Does your child have trouble sitting still, following instructions, or making friends? Child behavioral issues may be to blame. Fortunately, your Falls Church, VA, pediatrician, Dr. Maria Sacoto of Sacoto Pediatrics, can recommend treatments and strategies that may help your child.
How behavioral issues can affect your child's life
Behavioral problems are often just as frustrating for your child as they are for you. The issues can affect your child's mental or emotional health and interfere with your child's ability to interact successfully with other people. Children who have behavioral problems can:
- Struggle to make or keep friends
- Have angry or violent outbursts
- Experience meltdowns triggered by a schedule change or another seemingly minor issue
- Find it hard to concentrate or sit still during class
- Fail to turn in homework and lose important papers
- Make involuntary movements or sounds
- Argue often with parents and teachers
- Refuse to follow instructions or requests
- Blame other people for their problems
- Suffer from anxiety or depression
These symptoms can be caused by a variety of conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, Tourette syndrome, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), addiction, mood disorders, and other mental or behavioral health problems.
How your child's pediatrician can help
If your child is affected by child behavioral issues, a visit to the Falls Church, VA, pediatrics office is the first step in helping them cope with mental health issues. Without treatment, behavioral issues can become lifelong problems that affect every aspect of your child's life.
Although medication might be recommended for some types of behavioral health issues, it's certainly not the only, or first, solution. Depending on your child's symptoms, your pediatrician may recommend a few tests that will help provide a diagnosis. If needed, referrals to psychiatrists, psychologists, or other mental health providers will be offered. Counseling sessions or cognitive behavioral therapy may be helpful. Therapy can help your child and you better understand and manage their condition.
Do you need help with child behavioral problems? Call the Falls Church, VA, office of Dr. Sacoto of Sacoto Pediatrics at (703) 820-1951 to schedule an appointment.