and emotional characteristics on academic success. Results show significant correlations between socio-

1 schoolwellbeing.co.uk/pages/anti-bulling.

2 Education.hov.gy/web/index.php/parenting-tips/item/1662-promoting-social-well-being-in-children.

Emotional and Social Well-Being of Children Conference. S4L. Alice Mogwe. 17 June 2017.

emotional wellbeing, self-esteem, social integration and a positive perception of the school social climate, and academic achievement.3

Children, school, family and society

Children are members of schools, families and societies. All of these institutions and contexts contribute to the emotional and social well-being of children.

In the schools, you, the teachers play an influential leadership role. As we all know, while they may appear to ignore what you say in the present, they will remember, in the future. How many of us are able to remember those teachers who influenced us and influenced the choices which we made, later in our lives? I remember copying the way in which my late Latin teacher, Deane Yates, wrote his Ys … they had long squiggly tails! I also remember him telling us, as Form 1 students, that education at the time in 1970s Botswana, was a privilege, while it ought properly to have been a right! Look at what I ended up doing? Working to ensure that those who were not in a position to exercise their rights, are enabled to do so!

A healthy classroom starts with you, as leaders. You need to be able to recognise emotional distress, anxiety, risk-taking and behavioural problems. You need to be capacitated to be able to deal with these challenges. The success of a school should not be measured, only in terms of the pass rate, the number of A*s, the number of classrooms and state of the art laboratories, but also in terms of its social and emotional climate. A good starting point, for example are Anti-Bully Pledges taken by both students and teachers as well as the creation and adoption of an Anti-Bullying Policy.

However, engagement in the classroom and in the school, needs to extend to the home, to the family. In our fast-paced modern world, there is an increasing gap between the ‘’home’’ culture and that of the school. Parents are being increasingly left behind by their tech-savvy children and are unable to effectively guide or discipline them. Cyber-bullying has become commonplace and difficult for parents to manage. They are often unable to provide the requisite protection for their children. There is need for reflection and learning about parenting skills for the 21st century!

Research has shown that the two best predictors of a child’s emotional health and behaviour are the social ambience of the primary and secondary schools, as well as the mental health of the mother. For some reason, the mental health of the father seems to be of relatively little consequence! Related factors include the family income, parenting styles, parental engagement and involvement with the child, and conflict between the parents. With a

3 Christian Berger (Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile), Lidia Alcalay (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile), Alejandra Torretti ((Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile), and Neva Milicic (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile). Socio-emotional well-being and academic achievement: evidence from a multilevel approach. Psicol. Reflex. Crit. vol.24 no.2 Porto Alegre 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722011000200016.

Emotional and Social Well-Being of Children Conference. S4L. Alice Mogwe. 17 June 2017.

positive school environment and a stable home environment, the emotional and social well-4being of the child should be positive.

Are you all Happy?

According to the World Happiness Report 20175, we are not a particularly happy group of people! Botswana was ranked 142 out of the 155 countries which were ranked in the period 2014-20166. In our Southern Africa region, we were outranked by South Africa (101), Namibia (111), Mozambique (113), Zambia (116), Malawi (136), Zimbabwe (138) and Lesotho (139)7. In the African ranking, Botswana is 34th out of the 44 countries ranked8. We may, very well, need to question our national, societal emotional and social well-being!

It is important to note that the role of teachers, as with other leaders, can be constructive as well as destructive. Constructive leadership draws from within. Teachers too, need to adhere to standards of acceptable behaviour. ‘Do as I do’ and not just ‘as I say’ provides potential for positive role-modelling. In order to combat bullying, teachers should lead by example and treat students with respect. Gone are the days of ‘’Sticks and Stones can break my bones, but words can never harm me’’. Words can and do harm.

How can teachers and parents enable emotional and social well-being of children?

Like the airlines instruct ‘’First, put on your own oxygen mask before assisting anybody else’’, ensure that you, yourself, are healthy and able to lead others. Self-leadership is essential for determining that. My three keys to active and conscious self-leadership, Know Yourself, Name Yourself and Be Yourself in the World, can be helpful for self-analysis. For me, our Tswana value-concept of botho is the wellspring of my being, of how I see myself, lead myself and relate to others. It is why and how I lead my life, and do my work. Botho recognises that my humanity is linked to that of each and every one of you in this room and to everyone in the world.

Remember that every single one of us here today, plays and will play an influential role in the life of a child. How we choose to respond to the child’s behaviour, whether labelled ‘’good’’ or ‘’bad’’; how we express our view about the child; the words which we use; how the child sees us resolve conflict – all shape the child’s view of self.

4 For example, the labelling of children as ‘slow learners’ directly negatively affects the self-esteem of the child. 5 Eds. John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs. Associate Editors: Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Haifang Huang and Shun Wang. 6 The six factors taken into account are: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption . Social support, Generosity, Freedom to make life choices and perceptions of corruption play a major role in the ranking scores. All six are analysed relative to a hypothetical country called Dystopia, so named because it has values equal to the world’s lowest national averages for 2014-2016 for each of the six key variables. ‘We use Dystopia as a benchmark against which to compare other country’s performance in terms of each of the six factors. This choice of benchmark permits every real country to have a non-negative contribution from each of the six factors’. The Happiness Report 2017, 18, 20. 7 Figure 2.2 8 Figure 4.2

Emotional and Social Well-Being of Children Conference. S4L. Alice Mogwe. 17 June 2017.

