This document discusses the psychological problems of children and the role of teachers in early identification and management. It covers common conditions like mental retardation, learning disorders, motor skills disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, ADHD, communication disorders, and tic disorders. For each condition, it describes symptoms and characteristics. It emphasizes the importance of teachers communicating with parents and clinicians to help children with psychological needs. Overall, the document provides an overview of various psychological problems in children and highlights how teachers can support students' mental health.

1. Psychological Problems of Children-
Role of Teachers
Early Identification and
Management
Psy. Vijay Lal Vijayan MSc (Psy),MPhil
M&SP
Consultant Clinical Psychologist ,
Dept of Psychiatry
Pushpagiri Institute Of Medical Sciences
Thiruvalla.

2. Psychological Problems of Children-
Role of Teachers
Early Identification and Management
Usually First
Diagnosed in
Infancy,
Childhood or
Adolescence

3. Types
• Mental Retardation
• Learning Disorders
• Motor Skills Disorders
• Pervasive Developmental Disorders
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders
• Feeding and Eating disorders of infancy or early
childhood
• Tic disorders
• Other Disorders

5. Mental Retardation
• Sub average general intellectual functioning that
is accompanied by significant limitations in
adaptive functioning.
• Intellectual functioning with an IQ less than 70
• Also need delays in two or more adaptive areas
Self care
Communication
home living,
social-interpersonal skills….etc

6. Levels

8. Learning Disorders
• Reading Disorder: (Dyslexia)
• Mathematical Disorder: (Dyscalculia)
• Writing Disorder: (Dysgraphia)

9. Reading Disorder: (Dyslexia)
• The term dyslexia was introduced in 1884 by
the German ophthalmologist, R. Berlin.
• He coined it from the Greek
words dys meaning ill or difficult
and lexis meaning word
• To describe a specific disturbance of reading in
the absence of pathological conditions in the
visual organs

10. Symptoms of dyslexia in children aged 5 to
12 include
• problems learning the names and sounds of
letters
• spelling that's unpredictable and inconsistent
• putting letters and figures the wrong way
round (such as writing "6" instead of "9", or "b"
instead of "d")
• confusing the order of letters in words
• reading slowly or making errors when reading
aloud
• visual disturbances when reading (for example, a
child may describe letters and words as seeming
to move around or appear blurred)

11. :
• answering questions well orally, but having
difficulty writing the answer down
• difficulty carrying out a sequence of directions
• struggling to learn sequences, such as days of
the week or the alphabet
• slow writing speed
• poor handwriting
• problems copying written language and taking
longer than normal to complete written work

13. Dysgraphia

14. • Kids with dysgraphia have unclear, irregular, or
inconsistent handwriting, often with different slants,
shapes, upper- and lower-case letters, and cursive and
print styles. They also tend to write or copy things
slowly.
• Parents or teachers may notice symptoms when the
child first begins writing assignments in school.
• Difficulty spacing things out on paper or within margins
(poor spatial planning)
• Frequent erasing
• Inconsistency in letter and word spacing
• Poor spelling, including unfinished words or missing
words or letters
• Unusual wrist, body, or paper position while writing

15. Dyscalculia
•Difficulty counting backwards.
•Difficulty remembering 'basic' facts.
•Slow to perform calculations.
•Weak mental arithmetic skills.
•A poor sense of numbers &
estimation.
•Difficulty in understanding place
value.
•Addition is often the default
operation.
•High levels of mathematics anxiety

19. • ADHD is a neuro- developmental disorder
affecting children and adults
• ADHD is a common behavioural disorder that
affects about 10% of school- age children
• Boys are about three times more likely than
girls to be diagnosed with it, though it’s not
yet understood why,

20. ADHD Subtypes
• ADHD broken down into three subtypes, each
with its own pattern of behaviors
1. Inattentive type
2. Hyperactive –impulsive type
3. Combined type

21. Inattention
• Poor organization
• Does not seem to listen
when spoken to
• Loses objects
• Easily distracted
• Forgetful in daily
activities
Hyperactivity/Impulsivity
• Fidget
• Leaves seat often
• Runs or climbs excessively
• Always “on the go”
• Talks excessively
• Blurts out answers
• Can’t wait turn
• interrupts others

26. • Stimulant medications improve attention in
normal individuals as well as children with
ADHD
• Medication alone is usually not sufficient for
the treatment of ADHD
• It is of upmost importance to communicate
with the ADHD/LD child’s teacher
• Mentally retarded children with symptoms of
hyperactivity and short attention may respond
to medication in different manner

27. Motor Skills Disorders
• Developmental Coordination disorder
• Impairment in the development of motor
coordination
• Not due to general medical condition (Cerebral
Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy)
• Marked delays in achieving motor milestones
(Walking, crawling, sitting), dropping things,
clumsiness, poor performance in sports
• These children may have difficulty using a cup,
spoon or fork to eat.

28. • They may have the tendency to drop items or
run into walls/furniture and have frequent
accidents due to motor planning difficulties.
• They may have trouble with tasks requiring
hand-eye coordination and dexterity
(hammering a nail, connecting wires etc.).
• These children may also have difficulty holding
a pencil and learning to write.

