Christian Counseling for Children Archives | Rockwall Christian Counseling

What Is AuDHD? A Christian Counselor in Texas Explains

What Is AuDHD? A Christian Counselor in Texas Explains

Ronald Jenkins, Kate Motaung2026-04-29T14:03:49+00:00April 29th, 2026|ADHD/ADD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling|

The term AuDHD is a combination of the word “autism” and the acronym “ADHD.” It refers to a neurodevelopmental disorder that doesn’t fit into a single diagnostic category of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While not an official diagnosis or a clinical term, it is commonly used to describe the co-occurrence of both these conditions. AuDHD Versus Autism and ADHD Autism and ADHD are separate conditions, each with its own set of symptoms and diagnostic criteria. Autism typically affects the way you communicate and experience the world, whereas ADHD primarily impacts attention and impulse control. AuDHD, on the other hand, influences both and can create an internal clash between your contradictory autistic and ADHD traits that predispose your brain to both want routine and fight against it. Common traits of autism include: difficulty navigating social situations trouble interpreting non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, tone of voice, or body language taking things literally and not being able to understand subtle nuances, such as jokes or sarcasm social withdrawal a need for structure and routine being stressed by disrupted routines, unexpected change, or transitions repetitive patterns of behavior; restricted interests intense sensitivity to lights, sounds, textures, and smells and feeling overwhelmed in unfamiliar or high-stimulus environments In contrast, common traits of ADHD include: inattentiveness having a hard time staying focused on what you are doing hyperactivity difficulty following through on instructions or completing tasks being easily distracted acting without thinking and trouble regulating emotions or controlling impulses. The challenges of AuDHD go beyond those of either ADHD or autism alone and can interact in complicated ways. You may feel pulled between two extremes as you try to manage the sensory overload resulting from autism, while at the same time trying to cope with the distractibility and impulsivity [...]

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Effective Ways to Nurture and Support Your Highly Sensitive Child

Effective Ways to Nurture and Support Your Highly Sensitive Child

Stacy Davis, Kate Motaung2026-03-12T07:07:08+00:00March 12th, 2026|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Children have personalities, gifts, interests, and capacities that can be wildly different from each other. Even in the same household, children with the same set of parents are their own persons, beautifully unique. Your son or daughter might be a highly sensitive child, for instance, which comes with its own set of blessings and challenges. If you have a highly sensitive child, understanding what that is and how to nurture and support them effectively can help them flourish. As a parent or caregiver, being equipped and having effective parenting strategies makes a world of difference. Understanding High Sensitivity in Children What does it mean to say that a child is highly sensitive? Some may get the impression that it means the child is fragile and more easily offended or hurt. There is some truth to this, but just enough to be misleading. Raising a highly sensitive child is a unique journey that’s filled with blessings and challenges, but it can be quite rewarding. A highly sensitive child is a child who processes sensory information of various kinds quite deeply. They react strongly to stimuli, and they also experience emotions intensely. Being highly sensitive is not a medical diagnosis, disorder, or condition. Psychological research has identified it more as a trait of one’s temperament. It is also often described as sensory processing sensitivity. What is it that highly sensitive children are sensitive to? Each child is unique, and what affects them and how they respond to it won’t necessarily look the same. Speaking broadly, highly sensitive children may be sensitive to sensory stimuli. This includes stimuli such as strong smells, scratchy or coarse fabrics, loud noises, or bright lights. These may feel uncomfortable or overwhelming for them. Another facet of being highly sensitive is that the child may react quite [...]