Conclusion

The happiest country in the world, is Norway. Not a single African country makes it into the top 10 countries, and yet, ironically, we are all very familiar with the caricature of the ‘poor but happy, ever-smiling African’ on a continent plagued with extreme levels of poverty, natural disasters, poor governance and human rights violations. The World Happiness Report 2017 notes that ‘Africa’s relative happiness deficit is buoyed by its astonishing resilience’.9 It sights the story of a visitor to Africa (it does not state from where the visitor comes – probably from Norway) who is perplexed to find that there is no running water when turning on the tap. The visitor asks successive questions to seek a plausible explanation. In response, the Ghanaian, who takes such things for granted, simply shrugs and says: ‘My friend, this is Ghana (ranked 131 globally). Sometimes, the water runs, sometimes, it doesn’t. That is how it is. Here, take this bucket. There is water in the tank around the corner’.10

Let us not be so taken with accepting the unacceptable in order to ‘just get on with life’. An unhealthy classroom is unacceptable. It is not conducive to learning. It is not conducive for the positive shaping of the child and influencing of the future adult. Let us, each and every one of us, work for a future in which:

• Schools adopt a comprehensive approach to promotion of emotional and social well-being of both students and teachers;

• Our government makes compulsory, anti-bullying policies and pledges in schools; • Our society outlaws the emotionally and socially humiliating practice of physical

bullying, through corporal punishment; and • Our communities respect the dignity of each and every person.

Perhaps, in this way, we can contribute to happier, healthier and holistic environments in the classroom, in the home and in community. What do you think?

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

Buddha

9 The World Happiness Report 2017, page 108. 10 Loc cit.

Support for Learning Annual Conference: 2017

FEEDBACK SUMMARY by Frida Brahmbhatt-Deurwaader

Delegates gave us very useful feedback on the speakers we had during the day of the conference.

The majority of delegates heard about the conference through their schools and email.

Alice Mogwe’s keynote and introduction to our conference was found to be excellent. She is seen as a strong and eloquent speaker, used updated statistics relevant to Botswana and inspiring quotes and her wealth of knowledge was greatly appreciated.

Gavin Keller was found to be excellent. Delegates found him entertaining, full of life, informative and the topic gave them a lot to think and talk about.

Rusell Pengelly was also found to be excellent and good in his presentation. The subject matter was found to be interesting. It made many delegates realise that many schools in Botswana are quite behind in the classrooms when it comes to technology. Some commented that technology is invading the personal relation between teacher and student.

Julia Koutzayiotis’ presentation was generally found to be average. Although some found the subject matter stimulating and interesting, others found that it needed more expansion and depth, as it was very short.

Dr Lizzie Harrison’s talk was found to be excellent, with stimulating subject matter. Delegates requested her to return and address our children in schools. Delegates learned a lot, found her talk very informative, eye-opening and created a lot of awareness on social media and its dangers.

Looking ahead, delegates listed topics that they would like to have speakers present on in future conferences / workshops. These topics included the following: Social Media and its effects on the growing brain / internet safety; Practical classroom strategies; Maths; Mental health; Play based pre schools; Dealing with Parents; Moving away from the ‘old school’; Local context – Botswana; Speech delay; Behaviours and management.

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POSITIVE PARENTING SERIES

Helping Teens Solve Problems and

Make Smart Decisions

Adolescent Drug Use and Abuse

Will become drug abusers and addicts

Will experiment once or twice and never go back to it

Will at times abuse drugs but not become addicted and will control their use

Will use drugs socially but their use will not become problematic

Parental Response to Potential Adolescent Drug Use

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99% of parents desperately hope their children will choose thisOctile!

But will live in perpetual fear that their child will end up in this octile

• Some teens wont ever use drugs• Most teens will experiment with

social use of some drugs• Some teens will become drug

abusers and drug addicts

Parent’s singular, hyper focus and over reaction to potential

adolescent drug use, greatly reduces their potential to be

helpful to their children on this critical life issue

Goal Setting

Decision Making

Problem Solving

Self Awareness

Communication

Emotional Regulation

Self Awareness

HappinessSchool successPhysical healthEmotional healthRelationship healthCareer choicesFamily choicesFulfilment

LIFE SKILLS LIFE OUTCOMES

• Genetic make up• Traumatic life events• Physical health• Mental health• Opportunity

Personal effortParents SiblingsExtended familyCultureSchoolTeachersPeer groupMedia

LIFE EVENTSEXTERNAL INPUTS

How is This Done by Parents?

1. Empathy2. Modelling3. Humility4. Consistency5. Trust6. Patience7. Allowing consequences8. Perspective9. Boundaries10. Love

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Positive parenting by Mark Kluckow 01 February 2018 Summary by Angela Warwick

Work hard on developing an open, transparent relationship with your child. 7 life skills to model rather than teach your child (Slide 11)

Goal setting - realistic, ability to achieve Decision making - how to make wise decisions Problem solving Self awareness Self management, social regulation Communication - get our point across. Parents give instructions too often. Parents need to listen to understand - active listening. Not listen to respond. Emotional regulation

Life outcomes

Happiness School success Physical health Emotional health Relationship health Career choices Family choices Fulfilment

The following can affect the life outcomes - life events

Genetic make up Traumatic life events Physical health Mental health Opportunity

How is this done by parents? (Slide 12)

1. Empathy - what are they facing. It was different when you were a teenager. Help me understand

2. Modeling - teenagers are watching you, very observant, hypocrisy police

3. Humility 4. Consistency- outcome of emotional regulation. 5. Trust - my parents don’t trust me I have nothing to lose. Show you trust

them. 6. Patience 7. Allowing consequences (Include children in the rule making if you have

to set rules. Ask them what they think the consequences should be) 8. Perspective 9. Boundaries (rules) negotiate 10. Love

Unlove - punitive, restrictive Steps in problem solving and decision making (use in all situations) (Slide 13)

