Lesson Plan: Recognizing Depression in Kids
II. While Reading Activities
Word Inference
- stress |stres| noun 2 a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances: he’s obviously under a lot of stress | [in combination] : stress-related illnesses.
- isolation |ˌīsəˈlāSH(ə)n| noun the process or fact of isolating or being isolated: the isolation of older people.
- suicidal |ˌso͞oəˈsīdl| adjective deeply unhappy or depressed and likely to commit suicide: far from being suicidal, he was clearly enjoying life.
- depression |dəˈpreSH(ə)n| noun 1 feelings of severe despondency and dejection: self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression.
- anxiety |aNGˈzīədē| noun (plural anxieties) a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome: he felt a surge of anxiety |
- adolescence |ˌadəˈlesəns| noun the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult.
- cranky ˈkraNGkē| adjective (crankier, crankiest) informal chiefly North American ill-tempered; irritable: he was bored and cranky after eight hours of working.
- significant |siɡˈnifikənt| adjective 1 sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy: a significant increase in sales.
- ritual |ˈriCH(o͞o)əl| noun a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone: her visits to Joy became a ritual.
- tantrum |ˈtantrəm| noun an uncontrolled outburst of anger and frustration, typically in a young child: he has temper tantrums if he can’t get his own way.
Source: New Oxford American Dictionary
II. While Reading Activities
Grammar Focus: Identifying Prepositions
Directions: The following sentences are from the news article.For each sentence identify the prepositions.
We tend to think of childhood as a time of innocence and joy.
When parents bring their children in for medical care these days, there is no such thing as a casual, “Hey, how’s it going?”
We doctors walk into every exam room prepared to hear a story of sadness.
It can be hard to think about depression in younger children because we picture childhood as a time of innocence and joy.
What does depression look like in younger children?
The best way for parents to recognize depression in young children is not so much by what a child says as by what the child does — or stops doing.
Identify The Speakers
- Rachel Busman, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute in New York City: “…it can be hard to think about depression in younger children because we picture childhood as a time of innocence and joy.”
- Dr. Helen Egger, the chair of child and adolescent psychiatry at N.Y.U. Langone Health: “…according to epidemiologic research, between 1 and 2 percent of young children — as young as 3 — are depressed.”
- Maria Kovacs, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine: “… in the 1950s and ’60s, there were child psychiatrists who believed that children did not have sufficient ego development to feel depression.”
- Jonathan Comer, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Florida International University: “In serious forms it snowballs with time, and earlier onset is associated with worse outcomes across the life span.”
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