Child Problems

Are you worried about child problems? How serious - on a scale of 1 to 10 - would you rate the child behavior problems that worry you?

The checklist below - Warning Signs of Psychological Problems in Children  - can help you evaluate how serious a child behavior problem might be.

Children with behavior problems exhibit a range of concerns, from the relatively benign to the more serious. You may be unsure of whether  the child problems that worry you are symptomatic of a serious concern, or are just a developmental stage the child is likely to outgrow.

Use the checklist - Warning Signs of Psychological Problems in Children - to help you assess whether the child behaviors that concern you require further attention and support. This checklist includes behaviors that often signal emotional and behavioral concerns in children. This checklist can help you explore your concerns about the child problems that worry you.

The higher you rate the behaviors that concern you on a scale of 1 to 10, the more problematic they are. And the more behaviors you rate at the higher end of the range, the more you are likely to benefit from professional support to help explore your concerns about child problems. 

Dr. Dianne O'Connor offers psychological assessments and school neuropsychological evaluations to help get to the root of the child problems that worry you, and find evidence based solutions to address them.  

 Warning Signs of Concerning Child Problems

Warning Signs in Young Children

• Extreme changes in mood and behavior (becomes withdrawn or aggressive and angry.
• Changes in school performance
• Difficulty in learning despite good effort and desire to learn.
• Regressive behavior such as toileting and soiling problems, clinging dependent behaviors, whining and thumbsucking.
• Developmental delays or behind peers in acquiring age appropriate skills (talking, walking, reading, comprehension)
• Changes in sleep and eating patterns.
• Persistent nightmares and/or sleep disturbances.
• Anxious behaviors such as excessive worry, nailing biting and nervous habits, refusal to go to school or go to bed alone.
• Aggressive, hurtful and bullying behaviors toward siblings and peers.
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities.
• Negative complaints and perceptions about treatment by others.
• Frequent self-deprecatory remarks (e.g. "I'm stupid." or "Nobody likes me.")
• Excessive fear of new situations or people.
• Frequent temper tantrums.
• Hyperactivity and difficulties sitting still, concentrating and paying attention.
• Persistent disobedience and refusal to comply with reasonable adult requests.

Warning Signs in Preteen and Adolescent Children

• Heavy drinking and/or alcohol or substance abuse.
• Impulsive and easily frustrated.
• Has difficulty coping with problems and daily activities.
• Defiant and refuses to comply with reasonable adult requests.
• Truancy, theft and/or vandalism
• Bullies and abuses (verbally or physically) others.
• Changes in sleep and/or eating habits.
• Extreme mood swings and/or outbursts of anger.
• Deceitful, lies and can't be trusted.
• Isolated and/or picked on by peers.
• Lack of motivation and poor academic performance.

The number of items you check and their level of frequency may also help you decide whether  a  Psychological Assessment  or School Neuropsychological Evaluation can help. Depending on how many items you check and how frequently they occur, these behaviors may signal behavioral or emotional concerns that require further attention and support.

Remember, Understanding the Problem is the Key to Solving It.

A Psychological Assessment or School Neuropsychological Evaluation can increase understanding of child problems, and lead to evidence based interventions to address them.