Identify and Diagnose the problem what really is the problem Develop creative alternatives let’s draw up ideas Evaluate the alternatives Choose Implement Evaluate

Here are a few links and bits and pieces from Mark’s talks: Style of Conflict Resolution Questionnaire http://academic.engr.arizona.edu/vjohnson/ConflictManagementQuestionnaire/ConflictManagementQuestionnaire.asp What’s Your Communication Style Questionnaire https://www.leadershipiq.com/blogs/leadershipiq/39841409-quiz-whats-your-communication-style Social & Emotional Learning https://casel.org Rights of the Child (Unicef) https://www.educationrevolution.org/blog/the-rights-of-children-in-school/ *Also attached PDF (as per what he spoke about) Thoughtful Classroom Personal Development & Resources http://www.thoughtfulclassroom.com Finland (Michael Moore): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OvVPg3y_ug

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Teen Stress Tips and Strategies for Success

Objectives

• Define stress and the various types of stress• Identify sources of stress• Evaluate sources of stress in your life• Identify positive strategies for coping and

managing stress

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What is Stress?

How would you define stress?

Stress can be defined as…

…a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way.

Basically…the point when things appear to be too much to handle

Stress…Does this really apply to me?

Many medical and health organizations have conducted studies on teen stress and found the following…

• 49% of teens reported having experienced stress• 43% of these teens reported experiencing fatigue,

headaches and other physical ailments • 39% of teens admitted that stress negatively impacts their

eating habits▫ American Psychological Association 2016

More than one type of stress…Yikes?!

Did you know there are different types of stress?

The three types of stress include:

• Environmental

• Physical

• Psychological

Environmental Stress…

What is Environmental Stress?…pressure on the environment caused by

human activities or natural events

Examples:

Pollution Droughts Cold

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Physical Stress…

What is Physical Stress?…a biological response to factors which can

negatively impact your overall health

What are some examples of Physical Stress you can come up with?

Examples:

Malnutrition Heat Inactivity

Psychological Stress…

What is Psychological Stress?…a biological response to factors which can

negatively impact your overall mental and emotional health

Examples:

Relationships Deployment Loss

Stressors…What are those?

Stressors are defined as…… stimuli that cause stress

Basically…those things that cause you to get stressed out

Stressors can be both positive or negative depending on the event or situation

What are your stressors?

All of us have things that cause us to feel more stressed; those things that cause our hearts to pound, palms to sweat and butterflies in our stomach.

What are some stressors in your life?

Bullying – a major cause of stress

• US stats – a person is bullied every 7 minutes in the US school system

• 1000 children miss school daily as a result of bullying

• One in ten drop out of school because of bullying

Physical Reactions to Stress

Since stress is a natural biological reaction, when we experience stress we may also experience physical symptoms.

Physical reactions to stress can include:Headaches Stomach achesSleeplessness Loss of Appetite

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Emotional Reactions to Stress

Just as our bodies experience physical reactions to stress, we can also experience emotional reactions.

Emotional reactions to stress can include:Depression Difficulty ConcentratingIncreased Fears/Worry Greater Anxiety

Stress in Others: Warning Signs

Everyone is impacted by stress at some point in their day…week…life. Being able to recognize stress in others can help us as we learn to communicate with them, collaborate with them and help them.

Those around us may exhibit the following signs of stress:

• Being very quiet/withdrawn• Easily aggravated or quick to anger• Oversight of assignments, tasks and/or duties• Appearing to be very worried or anxious• Crying or having feelings of hopelessness• Complaints of headaches, stomachaches or general tiredness

Stress: It Won’t Control Me!

Since avoiding stress is not practical in life, learning positive stress management strategies allows us to cope with stress.

-> Managing our stress, not our stress managing us!

Stress Management Strategies

There are many positive strategies for managing stress. Some of those strategies include:• Exercise regularly (at least 60 minutes of moderate activity each day)• Get proper amounts of sleep (est. 8-9 hours each night)• Eat healthy• Avoid illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco• Decrease negative self-talk• Learn to accept compliments; feel proud of achievements• Set goals – break tasks into smaller segments• Don’t be afraid to ‘walk away’ and take a ‘breather’ during challenging

situations• Find a trusted individual to talk with• Utilize deep breathing and positive mantras: “I can handle this…” or “I will

not let this get me down…”

I

FEATURE

I recently chatted with a fellow counsellor from another international school in Bang-kok. We noticed that anxiety manage-ment was hands-down the most prominent and pressing issue amongst our students, and those needing help with it were get-ting younger and younger.

The body is designed to survive. This is most clearly seen in our bodily respons-es to anxiety and stress. Yes, the nau-sea you feel when anxious is actually a beautiful thing. Let me explain.

A Summary of What the Body Goes Through Under AnxietyThe amygdala, an almond-shaped part of your brain, scans all the informa-tion you receive from your senses and compares it to your stored memories. If your amygdala senses danger, it will automatically alert different parts of your body. Why? So that you can fight or flee the danger—so that you can survive it.

You feel your heart racing because the amygdala tells it to pump oxygen and chemicals more quickly to your muscles.

You feel nausea because the stomach (and other parts of your digestive system) shuts down, so that the energy used to change your food into vitamins can go straight to more important muscles like your heart and leg muscles. Digesting food is less important than surviving the danger your brain detects!

You feel dizzy because oxygen levels rise and carbon dioxide drops. If you don’t do something about the problem, then the imbalance causes you to feel dizzy.

You feel sweaty because your body makes you sweat so that you don’t over-heat from all the action going on inside your body. Sweating cools you down.