29. Communication disorder
• Expressive Language Disorder
• Expressive language disorder is a lifelong
condition that impacts the ability to use
language.
• People with this language disorder understand
what others are saying. But they have a hard
time expressing their own ideas when they
speak.
• Expressive language disorder isn't a speech
disorder.

30. Stuttering
• Disturbance in the normal fluency and time patterning
of speech that is inappropriate for the individual’s age.
• Frequent repetitions/ prolongations of sounds or
syllables
• Interjections
• Broken words (pauses within a word)
• Audible/silent blocking
• Circumlocutions(word substitutions to avoid
problematic words)
• Words produced with an excess of physical tension

31. Pervasive Developmental Disorders
• Impairment in several areas of development
• Reciprocal social interaction skills
• Communication skills
Presence of stereotyped
behavior/interests/activities
The qualitative impairments that defines these
conditions are distintly deviant relative to the
individual’s developmental level or mental age.
• Prevalence:2-5 cases per 10,000 children.

32. Types of PDD
1. Autistic Disorder
2. Rett’s Disorder
3. Childhood Disintegrative
4. Asperger’s Disorder

33. Autism

35. Rett’s Syndrome

36. Rett’s Syndrome
• Rett syndrome is a rare genetic neurological and
developmental disorder that affects the way the
brain develops, causing a progressive inability to
use muscles for eye and body movements and
speech.
• It occurs almost exclusively in girls.
• Discovered in the first two years of life
• Is a genetic disorder.
• Mutation in a particular gene on the X
chromosome.

37. Symptoms
• A slowing of head growth is one of the first
events in Rett syndrome
• Problems with muscles and coordination
• The child loses any purposeful use of her
hands
• stops talking and develops extreme social
anxiety and withdrawal or disinterest in other
people.

38. Asperger Syndrome

40. Social Problems
• Many Asperser's kid’s social problems are not
recognized until they enter preschool.
• The first thing noticed may be a tendency to
avoid spontaneous social interactions, to have
problem maintaining a conversation
• To have a tendency to repeat phrases and
make odd, statements.
• Emotional responses such as anger,
aggression’ or anxiety may be excessive or
inappropriate to the situation

41. Use of Language
• Concentrate language rather than abstract.
• Difficulty in understanding humour
• Early years: repetitive phrases or language or
stock phrases from memorized material.
• Laugh at “wrong time” with jokes or interactions.
• Many have good sense of humour.
• Problems with taking turns in conversation.
• Repetitive speech
• Loud or high pitched speech.

53. Pica

56. MENTAL HEALTH OF SCHOOL
CHILDREN: ROLE OF TEACHERS
• After the home, the school is the major
socializing institution for any child.
• It is the child's first contact with the world
outside the home.
• For nearly 12 years, the child spends 5 to 7
hours each day in the school.
• The school, thus provides one of the most
important foundation pillars on which the
child's personality develops

57. • Of all the components of a school, the teacher
plays the most vital role
• What parents are at home, the teacher is at
school.
• The teacher has a responsibility, not only
towards the child's education but also towards
the child's full-fledged mental and emotional
growth.

58. Important Facts About Children
• Each child is unique and different in his/her
own way.
• Children of the same age, appearance and
from the same locality or even family are likely
to be very different in the way they think,
behave or react to situations.
• Child's reaction on first entering school or
his/her behavior in unfamiliar situations, will
not necessarily be the same as that of another
in the same situation

59. Two important factors determine what
a child will be
Hereditary
Certain patterns in the
child are determined
• level of activity,
• intelligence potential,
• temperament
• capacity to grasp
• perceive situations
Environment
• socio-economic living
conditions
• psychological atmosphere
at home
• The attitudes, beliefs and
the behavior patterns that
the parents exhibit
• communication patterns
with his parents and
siblings at home

60. What the School and Teachers can do to
Promote Mental Health of the Children
• Mental health in the classroom involves students
who are effective or successful in the activities of
the classroom
• Who gain satisfaction from the achievements
they are experiencing, and have reasons for doing
so.
• Since they are effective and derive satisfaction,
they are cheerful about their work and
associations. And, finally, they are able to work
for and with others

61. Organic Needs
• Organic Needs are food, oxygen, water,
clothing, proper temperature, shelter, and so
on.
• Mental hygienists are concerned with the
balanced satisfaction of Organic Needs.
• Attention needs to be given to proper lighting,
adequate ventilation, atmospheric humidity
and temperature control.
• Children need a lot of activity and also rest
alternately.

62. Psychological Needs
• Need to feel secure
• Need to manipulate and satisfy
curiosity(need for new experience)
• A more thoughtful teacher
• Need to achieve
• Need to be independent

63. Social Needs
• Need to be loved
• Need for recognition
• Need for companionship

64. • To assess the child's educational
capabilities, the teacher has to be
sensitive to the child's basic
constitutional capacities, environmental
influences and emotional needs.
• If there are lacunae in any of these areas,
the child's educational abilities are
severely affected.

65. A person becomes a teacher for a wide variety
of reasons.
• love of children
• lack of any alternative
• Desire for improving one's social position
and status
• Desire to fulfill the wishes of the family,
• “Hear I wish you all to become a great
teacher as well a pathfinder too”

66. THANKS A LOT