Interview with Desirée Infante: psychological disorders in childhood

Psychologist and neuropsychologist Desirée Infante talks to us about common disorders in childhood.

Childhood is a key stage in physical and psychological development, and for this reason it is essential to carry out an early detection of possible problems that may arise during childhood. Part of this task is carried out by psychologists and neuropsychologists trained to work with children.

Desirée Infante works in these areas of support for children and families.In this case we interviewed her to talk to us about psychological alterations during childhood.

Desirée Infante: the attention to the psychological alterations in the childhood

In this interview with Desirée Infante we discuss topics such as ADHD, educational and parenting guidelines for parents with children diagnosed with psychological disorders, or the way in which children perceive the idea of going to therapy.

Why is it important to detect psychological disorders in children as early as possible?

It is important because of the neuronal plasticity that exists in childhood; in this age period plasticity is much greater than in adulthood. The importance lies in the early detection of disorders in order to begin intervention. Neural plasticity allows us to repair or compensate brain areas with dysfunctions and thus try to reverse the effects of the disorder.

It is true that in some disorders it is not possible to completely reverse the effects of the pathology, but it is possible to compensate with other areas or minimize the impact of the disorder in the child's life.

There is some controversy about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, since many people question its existence, pointing out that it is a way to pathologize the curiosity and energetic character of children. Is there a line between what can be considered a normal personality trait and a disorder of these characteristics?

When the disorder was first coined, many of the children who did not fit into a diagnostic category were diagnosed as ADHD, which created a great deal of controversy, because these children did not have common characteristics and had very different traits.

This, throughout history, has been modified by defining in diagnostic manuals the characteristics that must be met to be diagnosed, this has changed the picture and children who formerly were diagnosed by mistake now does not happen.

It should also be added that within this disorder there are different subtypes that may predominate in each child. For example: there is attention deficit disorder (ADD), in which as its name indicates, what exists is an attention deficit, which should not be confused with ADHD; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in which attention deficit, hyperactivity/impulsivity or the combined type that would exist both as attention deficit and hyperactivity may predominate.

In this disorder it is also necessary to know how to differentiate what is normal or what is pathological, all this depends on the age of the child and if it interferes in the normal life of the minor.

What are the most common psychological alterations in children that cause the most problems when it comes to complying with the rules of the home?

The most frequent disorders in which behavioral problems can be observed are: ADHD, due to the impulsivity and hyperactivity that this disorder presents; Conduct disorders such as disruptive disorder (in which behavioral and emotional self-control problems are presented); and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), cases in which children present a deterioration in social interaction and fail to understand social norms, they usually show behavioral problems.

What basic parenting principles can parents follow in these cases?

The main ones are these:

• Identifying a disobedient child is the first step in solving the problem.
• Set clear rules and make the consequences of the behavior very clear.
• Establish limits
• Motivate the disobedient child
• Let him/her calm down; if he/she is having a tantrum, it is better to wait until the moment has passed and not enter into a direct confrontation.
• Do not fall into provocations
• Use routines is essential to correct a disobedient child.
• Reward good behaviors, positive reinforcement motivates and is fundamental for the child to recreate the desired behavior.
• It must be made clear that it is the behavior that is inappropriate and not the child.
• Avoid letting our emotions get out of control.
• Make suggestions for alternative behaviors to the problem behavior.
• Explain why behavior change is necessary.

And what common mistakes do parents make when trying to educate children who have developed, for example, a conduct disorder?

They do not have to be making any mistakes, generally, many parents, including myself, may feel guilty for the development of behavioral problems of their children, believing that they are to blame for these.

There is no exact correlation in how parents educate their children and the behavioral problems of their children, but it is true that there is a generalized pattern of overprotection towards the little ones that leads to a lack of tolerance to frustration. This intolerance to frustration is what leads us to the dreaded tantrums and these, through reinforcement, become more and more frequent.

In your experience as a professional, is it common for children to feel bad about the idea that they need psychotherapeutic help?

Generally, the children who come for consultation usually come quite easily and adapt quickly to the intervention. Adolescents are the most reluctant at the beginning of therapy, but knowing that each person has different needs and adapting to these needs in each case often facilitates the intervention.

What can be done to make children aware, at a collective level, that the disorders that some of their peers have developed are not a reason to make fun of them or to exclude them?

To work on this problem, we must start by educating at home so that the child understands that there are behaviors that are totally unacceptable. To educate in social inclusion we can start working with concepts such as empathy; it is very important that children are educated in emotional intelligence from an early age, this is important to know how to recognize their own emotions and those of others.

Positive reinforcement is very important, since it is more successful than negative reinforcement, it is important to look for the behaviors we want our children to do and congratulate them when they are doing them.

Adults should be the best example for children, we must be careful in how we interact with children and how they interpret our behaviors. We must avoid emphasizing the negative aspects of others and try to reflect the positive ones, and when conflicts arise, teach them how to handle frustration and emotions.