You feel stiff or restless because the amygdala releases oxygen to charge your muscles like a battery. If your mus-cles are fully charged, they will have the energy to fight the danger or run away!

Anxiety, Please Go AwayBy Amornrat Sachdev

Ever wondered what you can do to help your child if he or she has anxiety? Here are some effective strategies you can use.

Imagine if the body did not respond this way. Imagine if there was a fire and your body didn’t make you feel that you needed to fight the situation or run away from it. Now, replace ‘fire’ with ‘argu-ment’ or ‘test’ or ‘fight with a friend’.

The Beauty of BiologyCommunicating the body’s biological journey under anxiety will help your chil-dren in many ways.

PsychoeducationPsycho-education is a counselling tech-nique where you empower your client by educating them about their condition. In-formation allows him/her to rein in their worries, know what to expect, and thus be more likely to manage and treat their condition. Here, it's educating your child about the body’s response to anxiety and why it is such. The benefits of this knowledge are many:

Normalization

If you can link their symptoms of in-creased heart rate, dizziness, sweaty palms, throwing up, a feeling of rest-lessness, etc. as normal, biological re-sponses to something stressful, you can express to your child that:

What he/she is feeling is normalEveryone feels this way when they are anxious about something, even adults (children are often equally baffled and relieved to hear this)

Everyone feels stress at some point in their lives

Kids worry about having worries when they look around and assess that every-one else is responding differently to a situation than them (just like adults). Nor-malizing their worries can significantly reduce the burden they place on them-selves to be fine.

ReframingWhen looking at the biological respons-es of anxiety, as we did earlier, chang-ing the focus from ‘My body is going crazy again’ to:

‘My brain is trying to protect me from something

‘My body is working to protect me’.

This will encourage your child to consid-er anxiety an energizer or a protector, automatically making them view stress-ful stimuli more positively. It will also help bring control inward. Rather than feel that external factors (things that are very hard to control, for example, other people, friends, test questions) are caus-ing these feelings, they will feel like the power to conquer it is in their hands.

Conquering AnxietyUnderstanding it is a huge chunk of anxi-ety management, then comes the con-quering it. You can encourage breathing exercises to help them slow their heart rate down and overpower their amyg-dala. You can go for a walk to restore the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the body, and reduce the stiffness in the muscles. Representing their fear via a drawing to separate it from themselves can also help. Once you have an ob-jective representation, assist your child to manipulate the image into one that is not scary anymore. Seeing these changes can heighten their sense of control.

This is the main information you need as a parent to speak to your child about anxiety. Now comes the hard part—adapting the information and applying it to your child. Good luck!

24 • April 2017

From Attack My Anxiety! By Amornrat Sachdev(2016, ED-ucation Publishing)

Paediatric Depresson by

J. Maphisa Maphisa(BPsych; M.A. Clin Psych)

17/03/2018

Depression

•What is Depression

Clinically significant syndrome characterized by low mood and/or anhedonia, and causes functional impairment and distress. Exists as a ‘stand-alone’ syndrome or mixed with other syndromes (e.g. as in bipolar disorder)

Forms of Depressive Disorders

• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder,

• Major depressive disorder (including major depressive episode),

• Persistent depressive disorder(dysthymia),

• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder,

• Substance/medication-induced depressive disorder,

• Depressive disorder due to another medical condition,

Clinical Features of MDD

A. Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period

and represent a change from previous functioning: at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. Note: Do not include symptoms that are clearly attributable to another medical condition.

1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels

sad, empty, hopeless) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). (Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.)

2. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation).

3. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body

weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. (Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gain.)

4. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.

5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).

6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.

7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick).

8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others).

9. Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

Masked depression

• Manifests more in

• Behavioural problems

• Social withdrawal

• somatic complaints (fatigue, GI pbx, headaches and pains)= sick bay++

Numbers

• At any time, up to 2 -3% of children and 4-8 % of adolescents are clinically depressed.

• Life time prevalence of MDD by adolescents is 20%

• Adolescent girls are 2-3 times more likely to be depressed than boys

• 90% of depression remits in one year, untreated lasts 8-12months

Treatment` Mild Depression Watchful waiting

Non-directive supportive therapy/group cognitive behavioural therapy/guided self help

Moderate to Severe Depression Brief psychological therapy +/- fluoxetine

Depression unresponsive to treatment/ recurrent depression/ psychotic depression

Intensive psychological therapy +/- fluoxetine , sertraline, citalopram, augmentation with an antipsychotic

Source: NICE Guidelines 2018.

Role of School/Teacher

KYS

• Know their colours

• Adopt an open policy to students

• Have individual student-teacher time (once weekly)

• Note box

AwareStudents

• Intentionally include reflective activities

• Diary time (self) words, pic etc

• Emotion charts

• Peer mentalisation (+ buddy programme)

Embedded Mental Health Services

• Staff training in mental health literacy

• School counsellor/psychologist/psychiatrist

• Mental health awareness material on campus

Date__________. Student____________________________________. Teacher_________________________

©J. M. Maphisa, 2018. Draft. Reproduce without permission, with risk. Not substitute for professional advice.

Think of stressors/risk factors

Step 2a: Revisit Diagnostic Criteria (tick applicable symptoms) Very low mood or irritable mood Diminished interest in previously enjoyable acts Decreased appetite (and weight) Sleep disruption Disruption in motor activity Fatigue Feelings of worthlessness Impaired cognitive processes (attention, memory, planning) Suicidal (ideation or attempt) Step 2.b: monitor for 1-2 days

If visibly severe (abuse, self-harm, and suicidal ideation and attempt) = Step forward, Step 5a. [call student in, school counsellor, parent, and plan for referral to professional (GP/Paed, psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker).

