Childhood trauma in the classroom: 10 things teachers need to know
For children who have experienced trauma, learning can be a big struggle. Here’s how to help them. With grief, sadness is obvious. With trauma, the symptoms can go largely unrecognized because it shows up looking like other problems: frustration, acting out, or difficulty concentrating, following directions or working in a group. Often students are misdiagnosed […]
Children and unresolved grief: Signs and treatment
Shanna is 14 years old. She’s a lovely young woman with dark hair and a bright smile. While she has a friendly manner and is comfortable conversing with adults, it’s clear that something is bothering her. It’s not so much what she says, as her body language and level of distractibility. Shanna lives in a home with […]
Q&A with the Asante Centre: FASD and adoption
Allison Pooley is the Program Director at the Asante Centre. She assists individuals, family members, and service providers in understanding the diagnostic process as well as the implications for providing integrated post-assessment supports and services. Allison has been involved in FASD prevention and intervention efforts for numerous years both in northern B.C. and the Lower Mainland, […]
FASD and epigenetics
In this instalment of Q&A, we talk with Western University (Ontario) researcher Ben Laufer about the latest science on FASD and how it influences our genetics. What is epigenetics? Traditionally, science has told us that children are the sum of their parents’ genetics. Recently, though, we’ve discovered that it’s actually much more complicated. Just think […]
Ask the expert: Identity matters (part two)
Lisa Gunderson is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who focuses on multicultural issues. She is an award-winning educator and inclusivity consultant for educational and organizational institutions. During her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, she specialized in issues for minoritized youth, including ethnic identity. We asked Dr. Gunderson your questions about identity. I am raising an adopted child […]
Ask the expert: Identity matters
Lisa Gunderson is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who focuses on multicultural issues. She is an award-winning educator and inclusivity consultant for educational and organizational institutions. During her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, she specialized in issues for minoritized youth, including ethnic identity. We asked Dr. Gunderson your questions about identity. My child (11 years old) completely […]
Ask the expert: Occupational therapy for kids
Occupational therapist Gina Fernandez explains what OT is, who it helps, and the qualifications required. What is occupational therapy and what qualifications do OTs need? Occupational Therapy (OT) is the art and science of enabling individuals to participate in meaningful activities or occupations by using evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning. Occupations vary: a child’s occupation […]
Ask the expert: Dr. Michael Grand
Over the past 30 years, Dr. Grand’s professional activities and research have been focused on search and reunion, adoptive family identity, provision of adoption services, and openness in legislation and practice. With his book, The Adoption Constellation: New Ways of Thinking About and Practicing Adoption, Grand challenges current and past adoption practices and discusses new and […]
Ask the expert: Mental health and trauma in children
Britta West is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Clinical Traumatologist located in Burnaby, BC. She completed her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University in 2009. In 2012, Britta completed the Clinical Traumatologist specialization from the Traumatology Institute. Her areas of expertise include attachment, trauma, mental health and behavioural health diagnoses and parenting. […]
Ask the expert: Jan Radford
Jan Radford is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years of experience working with children as a clinician, administrator, researcher and educator. She worked with substance-exposed infants and children for many years as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In her recent “semi-retirement” she has […]
The importance of attachment in adoption
The adoptions of children from overseas orphanages, especially of children who are beyond the infancy period, are often considered to be “special needs” adoptions. The same can be said of adoptions of children who have a history of foster care. A common concern for both of these groups of children is that they may suffer […]
Ask the expert: When parenting gets tough
Adoption is a rewarding journey, but it can come with unexpected challenges. If your child is struggling to adjust, you’re not alone. Social worker Susan Lees shares insights and resources to help adoptive parents navigate this journey with support and confidence. “Two years ago we adopted a child of six. We have found parenting him […]
Parents or children: Whose job is it to change?
I was presenting at a workshop recently and mentioned, in an off-hand way, that I wondered what surprises we would find with our next adoption. A woman in the front row shot up her hand (front row people are like that). “What do you mean your next adoption? You already have nine children. Why would […]
What it’s like to live with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
This information applies to any individual who is functionally dependent on others in some specific areas, and who does not learn from correction, or who does not “get” why people are distressed with their behavior. Parents, teachers and support persons of individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are sometimes faced with episodes of extreme […]
Ask the expert: Open adoption
This article explores what open adoption really means and how it can benefit everyone involved. My wife and I are looking to adopt. We’ve been told that open adoption is the trend these days. Just how open is open? I’m concerned that the birth mother will take over our lives and that our child won’t […]
Ask the expert: The parentified child
Many children in foster care exhibit parentified behaviours, making it difficult for them and their new parents to negotiate healthy parent-child relationships. We spoke with Anne Melcombe, BSW, an adoption social worker and former Permanency Support Specialist at Belonging Network, about parenting the parentified child. Anne was a Level 2 foster parent for more than […]
Ask the expert: How to communicate difficult information to birth parents
Navigating relationships with a child’s birth parents can be complex for adoptive families, especially when challenges arise. How much should you share? When is it appropriate to involve birth parents, and when should boundaries be reinforced? In this conversation, adoption professionals Brenda McCreight and Lee Crawford explore these everyday dilemmas, offering guidance on setting healthy […]
When forever comes
“Imagine being married to someone for eight years, and then being told that you have to get a divorce and some stranger will choose your new spouse. Then imagine moving in with that person after only knowing them for a little while. What if they don’t like you, or you don’t like them — what […]
Ask the expert: Adoption and the school
Jennifer Hillman, a former Belonging Network regional coordinator, shares advice for helping children navigate hurtful comments about adoption. My six-year-old daughter came home from school very upset after a friend had told her that I was a “fake” mom. How can I help her face such difficult comments? First, have a discussion with your daughter […]
Solutions in strengths
Taking a child’s strengths as the starting point to solving their problems, and involving family and community, can work wonders. Chris Mundy sees his job as a combination of detective and anthropologist. After our interview, it’s easy to see why. As a behaviour consultant with CBI Consultants of Burnaby, Chris spends his days immersing himself in […]
Family matters: Siblings
Struggling with a child who is polarizing your family and highlighting adoption differences? Learn practical strategies to address insecurity and foster family unity, while celebrating each member’s unique qualities. Question: How should I handle a child who is polarizing our family? The child has a great deal of influence with his siblings and constantly highlights […]
Ask the expert: Dr. Mark Bailey on learning disabilities assessments
Q: My six-year-old son’s teacher says that he has learning disabilities and wants to have him assessed by a psychologist. What would these tests involve and how will they help? A: A psychological assessment used to evaluate a child’s (or adult’s) intellectual and academic skills is referred to as a psychoeducational assessment. An assessment invariably includes a test of […]
