The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, currently in its fifth edition, provides a way of labeling a variety of psychological, developmental, and cognitive syndromes. The use of these labels often gives the impression that these are discrete, well-defined illnesses, like cancer, with specific causes. However, syndromes are defined by clusters of behaviors or symptoms, not by the underlying cause.
Research has consistently linked sleep quality with cognitive functioning and mood stability, with healthy sleep habits significantly improving productivity, stamina, physical health, and overall quality of life. Poor sleep may not only impact how you feel the morning after a restless night, but chronic sleep challenges can also result in physiological changes to your brain that undermine long-term cognitive health. Thankfully, many sleep problems can be effectively addressed by improving sleep hygiene.
A primary goal of childhood is to lay the foundation for strong emotional regulation skills. Because the brain networks underlying executive functioning (i.e., a set of complex cognitive abilities that guide purposeful behavior, including impulse control, planning, and self-monitoring) do not fully develop until early adulthood, children often need support learning how to tolerate negative emotions and self-soothe.
As parents, you want the best for your child; to provide opportunities to maximize their potential; and to set them up for happiness and success in all their endeavors. Parents naturally want to protect their children from disaster, danger, and disappointment. However, as with most things, too much protection can become a problem.
“When will I ever need to know this?”
Many of us remember sitting in a classroom and wondering when we might ever need to know pre-calculus, the organelles of a cell, the factors leading to the industrial revolution, or any of a number of seemingly niche lessons taught in elementary and high school. The primary benefit of these educational experiences, however, was not what we learned but rather learning how to learn.
There are times when we all feel sad, worry, or have difficulty concentrating, and it can be challenging at times to know if you or a loved one is experiencing a normal reaction to life’s ups and downs, or has developed a problem that would rise to the level of a diagnosis.
We are living through unprecedented times, and many people are struggling as they face mounting challenges in every facet of life.
Cognition refers to various thinking skills such as learning, memory, attention, mental speed, abstract reasoning and problem solving, processing and integrating visual information, and executive abilities (managing thinking skills and behavior in pursuit of a goal).