Do the symptoms persist for2 days?

Step3b. Step back: Write note in student’s file & Informal letter to student

Step3a. Step Up: Be the child. Create hypotheses about what is going on for the child based on your KYS.

Yes Noo

Step 4.: Step Down. Approach child. “I noticed ____[ insert specific change in Step 1], and wondered if you noticed the same.” “Since ___ [insert suspected stressor or your hypo in Step 3a.] you have been ____ [insert specific change in Step 1]”

Step 1: Notice Change in Child’s behaviour, mood and interaction Onset (date): Detail specific Changes:

1. ______________________________________ 2. ______________________________________ 3. ______________________________________ 4. ______________________________________

If you notice signs of abuse (bruises) and self harm (hair cutting, cut scars on wrist, thighs) = IMMEDIATE Intervention (step forward)

Step5a. Step side- get involvement of others- teachers/counsellors, parents Step forward= formal referral

Step5b. Step in= encourage & Stepback= monitor

Step5c. Stepback= monitor for day

Take Step 4 & 5a.

Take Step 3b

Distressed & sig stressors

No distress & sig stressors

Guarded

Sxs Persist Sxs Cease

AParent’sGuidetoListeningtoTeens“OnlyConnect!”–E.M.Forster

Whenparentsandteenstalktheyfrequentlyseeeachotheras“oftenwrongbutneverindoubt!”Thekeytoconnectingwithteenagersislisteningtothem.Ifyoucanlearntoseethingsfromyourteenager’spointofviewbeforesharingyourown,awholenewworldofunderstandingandconnectionwillbeopeneduptoyou.Whyislisteningthekeytoteencommunication?It’sbecauseoneofthedeepestneedsofthehumanheart--andespeciallyofteens--istobeunderstood.Teenagerswanttoberespectedandvaluedforwhotheyare.Teenagersdon’tcarehowmuchyouknowuntiltheyknowhowmuchyoucare.SixPoorListeningStyles

Tounderstandteenagers,skillfullisteningisamust.Butmanyparentsdon’tknowhowtolistenwell.Theytalkat,notwith,theirteen.Whenteenagerstalk,parentsoftenlistencarelesslybecausethey’rebusypreparingaresponseorfilteringtheirteen’swordsthroughajudgmentallens.Despitetheirbestintentions,parentsfrequentlyslipintooneofthesesixpoorlisteninghabits:1.DistractedListeninghappenswhenateenageristalkingtousbutwebarelytakeinwhatthey’resayingbecauseourmindispreoccupiedwithourownconcerns.Teensneedparentstobefullypresent,notdistracted.2.PretendListeningismorecommon.Westillaren’tpayingmuchattentiontoourteenager,butwepretendwearebymakingcommentsatkeyjunctures,suchas“yes”or“uh-huh.”Theteenwillusuallysensethelackoffocusandwillfeelthatheorsheisnotimportantenoughtobeheardfully.3.SelectiveListeningiswhenwepayattentiontothepartoftheconversationthatinterestsus.Ifwetalkonlyaboutwhatwewanttotalkabout,chancesarewe’llfinditdifficulttoconnectwithourteens.4.WordListeningoccurswhenweactuallypayattentiontowhatourteenagerissayingbutwelistenonlytothewords,nottothebodylanguage,thefeelings,orthetruemeaningbehindthewords.Asaresult,wemightmisswhat’sreallybeingsaid.5.Self-CentredListeninghappenswhenweseeeverythingfromourpointofview.Insteadofstandinginourteenager’sshoes,wewantthemtostandinours.“Youthinkyourdaywasbad?Youshouldhearwhathappenedtome.”6.ListeningtoJudgeOftenaswelistentoteenagers,wemakequickjudgmentsaboutthemandwhatthey’resaying.Teenagersdon’twanttobejudged,theydowanttobeheard.

GenuineListening

Thereisamoreeffectivewaytolisten.Wecallit“genuinelistening.”Andit’sthekindoflisteningtousewithteenagers.Herearesevensuggestions:1.KeepUpRegularConversations.Howeverresistantyourteenagermaybe,conversationsshouldbeanaturalpartoflifeandnotaspecialeventwhenaproblemcropsup.2.TryADifferentVenueiftalkingathomeisaproblem.Acarjourneywithjustthetwoofyouandnoeyecontactallowsalow-key,unthreateningconversation.Itissurprisinghowmuchisrevealedinacar!3.ListenWithYourEyes,HeartAndEars.Listeningwithjustyourearsisn’tgoodenoughbecauseonlyasmallpartofcommunicationiscontainedinthewordsteenagersuse.Therestcomesfrombodylanguageandhowtheysaywords.Trytakingnoteofyourteen’sbreathingpatternastheytalkthroughtheirconcerns.Thiswillgiveyouessentialcluesaboutthedepthoftheirfeelingonanissue.4.KeepQuiet.Ithelpstoholdoffratherthanjumprightinwithacomment,astoryoraquestion.Avoidjumpingintosay,“Iknowexactlywhatthat’slike,”or“WhenIwasyourage….”Restraintimprovestheoddsthatwe’llspotnon-verbalcueswemightmissotherwise.5.NoticeWhat’sNotBeingSaid.Tohearwhatteenagersaresaying,wealsoneedtolistentowhattheyarenotsaying.Nomatterhowclosedofforunconcernedateenagermayappear,teensneedtofeelloved,especiallywhentheyaresilent.6.StandInTheirShoes.Tobecomeagenuinelistener,youmusttryandseetheworldastheyseeitandtrytofeelastheyfeel.Itwouldbeusefultosay:“Helpmetounderstandwhatyou’regoingthrough.”7.PracticeMirroring.Amirrordoesn’tjudge.Amirrordoesn’tgiveadvice.Amirrorreflects.Mirroringissimplythis:Repeatbackinyourownwordswhatyourteenagerissayingandfeeling.Mirroringisn’tmimicking.Mimickingiswhenyourepeatexactlywhatateensays,likeaparrot.Instead,afterlisteningwithcare,trythis:“DoIhearyousaying…?”8.ExpectChallenges.Evenifaparenthaslistenedcarefullyandrespondedcalmly,theymighthearthis:“Soyou’resayingI’mstupid/untrustworthy/etc.?”Don’trisetothebait.Bepatientandaskyourteentotry,“DoIhearyousaying…?”Listeningworksbestwhenitgoesbothways.Genuinelisteningisaparent’smostpreciousskill;ourmottoshouldbe:

