Page 36 - BusinessWest July 10, 2023

“One cohort of children that particularly benefits from structure and routine are
those with developmental delays, including those with related neurobehavioral disorders such as autism spectrum disorder.”
There is value for a teen who is old enough to look for a job. It gives the ability to have more autonomy and more cash to spend and save, and is a good use of their free time.
Parents and guardians should continue their due diligence in knowing who their child is hanging out with in high school, where they are going, and when they will return.
College students can be bit of a conundrum because they are adults. Maybe it is time to say they are coming back home as adults, and you will hold them to that standard in terms of their personal habits around the house.
They are old enough to get a job. This, again, allows them more bandwidth in what they might want to purchase for themselves, help with cost-of-living expenses when they are home, and helps structure their time.
Having structure is key in helping young folks during the summer not get distracted and into risky situations, as is knowing their friends. Have their friends (new and old) over the house and meet them during the summer. There is no harm in meeting your children’s friends of any age.
BusinessWest: How can parents and guardians best initiate a talk around accountability and acceptability during vacation? Beheshti: The best approach is often from an angle of curiosity.
This makes it conversational rather than who, what, when, and where. For example, adults often share about each other’s friends just out of an interest, and this tact will likely have more traction with teenagers and young adults versus grilling them.
There is also value in saying to your young person, “I remember my summers when I was a teen, and how my parents (your grandparents) were, and I understand today their concerns for me back then.” The more transparent and sharing (within reason) parents and guardians are, the better chance for more open discussion.
BusinessWest: How important is adhering to routines like bedtime during summer?
Beheshti: There can be some leeway. For example, if you have
a 9- or 10-year-old, the average bedtime should be between 8 and 9 p.m. If you want to push it to 10 p.m. during the summer and have them sleep a bit later, you need — about two weeks before the start of school — to get that back closer to their school-year sleep pattern so they don’t wake up super tired and have a hard time adjusting the first week of school.
You also want to make sure they are eating healthy, balanced meals during the day with plenty of exercise.
BusinessWest: Is it important to spend more family time together during vacation?
Beheshti: There is value in trying to schedule at least one week, maybe two if you have the luxury, for some vacation — even if it is a staycation — with your kids, even when they are high- schoolers. They may roll their eyes, asking why the family is doing something, but being together as a family is something you may not get to do a lot during the school year.
BusinessWest: What mental-health issues come up during summer for school kids?
Beheshti: Historically speaking, and the pandemic years aside, the inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric bed census drops during the summer for several reasons. There is less demand on young people during the summer. This means, if they have been managing a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, for example, their symptoms tend to be less severe with less pressure.
However, one cohort of children that particularly benefits
from structure and routine are those with developmental delays, including those with related neurobehavioral disorders such as autism spectrum disorder. We see the same amount of prevalence of children with a neurodevelopmental disorder needing hospitalization during summer because their preferred school routines have gone away.
Thank You!
We're sending our sincere thanks and appreciation to you, PeoplesBank, for your support of our 7th Annual Golf Tournament
as the presenting sponsor.
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