AT HOME WITH HOMER: Mental Health & Social Emotional Learning — with Stephanie Dua

Kanika: My kids are having a really hard time being cut off from their friends and dealing with COVID. How do I help them navigate through these times? Stephanie / Statistics:

Most notably, the low-income, Black and Hispanic communities that urban districts more often serve have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. Their students are expected to have some of the greatest academic, social and emotional learning losses coming out of the pandemic (USNews).

Even before the coronavirus hit, mental health problems such as depression and anxiety were on the rise in children ages 6 to 17, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research shows social isolation can worsen these symptoms.

Based on prior research on isolation and loneliness, children and adolescents are more likely to have high rates of depression, and, probably, anxiety, even after the enforced isolation resulting from the COVID‐19 pandemic ends, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (source).

A national survey of 3,300 high school students conducted in the Spring of 2020 found nearly a third reporting they were unhappy and depressed "much more than usual" in the past month. Almost 51% said they felt a lot more uncertainty about the future as well. (source) ADHD, behavior problems, anxiety, and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children (CDC).

Overseas, in a survey of 1,143 parents measuring the effects of the lockdowns in Italy and Spain, nearly 86% reported changes in their children such as difficulty concentrating and spending more time online and asleep, and less time engaging in physical activity.

A study of 2,330 schoolchildren in China found both anxiety and depression rose in comparison to rates seen in previous investigations.

Stephanie / Tips:

Make sure you have a daily check-in, something I do with my child:

Rose, thorn and bud

Mindfulness corner, walk and belly breathwork (CMI)

For younger kids ages 3-6 who might not be as verbal, HOMER has this great activity kit called Explore Feelings, and you do just that. Kids learn self expression and to identify feelings, through hands-on activities and prompts.

Color-in Feelings Forest Map

Conversation Prompts + Bag

Social-emotional Matching Cards

Feelings Activity Book & Crayons

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