“Seekfirsttounderstand,thentobeunderstood.”

--AdaptedfromSeanCovey’sTheSevenHabitsofHighlyEffectiveTeensand

fromTonyLittle’sAnIntelligentPerson’sGuideToEducation

DERECK JACKSON: TALK ON MINDFULNESS SUMMARY On 16 Nov 2017, Dereck Jackson visited us and spoke about mindfulness. He referred to today’s world where doctors are referring people more regularly to psychologists, with the emphasis on stress and mindfulness. Daniel Siegel defines mindfulness as: “Being present in the moment in a non-judgmental way”. It’s being absolutely aware of the here and now, in this moment. We need to teach students to be more resilient and handle anxiety and stress and help to enhance their self-image. Siegel also refers to the brain as the mechanistic part but our bodies are also part of the brain. So, what happens in your body affects the brain/your thought process/your relations to people. He referred to part of our brains as energy, and everything in life goes through energy. Derek Jackson simplified the three parts that make up our brain. The medulla, cerebellum and cerebrum, and highlighted that our bodies respond in the same way when threatened at an emotional or physical level. Many people go through life reacting in fright/flight mode. Angry/ upset / frustrated/ anxious / worried. We tend to develop patterns of behaviour and often stick within this. Stress management can help control this reactive pattern that one gets used to - and act with the cerebrum – in a more logical and creative methods to deal with problems. For example: Deep breathing / rituals / using mantras. As teachers we need to calm down the child who is not happy/being bullied, teased / not wanting to go to school – and deal with the fear.

is needed! How emphatic are you? Parents/teachers/therapists Can you connect and see the problem from another person’s point of view? Listen to the child! Disruptive child – what is your response? Learning problem… realise how hard it is for them? How do you make the child feel wanted and included in the classroom? We need to remember always that we are responsible for our own emotions and our own behaviour. We should not blame another person for our own behaviours as we then become victims. He referred to Albert Ellis – a psychologist – who writes about accepting to be responsible for your own responses

Muscle tone. It’s a word most of us would associate with body builders and fitness buffs. But do you think of a child with speech problems? The kid slumped over on their desk at school? Or the clumsy child dropping their pencils and fumbling around the playground. Muscle tone may not be what you think and it could be affecting your child in the classroom. Muscle tone actually refers to the tension or rigidity of the muscle as opposed to actual strength. The next step is understanding how muscle tone affects learning. To do that, we need to look into low muscle tone. Low muscle tone is a condition where the muscles lack tension. This is usually caused by muscles that are longer than average. The elongated muscles require more energy to get moving and as you can imagine, requiring more energy can result in a whole host of problems.

Low Muscle Tone and Learning

Muscles are everywhere. They control all gross and fine motor skills so if they’re not working properly, especially if they’re requiring extra energy for normal function, seemingly normal activities can become a

lot more taxing. Some of these kids are fighting an uphill battle just to climb out of bed in the morning let alone sit focused in a classroom for six to seven hours. Low muscle tone in the core of the body creates difficulties with posture and sitting up attentively. Similar problems in the hands can exhibit in poor handwriting and poor dexterity. If the facial muscles are involved, pronouncing words becomes harder and more labor intensive. Low muscle tone can affect muscles all over the body and because of that, the list of possible symptoms can be long, but here are a few to get you started.

W Sitting Most kids gathered around for story time sit with their legs cross-crossed or Indian style. A lot of kids with low muscle tone sit with their legs in a W shape. This position is hard for me to comprehend. The W position is named because their legs form a W. Their knees point forward, creating the bottom angles of the W and their toes point back acting as the tops of the W.

Tires Quickly As I said before, muscles with low tone take a lot more energy to get moving, so it makes sense that these kiddos are going to get worn out faster than their friends. This isn’t to say

that they’re always slow or lethargic. They may even excel at activities that require short bursts of energy. But those bursts are short lived. When a child is struggling in school, many times parents will tell us that their child is very athletic, but when we engage them in specific play-based activities to build connections in the brain, we find that many of them are uncoordinated, have poor balance, and low muscle tone. Not every activity is made for brain-building. It takes purposeful and meaningful movements of the body to build connections in the brain as you will see here in “3 Brain-Building Activities for Higher Learning.”

Poor Posture It’s hard to keep proper posture if their muscles aren’t providing the proper resistance. And poor posture leads to a decreased distance between their head and their desk which we all know isn’t a good thing. It also shortens a child’s breath and restricts their diaphragm. Why is this important? It’s critical for speech. If a child doesn’t have the right poster and enough breath for speech, how can we expect them to communicate, say their letters and improve their language skills.

Struggles on the Playground Those elongated muscles also make it hard for climbing and dangling. Add in the tiring quickly factor to the difficulty and the playground can be a daunting place. Climbing ladders, crossing monkey bars, and climbing rock walls become overwhelming tasks instead of an exhilarating way to spend free time. You may find that they fear or avoid playing on the big toys altogether.

