• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • FAQ’s
  •  Blog
  •  Contact
  • 888-441-0015

Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services

  • Home
  • Services
  • Disorders
  • Rates & Payment Options
  • Press Room
  • About Us
    • Dr. Sanam Hafeez CV
    • Links & Resources
    • MADAD
    • Donate To MADAD
    • Career Opportunities
You are here: Home / 2016 / Archives for January 2016

Archives for January 2016

Jan 29, 2016

5 Developmental Milestones Your Toddler Shouldn’t Miss

Some children sail across developmental milestones like a well-thrown stone zinging across the surface of a lake. Other children make the journey more slowly, or in fits-and-starts, reaching some touchpoints sooner than others. Temporary delays or uneven progress doesn’t really matter, so long as the goal is reached within reasonable parameters. But how can a new parent distinguish between an acceptable lag or a serious developmental delay?

Consider these five categories of developmental milestones and the specific goals your child should reach by the age of two.

Gross Motor Skills
A healthy and active two-year-old should be getting into mischief. He’ll be able to walk unassisted. He’ll be determined to try to climb stairs, chairs, tables, and anything else that poses a physical challenge. To make your house more chaotic, he’ll also be able to pick up toys and carry them around only to dump them wherever they shouldn’t be. If you find yourself constantly chasing him around, picking up after him along the way, then your toddler has reached his gross motor skills milestones.

Fine Motor Skills
Though she won’t be writing calligraphy any time soon, your toddler should have mastered the art of the scribble, which you may soon find on papers, tables, and maybe even walls. Consider hiding the permanent markers. She should also be starting to pile objects one on top each other and enjoy knocking them over just as much.

Language Skills
Every child is unique, and not all of them will be speaking in full sentences by the age of two. However, a toddler should recognize the names of family members and close friends, be able to point at something you’ve mentioned, follow simple directions, and have a dozen words of working vocabulary that is increasing at a satisfying pace.

Thinking Skills
By the age of two, a toddler should be able to sort by shape, size, and color, and thus be able to complete small puzzles. He may start to have a sense of passing time in that he’ll recollect what happened a day or two earlier. Playing make-believe usually starts around this age, as well.

Social Skills
If your toddler is clinging to your leg all the time, consider it a measure of social development. She has become frighteningly aware that she is separate being from her parents. Alternatively, if your toddler is becoming increasingly defiant, consider this a measure of social development as well. Defiance is often a manifestation of her growing sense of independence. She may play near other children, if not with them.

At every well-baby visit, your pediatrician is keeping an eye on a multitude of developmental milestones. But the best observer of your child is you. Should you have any concerns about your child’s mental, emotional, or physical development, be sure to express them to your pediatrician or another professional. Early intervention can do wonders to help your child progress.

Jan 16, 2016

The Trouble With Teens: Is It Drama Or Depression?

Upon observing their grumpy, irascible, moody teenager, many a parent has wondered what happened to the carefree, happy child they knew so well. That adorable child is now awash with fluctuating hormones and struggling to become the adult they were meant to be. In the process they distance themselves from authority figures, most fiercely from the parents who love them most.

So how’s a parent to distinguish between normal teenage angst and signs of depression, anxiety, or other forms of mental illness?

Embrace The New Baseline
Teenagers can become angry or frustrated, verbally lash out, go on crying jags and feel stressed and overwhelmed. A teenager’s anxiety over what may seem to be small issues combined with sensitivity to suggestions can make you feel like you’re walking on eggshells. This is the new normal. Learning to anticipate the source of these emotional swings is a parent’s greatest challenge. Embracing this new baseline behavior will help you recognize when and if their behavior changes.

Recognize The Signs
Living with a teenager is like riding a very bumpy road in a wood-wheeled wagon: everyone inside gets bounced around. But as long as the wheels fall back on track, your teenager is likely heading to a better place. Any serious change in direction, however, could indicate trouble. Be alert for any of these signs that your child may be suffering from something more dangerous than drama.

• Increasing isolation from both family and friends
• A noticeable drop in academic performance
• Physical changes like rapid weight loss or gain, odd sleep patterns, frequent sickness, bad hygiene
• Risk-seeking and/or illegal behavior, substance abuse, aggression, self-harm
• Excessive suspicion, paranoia, audio and/or visual hallucinations

Welcome Professional Help
Teenagers often feel hesitant to confess to their parents their secrets and fears. But a medical professional is a neutral third party to whom those same teenagers may confess their fears with relief. A complete, comprehensive psychological evaluation by a licensed psychiatrist can go a long way to separating normal teenage growth pains from a more serious psychological issue. The sooner the issue is identified, the sooner treatment can work, so never hesitate to reach out for help, for your teenager and for your entire family.

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

Make An Appointment

Call us or email us if you have any questions or think our services may be of assistance to you, a student, a child, a parent/family or simply someone who may be struggling. Book Online

Recent Posts

  • How To Maintain Your Mental Health While Navigating the Digital World
  • What Can You Do if You’re Not Making Progress With Your Current Therapist
  • Anger Issues vs. Ordinary Anger: How to Recognize and Address the Difference
  • 3 Inspirational Tips for Reestablishing Your Sense of Well-Being
  • Types of Mental Health Professionals: Which One Is the Best Fit for You?

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013

    Categories

    • Blog

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

    Footer

    Contact Us Today

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    Recent News

    How To Maintain Your Mental Health While Navigating the Digital World

    Technology provides us with many benefits that humans have never experienced before, like increased connectivity and a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips. However, sometimes these features take a Read More

    What Can You Do if You’re Not Making Progress With Your Current Therapist

    Like any other relationship, it may take a few different therapists until you know you have found “the one.” The first therapist you visit might be a perfect match, or it may take some trial and Read More

    Social Media

    FacebookTwitterLinkedinInstagram

    114-20 Queens Boulevard | Suite #CS2 | Forest Hills, NY 11375
    180 East 79 St. | Suite # 1C | New York, NY 10075
    (718) 441-0166 p | (718) 805-2054 f

    © 2023 Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C.

    hipaa compliant