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• Depression, suicidal thoughts
• Harmful or unmanageable behavior

• Problems in school

• Emotional, physical or sexual abuse

• Social withdrawal

• Peer problems

• Hyperactivity, attention or concentration problems
• Adjustment to parental/caregiver separation
• Adjustment to new placements

• Coping with death

• Sibling conflicts

• Effective parenting skills

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Each stage of development is associated with developmental challenges which must be met for healthy psychological and social development. When these challenges are not satisfactorily accomplished, they frequently present as problem behavior in future years. 

 

 

REMEMBER:

1. No two children are alike. Each one is different. Each child is a growing, changing person.

 

2. Children are not small adults. They do not think, feel, or react as grown‐up people do.

 

3.  Even though children will grow in some way no matter what care is provided for them, they cannot reach their best growth possibilities unless they receive care and attention appropriate for their stage of development from a consistent figure in their life.

 

Developmental Timeline

Newborns
(Birth - 24 months)

 

  •   Learn to differentiate between key caregivers and all others

  •   Consolidate  a secure attachment with at least one primary caregiver

  •   Establish sense of trust through primary relationships

  •   Use relationships as a secure base

  •   Learn by taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound

  •   Develop attachments to caregivers with a sense of security or
      insecurity

  •   Cries to get what he/ she needs

 

 

Toddlers
(24 to 36 months)

 

  •   Develop increasing autonomy and separateness 

 

 

Preschoolers
(3 to 5 years)

 

  •   Learn initiative and become more autonomous

  •   Develop peer relationships

  •   Identify comfortably with same sex

  •   Develop internal control for impulses

  •   Shift from magical to logical thinking 

 

Young children
(6 to 8 years)

 

  •   Distinguish reality from fantasy

  •   Expand knowledge of social and physical environment

  •   Solidify sexual identification

  •   Number of attachments expand 

 

 

Children
(9 to 11 years)

 

  •   Develop sense of accomplishment ‐‐ mastering skills in regards to
      physical development, peer relationships, self control, self  
      management

  •   Develop and test values/beliefs that will guide future decisions and
      behaviors 

 

Early adolescence
(12 to 14 years)

 

  •   Develop a social and personal identity

  •   Explore autonomy from primary adult caregivers (requires sense of
      sexual self, development of moral values, acceptance of responsibility
      for own behavior)

  •   Has sensible belonging to peer group (s) 

 

 

Adolescence
(15 to 19 years)

 

  •   Achieving new and more mature relations with age-mates of
      both sexes

  •   Achieving a masculine or feminine social role

  •   Accepting one's physique and using the body effectively

  •   Achieving emotional independence of parents and other adults 

  •   Preparing for marriage and family life Preparing for an
      economic career

  •   Acquiring a set of values and an ethical system as a guide to
      behavior; developing an ideology 

  •   Desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior

 

Early Adulthood
(20 to 40 years)

 

  •   Selecting a mate

  •   Achieving a masculine or feminine social role 

  •   Learning to live with a marriage partner 

  •   Starting a family

  •   Rearing children 

  •   Managing a home 

  •   Getting started in an occupation

  •   Taking on civic responsibility

  •   Finding a congenial social group

 

Middle Age
(40 to 65 years)

 

  •   Achieving adult civic and social responsibility

  •   Establishing and maintaining an economic standard of living

  •   Assisting teenage children to become responsible and happy adults

  •   Developing adult leisure-time activities

  •   Relating oneself to one’s spouse as a person

  •   Accepting and adjusting to the physiologic changes or middle age

  •   Adjusting to aging parents.

 

 

Later Maturity
(65 and up)

 

  •   Adjusting to decreasing physical strength and health

  •   Adjusting to retirement and reduced income

  •   Adjusting to death of a spouse

  •   Establishing an explicit affiliation with one’s age group

  •   Meeting social and civil obligations

  •   Establishing satisfactory physical living arrangement 

 

Anchor 5
Anchor 6
Anchor 7
Anchor 8

Warning Signs that a Behavior

Could be a Serious Problem

 

Parents should grow concerned when children exhibit certain behavior problems that are outside the realm of normal misbehavior. Some warning signs that may indicate more serious behavior problems include:

 

  • Difficulty managing emotional outbursts – Children who can’t control their anger, frustration, or disappointment in socially and age-appropriate means may have a more serious problem. Although it is normal for preschoolers to have occasional temper tantrums, older children should have better control over their emotions.

 

  • Difficulty managing impulses - Impulse control should develop slowly over time. As a child grows older, it should become easier to manage impulses. Children who struggle to refrain from using physical aggression and children who can’t gain control over their verbal impulses may have a more serious behavior problem.

 

  • Behavior that does not respond to discipline – It’s normal for kids to repeat misbehavior from time to time to see if a parent will follow through with discipline, but it’s not normal for kids to continue to misbehave even when appropriate disciplinary action is taken.

 

  • Behavior that interferes with school – If your child’s behavior causes him to fall behind academically, it’s a sign of a more serious problem.

 

  • Behavior that interferes with social interaction – It’s normal for kids to have spats with peers, but if your child’s behavior interferes with his ability to maintain friendships, it’s likely a problem. Children should be able to maintain age appropriate behavior in social settings as well, such as the grocery store.

 

  • Self-injury or talk about suicide – Any child who bangs his head, burns himself or cuts himself should be evaluated by a mental health professional. It’s also important to have a child evaluated by a professional if there is any talk about suicide.

 

  • Sexualized behaviors that are not developmentally appropriate - Parents who are concerned about sexualized behavior problems should research the difference between normal and abnormal sexual development. Sexual behavior should never include any coercive behavior.

Our Innovative Service

Our innovative service delivery feature is that the majority of our counseling services are provided “wherever and whenever” necessary for the clients and their families to achieve success. This means that rather than the client coming to us for office visits, we provide services where the client is having the most difficulty (i.e. school, home, group home, etc). We also hire from within the community we serve, so staff reflect the culture and relate to issues faced by their clients.

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We pride ourselves on providing “out-of-the-box” solutions. Rather than just talk-talk therapy, we offer a variety of groups/activities to allow clients to open up about their issues in a non-threatening environment.

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