November Is Adoption Awareness Month Find Out How Arkansas Families First Supports Adoption & Adoptive Families November is adoption awareness month. Here at Arkansas Families First, we believe in and support adoption and adoptive families. We have clinicians who have personal and professional experience with adoption and hold it close to our [...]
Breaking Free of the Picky Eating Trap Many families struggle with picky eating. They often find themselves stuck in the same repetitive cycle where the child shuts down at the sight of certain foods, and parents get anxious about food intake and frustrated at their inability to “make” their child eat. If [...]
Usually, at this time of year, we might begin thinking and preparing for our children to return to school. That is the same this year, although so much else is different. This article briefly considers some common concerns regarding returning to school during a global pandemic and provides resources for further exploration. First, we’ll consider [...]
Many of us often feel concerned, and sometimes preoccupied, with our weight, eating, exercise patterns, and body image. We may go through phases when we feel discouraged, try different plans, feel successful, and repeat the cycle. We may then find what works, or does not work, and continue on with our daily lives. It is [...]
When Americans hear the phrases “human trafficking” or “sex trafficking,” they often imagine this is only a concern in other countries. While international trafficking is a serious issue, domestic human trafficking and the trafficking of Americans into other countries is just as much of a problem. The statistics behind human trafficking are still largely unseen, [...]
Choosing the right bedtime can be tricky, it is true that every child is different and their sleep needs may vary. However, the one thing that is universal for all children is the need to receive 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. This may mean having an earlier bedtime during the weekdays due [...]
In general, a psychological evaluation is a process that involves collecting data about an individual or individuals to answer a specific referral question. Examples of referral questions for psychological evaluations include “Does my child have ADHD?” or “Is there a reason why my adolescent is having problems with making friends?” According to the Association of [...]
Welcome back to the fourth and final installment of this series discussing parenting and children's behavior. The first installment discussed why it is helpful to make this change and provided ways to provide more of that positive attention. The second installment discussed how to combine active ignoring with positive attention to replace unwanted behaviors with [...]
To help raise safety awareness, this article will discuss safety topics and concerns as they apply to children and adolescents. Awareness efforts often focus on ways to reduce unintentional injury. These efforts are important for children as well. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unintentional injury is the leading [...]
What is Depression? And What Does it Look Like in Children? This article will briefly explore one of the more common mental health concerns for children today – depression. According to the CDC, approximately 3.2% (1.9 million) of children aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with depression. That makes depression an important area for [...]
