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With many educational programs and apps available for preschoolers, how do you know which ones are worth your time? ABCmouse.com is a subscription-based, educational website for children ages 2 through 8. Created by a team of educators, it offers a full online curriculum for kids in pre-K, kindergarten, and early elementary school. How ABCmouse.com Works When you first sign on to ABCmouse.com, your child (or children—up to three can play and learn on one account) is prompted to create an avatar that represents them....

If your four-year-old won’t celebrate their fifth birthday until summer or fall, you may be asking yourself whether or not they’re ready for kindergarten. The question of whether you should hold them out a year or send them to school may even be on your mind. You won’t be alone in pondering this question. A 2013 study in the journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis reports that this phenomenon, known as academic redshirting, occurs yearly in approximately 4-5% of the kindergarten-age population....

In a small, little-noticed subcategory of the Other Specified Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder (DSM-5, 300.3; ICD-10, F42) diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition (DSM-5), lies body-focused repetitive behavior disorder. Although they are not each specifically indexed in the DSM-5, these oft-overlooked behavioral difficulties can cause a great deal of distress and functional impairment in the lives of those who struggle with them. Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) include any repetitive self-grooming behavior that involves biting, pulling, picking, or scraping one’s own hair, skin, lips, cheeks, or nails that results in damage to the body and have been met with multiple attempts to stop or decrease the behavior....

There are many choices when deciding which type of therapy to seek for an eating disorder. One type of therapy you might be offered is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT is a specific type of cognitive-behavioral treatment. It was developed in the late 1970s by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. to treat chronically suicidal individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is now recognized as the treatment of choice for this population....

Nearly all antidepressants can cause weight gain as a side effect—including Celexa (citalopram). Even though the amount of weight a person is likely to put on while taking Celexa or another SSRI tends to be minimal, gaining even a little bit can be bothersome for many people. However, a few commonsense strategies can help you deal with weight gain while taking Celexa. What Is Celexa (Citalopram)? Celexa belongs to a class of antidepressant medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)....

Emma is an English name with roots in an old Germanic word meaning “whole” or “universal.” A perfect fit for the baby who will be your whole world! Its initial popularity in England can be attributed to Emma of Normandy, who married the English kings Aethelred II and later Cnut the Great. The name was also used by well-known English author Jane Austen, who created the character of Emma Woodhouse in her 1816 novel, “Emma....

An episodic memory is a memory of a specific event. Because each person has a different perspective and experience of an event, episodic memories of that event are unique to each person. Closely related to this is what researchers refer to as autobiographical memory—memories of your own life history. As you can imagine, episodic and autobiographical memories play an important role in your self-identity. How Episodic Memory Works Imagine that you get a phone call from an old college friend....

The fear of failure can stem from a number of sources. Sometimes this fear might emerge in response to a specific situation. In other cases, it might be related to another mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. The fear of failure, also known as atychiphobia, is an irrational and persistent fear of failing. The fear of failure may also be related to being a perfectionist. Because perfectionists have such high expectations for how they expect things to turn out, they may experience a nagging fear that they won’t live up to those often unrealistically high standards....

Like many people, you’ve probably taken your antidepressant late a few times, or even forgotten to take it altogether for a day or two. If you sometimes feel like you have the flu with an upset stomach, achiness, and dizziness when this happens, you may be experiencing what’s known as discontinuation syndrome. Symptoms of discontinuation syndrome can happen when you significantly lower your dose or suddenly stop taking any type of antidepressant....

When you are embarking on the journey of fertility testing, you might be focused solely on your own fertility concerns, or those of your partner. But up to 33% of fertility issues are caused by factors from both partners. This is why fertility specialists don’t just focus on individual testing, but also perform fertility tests for couples. It’s good to know what type of tests may be performed when you undergo fertility testing, from genetic karyotyping to post-coital screening....

Decision-making can be difficult for anyone, but for people with a high level of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), or highly sensitive people (HSPs), there can be an added layer of stress. Key Takeaways Highly sensitive people’s brains are wired differently, and they process information and make decisions differently.Decision fatigue can affect anyone especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but highly sensitive people feel that exhaustion more intensely.There are things highly sensitive people can do to calm down their nervous system and make decisions without feeling overwhelmed....

Learned optimism involves developing the ability to view the world from a positive point of view. It is often contrasted with learned helplessness. By challenging negative self-talk and replacing pessimistic thoughts with more positive ones, people can learn how to become more optimistic. Benefits of Optimism There are a number of benefits to becoming a more optimistic person. Some of the many advantages of optimism that researchers have discovered include:...

What Does BCBA Stand For? Applied behavior analysis utilizes behavioral processes, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and three-term contingency, to change people’s behavior. Some estimates suggest that BCBAs made an average of $66,711 per year. Please note that Verywell Mind does not promote Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapy. ABA is a harmful type of “therapy” because it aims to change an individual’s behaviors so that the person appears more neurotypical. However, this technique harms the autistic community (among others) because it is rooted in behaviorism, which is connected to eugenics....

Raising kids can be challenging, especially because their behaviors and emotions can change quickly. Much of the time, these fluctuations are a normal part of child development and nothing to be concerned about. But sometimes, these changes in mood or behavior are indicators of a more serious concern like anxiety, depression, or another mental health issue. In these cases, you may find that a mental health professional is needed to help your child or teen cope with what they’re experiencing....

Many parents feel like their kids are out of control at one time or another. But usually, that feeling is fairly fleeting. For some parents, however, out-of-control kids have become the norm. Their children refuse to listen, break the rules, and couldn’t care less about consequences. If you’re feeling like your kids are out of control, take steps to regain your power. Maintaining your authority is important to your child’s well-being—and it’s important for your own emotional health too....

When it comes to feeding your baby, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of their life. However, the pressure to provide babies with breast milk over other feeding options is driving some parents to buy unscreened and unregulated breast milk online, which can put a baby’s fragile health at risk. A series of studies conducted by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found that breast milk bought through unregulated websites contained high levels of bacterial contamination....

Tough love is a common expression used to describe any behavior that is a firm, sometimes cold, approach to handling another person’s actions. It is somewhat controversial, particularly when used in the treatment of certain disorders, such as drug addiction or other addictive behaviors. This article discusses how tough love works and whether this approach is effective. It also discusses how tough love differs from setting healthy boundaries and some alternative approaches that can be more effective....

When it comes to hot tub use, most people know that small children shouldn’t use hot tubs or spas because they’re not able to dissipate the heat as much as adults. But the risk of drowning is an even greater risk for young children. In fact, the 2020 Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) pool and spa submersion report indicates that 75% of the fatal drownings and 76% of the emergency-department-treated nonfatal drowning injuries involved children under the age of 5....

Kohlberg’s theory of moral development is a theory that focuses on how children develop morality and moral reasoning. Kohlberg’s theory suggests that moral development occurs in a series of six stages and that moral logic is primarily focused on seeking and maintaining justice. Here we discuss how Kohlberg developed his theory of moral development and the six stages he identified as part of this process. We also share some critiques of Kohlberg’s theory, many of which suggest that it may be biased based on the limited demographics of the subjects studied....

Stemming from the Latin word for lion, the name Leo dates back centuries. In German, it has its own translation, serving as a short version of Leon or Leopold most often and meaning “brave people” or “lion-hearted.” In Spain, leo is a holy oil used for anointing in the church. It is also the name of the fifth sign in the astrological zodiac, and there is a constellation named Leo as well....