TREAT “PARENTS” NOT THE “CHILD”

Parents should get alarmed and react immediately if their child is impulsive, aggressive, distractible, irritable, shows tantrum, poor sleep habits, stutter while talking, has a habit of bed wetting, does head banging or thumb sucking. They need to consult the Pediatric Counsellor for these kinds of problems if faced by their child says Dr. Prabha Sanghi MD, (Child Specialist).    

The most common cause for the child behaviour disorder is ‘Emotional Deprivation’. Every child has certain basic emotional needs like affection, love, understanding, sense of belonging and security, trust, confidence and self-respect. According to Dr. Prabha Sanghi, Managing Director of Pulse – Impulse (The Absolute Body Clinic) “ Every child wishes to model his parent, so in today’s life it is very important that every child should interact adequately with one’s family”. The lesser yet quality time spent by every child with their parents is more important than just being together all the time and making them dependent. They also need space for themselves for proper growth and development.

Dr. Prabha Sanghi is a Pediatrician (child specialist) by education with a degree on sports and fitness from U.S.A. She has taken “Health - Fitness” as her profession because she feels health - fitness is the preventive side of medicine. According to Dr. Prabha Sanghi, there are many other problems which lead to child behaviour disorder like rejection, dominance, overprotection, unrealistic - expectations, unhealthy - criticism and unfavourable - comparisons, over and under discipline, broken homes, sibling – rivalry and problems in socialistic adjustments etc.

According to Dr. Prabha Sanghi, “The most commonly seen child behaviour disorder problems differ and depends on their age. They are as follows:

1.During Infancy - Resistance to feeding, colic (abdomen pain) and breath holding spell.

2. During Pre school Age – Head Banging, Thumb Sucking and Nail    biting.

3.During School Age – Stuttering or stammering, eating chalk pieces, clay, and Bed-wetting, sudden meaningless movements, Enuresis (tics).

4.During Adolescence – Stealing, running away from home or school, missing school, sex offence, and leaving disability.

Most of these problems are not permanent and do not cause any permanent handicap, nevertheless these problems give a lot of anxiety to the parents. According to Dr. Prabha Sanghi “ Parents need more counselling than the children”. Management of these behavioural - deviation requires understanding of stress which children go through and reassuring them.
Parents should remember every child has certain basic emotional needs which ought to be satisfied to ensure his optimal development as an emotionally mature individualized, who can relate meaningfully with society. Parent should accept the child as an individual in his own right and should give him an increasing independence with in the limitation imposed by the society. Although child seeks autonomy, he should be under some discipline. Every child mimics his parent------“ so do what you want your child to do and become”.

Mostly it’s the parents who are suffering not the child says Dr. Prabha Sanghi who specializes in disorders of growth and development in children and is running a counselling programme for parents at Pulse – Impulse.
According to her opportunities should be made available for play activities and recreation for children. That is why she has “ kids – Fitness – programme for children (3 – 12 years) at Pulse – Impulse.    

Dr.Prabha Sanghi

Contact Us for treatment related enquiry at pulseimpulse@rediffmail.com

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