Young & Healthy

Strength Spotting: Grown Ups Can Help Kids See their Own Character Strengths

Bravery, love, forgiveness, humor, honesty, and creativity. These are some of the 24 character strengths that are part of each and every one of us. Today we are talking about how identifying character strengths that shine in children, and telling them what we see, can have a profound positive impact on how they see themselves. It’s called strength spotting and Dr. Pratima Shanbhag and social worker Ashley Cremeans from our Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children are experts at strength spotting. They use it in their practice with children who have experienced trauma and they are on the podcast today to teach us how parents and other health professionals can also use it to help children see and celebrate the strengths that make them uniquely wonderful.   
Topic timestamps: 
1:53- What is strength Spotting. 
3:33- Examples of the type of character strengths. 
9:32- How strengths can help children who have challenges other than those associated with trauma. 
14:43- Do strengths change as children get older. 
21:18- Utilizing Strengths with staff at the Mayerson Center. 
23:56- Favorite experience using strengths/Final Thoughts. 
27:53- What is next with the strength spotting project. 
 
Via Character Strengths Survey: https://www.viacharacter.org/surveys/takesurvey 

Kids in the Kitchen: From Toddlers to Teens, Fostering a Love of Food

Let's face it, feeding kids is a lot of work. Finding healthy meals and snacks that they want to eat, sometimes feels impossible. But it doesn't have to! Catherine Anthony, a registered dietitian with our Healthworks! program joined us today to talk about how to involve kids in the kitchen and help them learn to love what they eat. She has fantastic ideas for kids of all ages that can make life easier now and set kids up for a lifetime of good food experiences. 

Anxiety and Fidgets: Tools to Help Kids Self-Regulate

Is it a toy, or an important tool to help kids manage anxiety? Does the fidget distract the student, or help them focus? Therapists Emily Meyer and Jenny McNiese are what you might call fidget experts, and they have nothing but good things to say about kids using fidgets. We know it's easy to be skeptical of the "toys" that so many kids have in their backpacks and pockets, but we shouldn't be. Today we talk about how helpful they can be to kids and teens to help manage anxiety, stay calm and focus. 

ADHD in Kids: Typical Behavior or Time for an Evaluation?

In this episode of Young & Healthy, we talk about the basics of ADHD with Dr. Tanya Froehlich and Dr. Landon Krantz. They share how a child’s doctor can help when families first become curious if a child has ADHD, and how to think about the difference between typical kid energy and ADHD. We also explore the signs that indicate an evaluation is a good next step and treatments that are available. If you’ve ever questioned if a behavior is typical for your child’s developmental age, or worried that they aren’t focusing well in school, this episode is for you.

First Aid: Skills To Save a Life

Would you know what to do if someone collapsed in front of you? What about if an accident happened and someone was bleeding heavily? In a conversation with two emergency medicine physicians, Dr. Cindy Chang and Dr. Brad Sobolewski, we dive into first aid and the importance of acting quickly and calling for help if an emergency unfolds in front of you. Learning how to do CPR, stop bleeding and use an AED, are all important steps that parents and older kids can take together to be ready. This 40 minute episode could literally help you save someone's life.
Topic timestamps:
3:33 - Types of first aid and when you could need them
5:45 - High quality CPR - why it's important and how to do it
7:40 - Hands-only CPR - why breaths aren't advised anymore
10:20 - AEDs - what they do and when to use one
12:30 - AEDs - how to use one
15: 32 - Hemorrhage and bleeding control
17:19 - Tourniquets - why and how to use one
22:20 - Teaching kids first aid skills to learn more about right age to teach them
25:05 - CAT tourniquets and bleeding control kits
26:44 - Addressing concern about fear or hesitation to do first aid
29:43 - Trusted organizations for teaching first aid
31:40 - Additional benefits to parents who learn first aid
32:55 - AEDs in public places and who can use them
34:10 - Purchasing an AED and first aid supplies
38:06 - Final thoughts from our experts
Trusted organizations:
American Heart Association CPR & First Aid
Red Cross Training | Take a Class | Red Cross
Project ADAM
STOP THE BLEED - Save a Life | Stop The Bleed