Clinicians and pediatricians are often the first experts consulted by parents when they have questions about their children’s mental health. Twenty years ago it required an appointment or a phone call to get this information. There were books on broader topics such as ADHD, autism, and childhood depression, but very few places to learn about parenting and educational strategies for kids with modest learning, attention, and social/emotional difficulties. Fortunately, the Internet now provides a great deal of up-to-date information about children’s mental health issues. Unfortunately, childcare professionals generally do not know the most informative and reliable sources of information for parents. Here are some of the best sites for parents, educators, and clinicians about children’s mental health issues:
South County Child and Family Consultants
This is one of the best resources for information and recommendations for parents on topics such as executive functions, ADHD, autism, and healthy living who are looking for what to do and how to do it. It also has extensive mental health related bibliographies for parents and kids, information about neuropsychological testing, and easy-to-print/share handouts that clinicians can provide to their patients.
This is a resource to help parents understand the topic of ADHD that has an excellent question and answer section.
This source assists parents in helping their children with special needs to get involved with new technology and the media. It provides a way to get these children more involved with different games, apps, and devices that can be useful for them.
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association provides advocacy for a variety of children’s mental health issues. The site helps readers make the connection between physical and mental health.
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is responsible for the DSM-V, the diagnostic system used for childhood psychiatric disorders. It provides a resource for learning more about the warning signs of psychiatric issues.
This resource can help parents of children with ADHD learn proper discipline techniques and positive parenting skills and details learning resources.
This is a great source of information about many parenting issues that contains a wide range of information regarding school psychologists.
This provides excellent information on medical concerns, including parenting techniques, and discusses different behavior/disciplinary techniques and safe and healthy habits.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This is a comprehensive site on children’s mental health issues that offers potential diagnoses on children’s mental health disorders and what actions are considered the most beneficial.
This link refers to the National Institute of Mental Health and is a great way to look for publications and research facilities. It provides information on how to seek the best help based on children’s mental health issues.
The Mayo Clinic provides integrated medical practices and education that have to do with health, medicine, and treating/coping strategies. They offer many resources for parents on a variety of different mental illnesses along with interventions on how to help.
Offering a wide variety of resources, this site can answer a range of questions that parents have regarding their child’s mental health and where they can seek help if needed.
Kid’s Mental Health offers a portal where parents and professionals can search from a variety of different mental illnesses and learn more about each. It explains the signs, symptoms, and steps that could be taken to assist these children.
MHA is an organization dedicated to making people aware of the mental health crisis happening in America today. There is an abundance of information for parents, teachers, and doctors to make themselves aware of mental health issues that our children are facing.
The Children’s Mental Health and Emotional or Behavioral Disorders project offers a wide variety of useful resources for families, including recent research regarding children’s mental health.
Each Mind Matters offers information on child and family mental health issues. Both are very relevant in today’s world, and staying up to date and utilizing this site’s resources to stay informed can be extremely helpful.
