Talking With Children About Disaster. (COMMUNICATION).In response to the tragic events of September 11, The American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics ("AAP") is an organization of pediatricians, physicians trained to deal with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. Its motto is: "Dedicated to the Health of All Children. presents the following tips on how to communicate with children and adolescents in the aftermath of a crisis: * It's important to communicate to children that they're safe. Given what they may have seen on television, they need to know that the violence is isolated to certain areas, and they will not be harmed. * Adolescents in particular can be hard hit by these kinds of events. Adults should watch for signs such as: sleep disturbances, fatigue, lack of pleasure in activities enjoyed previously, and initiation of illicit substance abuse. * Overexposure overexposure too long an exposure time or too high a milliamperage causing too black a picture, loss of detail and some anomalies of translucency. to the media can be traumatizing. It's unwise to let children or adolescents view footage of traumatic events over and over. Children and adolescents should not watch these events alone. * Adults need to help children understand the significance of these events. Discussion is critical. It should be stressed that the terrorist acts are one of desperation and horror - that there are "bad" people out there, and bad people do bad things. But not all people in a particular group are bad. Children should know that lashing out at members of a particular religious or ethnic group will only cause more harm. For more information about dealing with children's reactions to trauma, the following Web sites offer a wealth of coping techniques and advice: * American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry A branch of psychiatry that specialises in work with children, teenagers, and their families. History An important antecedent to the specialty of child psychiatry was the social recognition of childhood as a special phase of life with its own developmental stages, starting with - www.aacap.org * American Academy of Pediatrics - www.aap.org * American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is a professional organization representing psychology in the US. Description and history The association has around 150,000 members and an annual budget of around $70m. - www.helping.apa.org * Children's Defense Fund The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a national organization that is committed to the social Welfare of children. Founded in 1973, the nonprofit group uses its annual $9 million budget to lobby legislators and to speak out publicly on a broad array of issues on the law, the family, and - www.childrensdefense.org * Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the federal agency responsible for coordinating emergency planning, preparedness, risk reduction, response, and recovery. The agency works closely with state and local governments by funding emergency programs and providing technical - www.fema.gov * The Parent Center - www.parentcenter.com |
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