Peninsula Pediatrics

Category: Parenting Tips

Executive Functioning Skills in Kids

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If your child has learning differences like ADHD or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developing executive functioning skills can be challenging. Executive functioning skills are essential brain functions that help children (and adults) plan, stay organized, control impulses, regulate emotions, and make decisions. Children who struggle with executive functioning may feel easily overwhelmed by everyday tasks, like finishing homework, keeping track of school assignments, or completing household chores

The good news is that there are several effective strategies to help children improve these skills and tackle tasks more confidently. Here are some helpful methods to support your child in building executive functioning skills.

Break Down Tasks into Smaller Steps
Breaking larger tasks down into manageable steps can help kids feel less overwhelmed. For example, if your child has a big project or a long list of chores, teach them to create a checklist of smaller steps. By tackling one step at a time, they’ll gain a sense of accomplishment and feel less daunted by the larger task. Checklists and clear steps make it easier to stay organized and keep track of progress.

Use a Planner or Calendar
A planner or calendar is a great tool for children who tend to forget deadlines or struggle to keep up with assignments. Encourage your child to get into the habit of jotting down homework, test dates, and other responsibilities in a planner. Having all their to-do items in one place helps them plan their time effectively and reduces the risk of missing important tasks. It’s also beneficial to set time limits for each task so that they can get a sense of how to map out their schedule.

Establish Routines
Habits take time to build, but once routines are in place, they can help children feel more grounded and organized. A consistent routine, including setting homework time, bedtime, or a chore schedule, provides structure and makes it easier for kids to manage their responsibilities and activities without becoming overwhelmed.

Find the Right Learning Methods
Every child has their own unique learning style, so finding methods that work best for your child can make a difference. Visual learners, for example, may benefit from using visual aids like charts or color-coded organizers. Some kids might also respond well to reward systems, where they earn incentives for completing tasks to keep them motivated.

Create a Distraction-Free Workspace
When it’s time to focus on homework, a distraction-free environment is key. Help your child set up a quiet, organized space for work that is free of screen devices (unless needed for homework), clutter, and noise. Making sure their workspace is comfortable and well-organized can go a long way in creating a positive environment for learning and concentration. All of these strategies can help your child build a foundation for strong executive functioning skills that will empower them to approach tasks with confidence. If your child has a learning disability and is still struggling with executive functioning skills, it may be helpful to reach out for additional support. Call our office for further guidance and resources to support your child’s needs.

 

Bedwetting in Children

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Most children between the ages of 2 and 4 are potty-trained, but some still wet the bed at night even after the age of 5. Bedwetting is not a serious condition, but it can be a challenge for many families. One of the common reasons for why bedwetting happens in older children is a communication issue between the brain and the bladder. When the bladder signals to the brain that it is filled with urine and the brain doesn’t send a response to the bladder to hold the urine until morning, bedwetting occurs. 

Sometimes there is a delay in the development of the bladder or kidney during nighttime that causes bedwetting. There may be less space in the bladder at night or the kidney might make more urine at night. Other common reasons for bedwetting are stress or trauma and medical problems that a child might have. Some children might be more at risk for bedwetting due to genetics, a deep sleep pattern or poor sleep quality (common during the adolescent years or puberty), obstructive sleep apnea or snoring, constipation, bladder or kidney disease, neurologic disease, diabetes, ADHD, or taking certain medications. 

For young children who are wetting the bed, you can continue potty-training them until they grow out of this. They may still have occasional bedwetting accidents after being trained, but these are usually of no concern. If it happens frequently, however, you may want to look into the issue more closely. One solution that could help is to set a bedwetting alarm during the night for your child to wake up to use the bathroom. There are also certain medicines that can help, but we recommend talking to the pediatrician before using any of them.  

Another important tip to follow is to limit your child’s intake of food and drinks with caffeine or sugar in the evening. Salty snacks in particular should be avoided close to bedtime. Going to the bathroom within 2 hours of bedtime and regularly throughout the day can help. If your child is attending a sleepover or an overnight camp, you may want to consider providing them with disposable underwear with boxer shorts. 

Bedwetting can affect your child’s emotional well-being and self-esteem, and cause them to feel too embarrassed to have sleepovers or struggle with staying focused in school. It is therefore important to stay positive and patient during the process. If one treatment isn’t working, do not give up. It often takes a combination of different methods and it can also take some time to resolve the problem. Never blame your child or punish them for bedwetting as it is not their fault. Make sure to remain sensitive to their feelings and remind them that they will outgrow this. It’s also important to not allow teasing from anyone in the family, including your other children.  

If bedwetting is an ongoing problem in your home, you can schedule an appointment with the pediatrician who will take a complete medical history and inquire about urinary symptoms your child might have. These include the urge to urinate frequently or pain during urination. Your pediatrician will also want to gather information about your child’s sleep pattern, how often they have bowel movement, and any potential stressful events in your child’s life. A urine test along with a complete physical exam is often performed. 

For help and guidance with bedwetting and finding the right solutions, please call our office. 



How to Address Bullying

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Bullying is a serious issue that affects children and adolescents every year. As parents, it’s important to be aware of the signs, know how to effectively address and prevent it, and help your child thrive emotionally and socially. The first thing to understand is what bullying is and what it’s not. Bullying happens when there’s an imbalance of power between the bully and the one being targeted. The bully will use harmful words or actions and dominating behaviors that can make their victim feel intimidated and unsafe. It is not the same as harmless teasing between friends or an argument between kids. Some children are more likely to become targets of bullying, such as those who are shy, perceived to be weaker or smaller, have disabilities or special health care needs, or have a marginalized identity including their racial and ethnic background or being part of the LGBTQ+ community. 

If left unaddressed, bullying can take a toll on a child’s health, development, self-esteem, academic performance, and school attendance. If you notice signs that your child is troubled, such as problems with sleeping, loss of appetite, sudden change in their school grades, skipping school, or feelings of depression and anxiety, talk to your child to see what the root of the issues are. If you suspect that your child is being bullied, ask them questions to better understand the situation. Once you learn more, you can help make your child feel safer. 

Encourage your child to not give in to their bully’s demands or give the bully a reaction. Bullies try to scare others and when they get that reaction, it can encourage them to continue. Advise your child to ignore the bully and let an adult know about the issue as soon as possible so that they can intervene appropriately. If the bully keeps harassing your child even after they ignore them, suggest to them to stand up to the bully by firmly telling them to stop the behavior or they will report them. When the bullying behavior is extreme or becomes worse, intervention from teachers, the school principal, or the bully’s parents, should be sought. Alert all parties so that they’re aware of the situation and can take the necessary actions, as well as keep a close eye on the problem. 

In many cases, bullying doesn’t take place in-person at school but online instead. This is known as cyberbullying, which has increased in recent decades from social media and smartphones. It usually involves harmful messages such as texts or comments on social media, sharing embarrassing or altered pictures of the victim, making up and spreading rumors and false stories, etc. Cyberbullying can be more difficult to deal with as the bully can easily be anonymous. If your child is affected by cyberbullying, document all behaviors, messages, and harmful images and report them so that they’re taken down as soon as possible and the user gets banned or removed from the platform where the cyberbullying is taking place. Tell your child to block the bully online and from their phone so that they do not continue receiving the messages.

Lastly, it is always helpful to teach your children how to build healthy relationships so that if bullying does occur, they have a support system that they can rely on. The more isolated a child is, the easier it is for a bully to target them. By developing strong friendships, your child will have people who can stand up for them and help them get through tough situations. Our pediatricians can also help. If you have concerns about bullying and your child’s mental health, please contact our office.