Gives Up Easily

When everyday tasks are a constant struggle, it’s hard not to lose hope and faith. With what looks like little effort to us, kids with low muscle tone will throw in the towel. From their point of view, they’ve given all they can and they may already be used to not getting the results they want so why keep trying? This may also exhibit as lacking concentration or attention span.

Low muscle tone can seem overwhelming, but don’t lose hope. With a lot of encouragement and some physical intervention things can get easier and it will improve their learning capabilities in the classroom.

C O N N E C T I N G T H E D O T S Understanding Dyslexia | Launch Report May 2017 Who We Are It’s time we all understand dyslexia properly as a different thinking skill-set, not a disadvantage” Sir Richard Branson - Ambassadorial President Made By Dyslexia Made By Dyslexia is a global charity led by successful dyslexics. Our purpose is to help the world properly understand and support dyslexia. Working with experts, psychologists and dyslexics, we develop campaigns, films, tools, and tests to explain dyslexic thinking. Dyslexic minds process information in divergent, lateral ways. In fact they’ve created some of the world's greatest inventions, brands, and art. However many still perceive dyslexia as a disadvantage, when actually it’s a different way of thinking that if harnessed, can lead to success. Education systems aren’t designed for dyslexic thinking, and most teachers aren't trained to identify dyslexia, meaning many dyslexics go through life without knowing they’re dyslexic or understanding their brilliant potential. We want to ensure all dyslexics are identified, inspired and enabled to reach their full potential. “Dyslexic thinking has many benefits. If identified and supported; inspired and encouraged, dyslexics can achieve amazing things. We want to level the playing field so all dyslexics can succeed”. Kate Griggs - Founder Made By Dyslexia Made By Dyslexia has two global goals. • That dyslexia is properly understood as a different way of thinking. • Work with governments, charities, schools and parents to ensure all dyslexic children are identified early and given the support they need. About this report This report aims to give a concise and unique overview of dyslexia from the perspective of dyslexic people themselves. It summarizes what we consider to be the most important information, research, and science. We provide new research explaining dyslexic thinking skills and their importance in different fields and in the world today. We outline the misconception that surrounds dyslexia, with new research by YouGov which reveals an urgent need for change. And lastly, we explain how we plan to help drive this change. Basic Facts When school or work is difficult, the best news to tell a parent, child or adult is “it’s because you have dyslexia”. This unlocks doors to self-understanding”. Bernadette McLean, Principle Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre. (established 1971) At least one in ten people are dyslexic. But it’s estimated less than half of dyslexics are 1 being identified. • Dyslexia is genetic so runs in families.

• Dyslexics have a different way of processing information which is caused by physical differences or ‘wiring’ of the brain. • This difference results in a pattern of strengths This difference results in a pattern of strengths like critical thinking, creativity and communication skills. When school or work is difficult, the best news to tell a parent, child or adult is “it’s because you have dyslexia”. This unlocks doors to self-understanding”. Bernadette McLean, Principle Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre. (established 1971) At least one in ten people are dyslexic. But it’s estimated less than half of dyslexics are 1 being identified. • Dyslexia is genetic so runs in families. • Dyslexics have a different way of processing information which is caused by physical differences or ‘wiring’ of the brain. • This difference results in a pattern of strengths like critical thinking, creativity and communication skills. • It also results in challenges affecting traditional learning such as reading, writing, spelling, mental maths, memory & concentration. • Each dyslexic has a different pattern of strengths and challenges, and dyslexia varies in severity. • Early identification of both difficulties and strengths is key to success within education, and preserving self-esteem. HISTORY OF DYSLEXIA Reading disorders have been extensively researched such that dyslexia, the existence of which was once questioned, is now widely recognised as a specific difficulty in learning to read. Research also shows that dyslexia affects more than the ability to read and write.” Sir Jim Rose, Rose Review of Dyslexia DfE 2009 Dyslexia was first reported in 1896 in the British Medical Journal, originally referred to as “Word Blindness”. In 1935, Dr.’s Orton and Gillingham from Columbia University published the first successful dyslexia intervention programme. These methodologies, although updated and improved, are still recognized today as best practice for teaching dyslexics. In 1936 Millfield became the first school in the UK to support dyslexia using these methodologies. Millfield was pioneering in recognising and nurturing dyslexics strengths to enable their potential; this remains a core ethos of the school today. Many schools followed Millfield’s lead by setting up dyslexia units and training staff in dyslexia. Today dyslexia ‘centres’ have been established all around the world and have helped millions of dyslexic children to succeed. In 2009 after a campaign lead by our founder Kate Griggs, the UK Government commissioned Sir Jim Rose CBE to conduct a report on how to support dyslexic pupils in state funded schools, agreeing with campaigners that not enough was being done. The report identified many specific issues with the current academic and testing structure, and made a number of recommendations, including early identification, specialist support, and a programme for teacher training. Sadly these recommendations were never fully implemented, and provision for dyslexic children remains very patchy and often nonexistent unless parents are able to pay. 3 Morgan, W. Pringle. "A Case of Congenital Word Blindness." The British Medical Journal, November 7, 1896 THE FUTURE

