Crossroads School principal Val Witt discusses mental health issues experienced by children
Principal of Crossroads School shares information on how parents and caregivers can help their children face mental health disorders.
The Covid-19 pandemic and its consequent lockdowns disrupted the lives of children in so many devastating ways, with everything familiar to them changing almost overnight.
These are the words of Val Witt, the principal of remedial school Crossroads School. She said despite parents’ and caregivers’ best intentions to protect their children from physical and emotional harm, the unprecedented period the country had been through over the past few years had a significant impact on children’s mental health, with heightened levels of childhood anxiety across the board.
She added according to a recent report by the South African Child Gauge 2021/22, between 10 and 20% of children and adolescents in the country were likely to have a diagnosed mental disorder, with anxiety reported as one of the most common mental health issues experienced by children.
“Parents should note that occasional anxiety is normal and that children naturally experience fear and worry as part of their development. They are often introduced to new and unknown situations at their age, and their brains aren’t developed enough to manage the associated emotions. As a child grows up, matures, and adapts to new situations, they learn coping mechanisms, and their anxiety should generally decrease,” she said.
Witt added while all children could experience anxiety, some were naturally more anxious and became overwhelmed by feelings of fear, loneliness and worry, which resulted in difficulty concentrating, a racing heart and the heavy feeling of an ‘elephant sitting on their tummy,’ among other issues.
Unfortunately, anxiety presents inconsistently and often goes undetected, causing lifelong consequences and struggles. The Child Gauge report is said to highlight that half of all adult mental health problems have origins before the age of 14 and 75% by age 24, making early prevention and treatment essential.
“As parents, teachers, and therapists, we have a window of opportunity to put interventions in place to support children struggling with anxiety. The extent to which a child feels accepted, included, and valued in their school contributes to their socio-emotional development and motivation to achieve. Our school motto is Let none be left behind, our promise to our children and parents is that our dedicated team of professionals are committed to creating an environment enabling children to thrive.”
Related Article:
