A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Therapies given to infants before they receive a diagnosis of autism may lead to important improvements in their language abilities, according to our new research published today in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. Children with autism typically begin therapy after receiving a diagnosis, which usually doesn’t occur until at least two years of [...]
Mental health disorders may onset early in life, meaning that parents and healthcare professionals need to be able to recognize the signs and intervene appropriately. And as any epidemiologist will tell you, one of the first steps of understanding an illness or condition – and how to best treat it – is to determine how [...]
A new headspace centre for Mandurah is one step closer, with the tender process to run an early intervention mental health service for 12 to 25-year-olds now open. WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA), the peak planning and commissioning body for primary health care services in WA, is seeking applications from potential service providers to run [...]
Feelings that others are dismissive or blame parents commonly cited as reasons for not accessing help for children and young people with mental health concerns. "Cumbersome" mental health services with long waiting times and difficulties getting a referral also cited. Parents feeling blamed for their child's mental health difficulties has been cited as a common [...]
Online psychological therapy is highly effective and should be considered a viable alternative to treating people with depression, say the authors of a new study. Analysis of nearly a dozen international studies found the use of self-guided internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) was associated with "significantly" lower depressive symptoms. The statistics show one in five [...]
Mental health problems often start in childhood, but opportunities to help are being missed and research spend is lacking. Three in four mental illnesses start in childhood 75% of mental illnesses start before a child reaches their 18th birthday, while 50% of mental health problems in adult life (excluding dementia) take root before the age [...]
Early intervention when children are very young – from birth to three years of age, while their brains and skills are developing rapidly – can dramatically improve life prospects. Basics such as good nutrition, language development, and physical, cognitive and social skills can be helped by family and supported by social and early-child development programs. [...]
Pixabay Images For children on the autism spectrum, very early social skills training, preferably before school age, can have a major impact on later development. But a lot of kids are missing that crucial intervention. For many, it’s not because they’re not getting diagnosed—it’s because they’re getting a different diagnosis first. Often, it’s [...]
Flickr Images Scientists say they have established the first successful treatment for autism, after training parents in how best to respond to the needs of children with the condition. The study, published in The Lancet, found “striking” and “remarkable” long-term changes after toddlers were enrolled in intensive communication programmes, which aimed to coax them [...]
Flikr Images Children with attention problems in early childhood were 40 percent less likely to graduate from high school, says a new study from Duke University that examines how early childhood characteristics affect academic performance. The results highlight the need to develop effective early interventions to help those with attention problems stay on [...]
