News

WISC-V: Assessments for improving your child’s learning potential — Part 1

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

We are always looking for new technologies to help our patients be their best selves.

And this is particularly important when it comes to educational intervention.

A learning assessment helps to identify a child’s learning potential, and address any barriers stopping them from achieving it.

The WISC — the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — is a tool for assessing a child’s academic progress and potential.

We have been using the WISC for years, and recently invested in the updated version, the WISC-V.

It’s been reevaluated, redesigned and retooled to provide a more comprehensive picture of a child’s learning ability.

But what is it, exactly, and how will it help your child?

Teaching Your Kids ‘Social Media Smarts’

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

For most parents these days, there’s no avoiding social media.

You probably have it yourself, as do all your friends, and if you’re among the vast majority of parents in Australia — your kids will have it too.

According to the ACMA, 4 years ago only 45 per cent of 8-11 year olds were using social media….

That proportion has now risen to at least 60 per cent, with many of the platforms in question being age restricted (generally for users aged 13+).

So while trying to eliminate social media from your family’s life would be fighting an increasingly steep up-hill battle, there are some easy, preventative ways to help keep your children safe on these platforms.

What you need to know about 13 Reasons Why

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

If you have teenagers — or even if you don’t — you’ve probably heard about the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why.

It is one of the most talked about television shows on social media ever…

Generating 3.5 million social volume impressions in its first week of release alone.

And while the show has resonated with audiences, and been very positively received by critics, it has been heavily criticised by mental health and youth organisations around the world.

The show is based on the best-selling novel by Jay Asher, and depicts the suicide of 16-year-old Hannah, who creates a series of audiotapes addressing the 13 reasons why she committed suicide.

It ends with an incredibly graphic and distressing depiction of the act itself.

And parents, educators and critics around the world are asking the question:

Is this show dangerous?

How to Help the Negative or Pessimistic Child

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

We’ve all encountered a ‘Negative Nancy’ in our lives — the type of person who is constantly expecting the worst out of any given situation.

While many such people consider themselves ‘realists’, in reality, there’s not a whole lot of benefit to this kind of negative thinking.

And for the relatively sheltered and protected time of childhood, this attitude is particularly unproductive.

So how can we help a pessimistic child to take a more positive approach to life?

A New Way to Look at Depression

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Evolutionary psychology proposes ways of helping us to understand our cognitive processes by looking to the past.

Just like human beings have physically adapted to our environment in order to survive, evolutionary psychology suggests that we adapted cognitively the same way…

And that many mental and emotional reactions have served an important evolutionary purpose.

Now some psychologists are offering a new way to look at depression through an evolutionary lens.

How Can We Engage Our Students in the Classroom? Part 1.

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

There is an epidemic of disengagement in Australian classrooms.

And our students’ education is suffering as a result.

Research from the Grattan Institute has shown that around 40 per cent of school students are regularly unproductive, bored, or struggling to keep up with the curriculum.

This ‘passive disengagement’ can result in students being up to two years behind their engaged peers in the academic setting.

But who or what is to blame?

Tips for Raising Moral Children — From Harvard Psychologists

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

We’ve talked about how to raise motivated children children on the blog…

How to help them develop good habits, how to be happy, how to thrive in school, how to avoid becoming too materialistic…

But the question of how to raise moral children is a different ball game.

Just like these other positive qualities and habits we hope to encourage in our kids, morality isn’t something we’re born with — it’s learnt.

And the fact of the matter is that sometimes, teaching our children moral lessons will get in the way of their immediate happiness.

Think People Can’t Change? Think Again

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

They say a leopard can’t change its spots.

But according to the longest personality study undertaken of all time — they absolutely can.

The study started collecting data from 1,208 fourteen-year-olds in 1950…

And more than 60 year laters, 174 of the original participants agreed to be tested again, with surprising results.

‘Happiness Lessons’ to be Introduced into UK Schools

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

In great news for British students and their families, the UK Department of Education will be investing over 2 million dollars in mental health support over the next few years.

This comes as a response to what has been called a ‘youth mental health epidemic’…

With around 10 per cent of UK students suffering from a diagnosable mental health condition.

Many students suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression directly as a result of the extreme academic pressures they face in schooling.

So it’s a proactive and thoroughly appropriate response to tackle these issues within the school framework.

Mindfulness for Kids — at Home and at School

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

There is no denying — or avoiding — the fact that children, and even very young children, are suffering from more anxiety than any generation before them.

This increase has been heavily documented in university research papers, psychology studies, and even noted by education professionals…

Up to 55 per cent of teachers in the UK have reported a dramatic rise in anxiety levels in their students in the last few years, and in Australia, the figures are similar.

But what is it, exactly, and how will it help your child?

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