We know more about dyslexia than we know about cancer. We know how to identify it and support it; and that with dyslexia comes a sea of strengths”. Dr. Sally Shaywitz - Yale Centre for Dyslexia & Creativity With generations of dyslexics enabled to learn effectively, there is now clear consensus about what is needed to teach dyslexics. Generations of successful dyslexics have provided a wealth of evidence of the benefits of dyslexic thinking skills. These benefits have even been displayed in the many who have not benefited from a supportive education and succeeded “against the odds”. With this, leading educationalists, psychologist, behavioural scientists and neuroscientists from around the world have shifted focus to fully understanding and nurturing dyslexic minds. They’re finding certain fields and sectors actively recruit and attract dyslexics because of their lateral, creative, different way of thinking. Books such as Dyslexic Advantage by Dr.’s Brock and Fernette Eide, and Minds Eye and Thinking Like Einstein by Thomas West are just some of the many publications that are cataloging dyslexic thinking skills and their high incidence in Science, Architecture, Technology and Media for example. More populist authors like Dan Pink (Whole New Mind) and Malcolm Gladwell (David and Goliath) refer to the ability and talent of dyslexia referencing many successful dyslexics who attribute their success to dyslexia. Advances in neuroscience and magnetic imaging are enabling extraordinary insight into the physical differences in dyslexic and non-dyslexic brains. These physical differences may explain this ‘sea of strengths’ in dyslexic thinking skills. One great example is Dr. Manuel Casanova University of Kentucky School of Medicine who studies the connectivity of the brain, specifically the differing length of the axons linking the mini-columns in both dyslexic and non-dyslexic brains, and the significance this has to cognitive reasoning. He found that dyslexic brains have a bias to long distance connections (axons) between minicolumns, which he suggests leads both to the big-picture processing skills and a weakness in fine-detail processing which we find in dyslexics. Providing a real life application to this research, nine out of ten dyslexics describe their thinking as being able to “see past detail to gain a strategic (big picture) view of a subject or problem”. Made By Dyslexia aims to take an active role in the neuroscience of dyslexic thinking with particular interest in neuroplasticity. We are currently seeking partners to work with on a research project in this field. 21st century minds & neuroscience EXPLAINED Our founder Kate Griggs is dyslexic and has many family members who are dyslexic as well. A lifelong advocate for dyslexia, Kate trained in dyslexia and has worked in the field for many years as a well-known campaigner turned researcher, having interviewed thousands of successful dyslexics and engaged with many experts and thought leaders in the field to further her understanding of dyslexic thinking. Building on this unique knowledge and understanding of dyslexia, Made By Dyslexia has conducted one of the largest research of its kind into dyslexic thinking skills, assimilating the research evolving around dyslexic abilities, different intelligences, and the supporting neuroscience. We conducted extensive research with dyslexic people, specifically successful dyslexics, gathering unique insight into their strengths, thinking skills, difficulties and the emotional impact of dyslexia. Working with psychologists and psychometricians, we have developed a dyslexic thinking skills framework and test based on a process of exploring the latest research, and then qualitative (asking people directly about their positive experiences of being dyslexic; and asking subject matter experts to identify key dyslexic skills) and quantitative (testing the

framework by getting people to rate themselves against the six dyslexic skill areas) research. The results were then benchmarked against a representative group of dyslexic adults. DYSLEXIC Dyslexia is an asset. It means you think differently. Most of the creative people I know and employ are dyslexic and highly intelligent at the same time” Anya Hindmarch Dyslexics think laterally, creatively, and differently. Whilst no two dyslexics are the same, all will have a combination of some of the following skills which draw them towards specific careers and fields of endeavour which complement their skills and way of working.

• Visualising: Moving, Making & Inventing • Imagining: Creating & Interpreting • Communicating: Explaining & Storytelling • Reasoning: Simplifying, Analysing, Deciding, & Visioning • Connecting: Understanding-self, Understanding-Others, Influencing & Empathising • Exploring: Learning, Digging, Energising & Doing.

The research groups rated their ability in each skill from Excellent, Very Good, Good, Average, Poor or Don’t know. The following percentages combine Excellent, Very Good and Good showing that a high percentage of dyslexic are ‘above average’ or ‘well above average’ in all of these skill areas, with many respondents saying they were excellent or very good. DYSLEXIC THINKING - SKILLS Specific Skills: These relate to career paths often preferential to dyslexic thinkers

EVERY PARENT SHOULD READ THIS - I SEE YOU It’s a time of badges, certificates, medals, trophies, recognition, awards, prizes and 'seeing' of high achievement. I love seeing the kids that shine at this time of year - a big high heartfelt round of applause to you. You so deserve it for the effort you have put in. But this message is for the kids that didn't get called up for any of the above... I SEE YOU. To the child that conquered their fear of heights, or sleeping in the dark, or riding without training wheels or sleeping out for the night for the first time this year, I SEE YOU To the child that managed to resolve more conflict than they started this year, to the child that learnt to say the impossible; "I'm sorry", and to the child that walked away from the fighting instead of getting involved, I SEE YOU To the child for whom school is a huge struggle, you get up everyday and you go, I SEE YOU. To the child that battled all year with the maths, or reading, or concentration, or speaking out in class, or learning their words, but persevered anyway, I SEE YOU. To the child that found the kindness in their heart reach out in anyway to another person or to an animal in need or in pain, I SEE YOU. To the child that learnt to give and to share for the first time this year and even found joy in these, I SEE YOU. To the child that battles to make friends and to be social, you made new friends this year and for that, I SEE YOU. To the child who wanted so much to please, but was just out of sight of an adult who perhaps was too busy or too distracted, I SEE YOU. To the child who lost a friend or a loved one this year, but carried on everyday bravely even though their heart ached, I SEE YOU. To the brave parents that try everyday to do the best for their kids, I SEE YOU. May you and your children revel in small but significant victories that you have both experienced this year, as I will with my beautiful children. For every year there is progress and growth, we don't need a podium or handshake or a hall of applause to be seen. I SEE YOU. Colleen Wilson Contemporary Parenting