Common Childhood Emotional and Behavioural Problems 

♦︎ Anxiety, nervousness, and panic

♦︎ Regressive Behaviour, such as bedwetting

♦︎ Frequent temper tantrums and aggressive behavior

♦︎ Somatic complaints of headaches and abdominal pain

♦︎ Selective mutism, resistance, or avoiding unfamiliar places or people

♦︎ Oppositional Behaviour, such as actively refusing parents' instructions

How to deal with children's emotional and behavioral problems?

If children present with emotional and behavioral problems, parents should consult the psychologist and arrange an appropriate assessment as soon as possible to provide early intervention. Parents should avoid perceiving their children as "naughty" or "manipulative" and use punishment to handle the problematic behaviors, as it does not solve the problem and damages the rapport between the parents and the children. Instead, parents should try to listen to the children about their concerns and accept their situations. They should also maintain good communication with the school personnel and work together to deal with their children's issues.

Emotional and Behavioural Assessment in Neuroscientist

Service Targets

❖ Children and adolescents aged 1.5 to 16

Service Contents

❖Parents Interview: The psychologist will meet with the parents to collect information about their child's learning, social, emotional, and behavioral performance.

❖Behavioral Observation: The child's interaction with their parents and the psychologist will be observed to determine the nature of the emotional and behavioral difficulties.

❖Behavioral Rating Scale: Standardised rating scales will be used to measure the child's emotional and behavioral performance according to the observations of the parents and teachers to determine the nature of the difficulties and their severity.

Referral & Follow-Up

❖ The psychologist will write a comprehensive report (English) to integrate the findings and explain the assessment results in the report meeting.

❖The psychologist will analyze the possible cause(s) of the emotional and behavioral difficulties. Then, appropriate interventions and treatment recommendations will be provided based on the conclusion.

❖ Children who have significant features of emotional and behavioral difficulties will be referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre of the Hospital Authority for further management if medication therapy is desired. Children under six will also be directed to the Early Education and Training Centre (EETC) or On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services (OPRS) provided by The Social Welfare Department for pre-school rehabilitation services.