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Finding Single Mom Help with Homework

Finding Single Mom Help with Homework

Stephanie Kramer2025-09-27T06:32:14+00:00September 27th, 2025|Christian Counseling for Children, Featured, Individual Counseling|

“How are you juggling everything?” That’s a question you’re accustomed to hearing. It’s true. You juggle housework, your career, and the lives of your children. Just when you think you have successfully completed level one of single motherhood, your child’s mid-semester report comes in, and you realize that in all your juggling, you dropped a ball or two. While some children are self-motivated and capable of completing their homework without outside assistance and reminders, many children lack this self-discipline. For the single mom, finding time, let alone energy, to help with homework after a long day on the job can feel not only impractical but downright exhausting. If you’re a single mom struggling to keep your kids’ homework on track, here are a few ideas that might help. Be transparent Keep in open communication with your child’s school. Let them know that you’re a single, working mom and that you can’t devote a lot of time to homework. Most schools will do their best to help the student complete assignments in class, especially if they know that doing homework might be a challenge. Communicate regularly Keep an open channel of communication with your child’s school. Make sure that your contact information is up to date so that they have an easy and effective way of communicating with you. Ask questions of your child’s teachers to ensure that any issues with grades are addressed immediately instead of allowing them to snowball. Find help Some schools offer after-school tutoring. If yours does not, look to local community resources such as the Boys and Girls Clubs or local churches that might offer assistance with homework. If your area does not have a homework-helping program, consider hiring a tutor or asking a friend or relative to step in to assist in this way. Offer rewards Ultimately, the [...]

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Faith, Kids, and Screens: Protecting Kids’ Mental Health

Faith, Kids, and Screens: Protecting Kids’ Mental Health

Stacy Davis, Kate Motaung2025-08-07T06:55:56+00:00August 7th, 2025|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

Do you have a little one nearby who’s staring at a screen? Don’t think you’re alone in feeling overwhelmed by the digital world and its effect on our children. As parents, we look around and wonder how we got here, where tablets have become babysitters and phones are now constant companions for our children. We are not left without wisdom to protect kids’ mental health. His word holds the answers we need. Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he grows older, he will not abandon it. – Proverbs 22:6, NASB There is no doubt that we’re raising children in a time unlike any other. Kids are growing up as digital natives, surrounded by screens from the moment they can focus their eyes. Technology brings wonderful opportunities for learning and connection, but it also brings challenges. Screen use affects kids’ mental health, emotional development, and spiritual growth in various ways we are just beginning to understand. Understanding the Screen Struggle When we look at the screen generation, we can become overwhelmed. Studies have shown that children are spending more than two hours a day on recreational screen time and scoring lower on thinking and language tests at school. With this heavy screen exposure comes an increased rate of anxiety, depression, and attention difficulties. These are the mental health issues that concern every parent who seeks to raise healthy children. As Christian parents, we understand that our children are more than just developing brains – they are eternal souls created in God’s image. Spending hours each day in a virtual world can cause something profound to happen in their inner life. The repeated stimulation can make it difficult for them to sit quietly and listen for God’s voice. The speed at which entertainment is accessible [...]

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Finding Help for Hoarders Who Are Children

Finding Help for Hoarders Who Are Children

Grace Mavindidze2025-07-16T10:33:48+00:00July 16th, 2025|Christian Counseling for Children, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling|

If you think back to when you were a kid, you probably remember having a few favorite items, maybe a stuffed animal, a toy truck, or a stack of drawings you kept for years. Now, imagine a child for whom almost every little object, whether a broken pencil, a piece of string, or an old toy, feels like something irreplaceable. Naturally, finding help for hoarders is no easy feat, let alone when the hoarders are kids. When it comes to children who hoard, their belongings aren’t just stuff to them. They can hold deep emotional meaning, becoming part of how the child views themselves or copes with difficult emotions. The reasons children hoard are complex and often tied to emotional and psychological factors. For many young hoarders, the items they collect quickly become their link to memories or feelings, making it hard for the child to let go of them, even if they seem trivial to others. Hoarding can also be a way for children to deal with overwhelming emotions. Kids who have experienced trauma or big life changes, like moving, divorce, or bereavement, might turn to hoarding as a way to cope. The items they gather can feel like a way to hold onto a sense of control in a world that feels uncertain. What does hoarding look like in children? Child hoarders quickly become emotionally attached to things that others might consider trash or clutter. The child might hold onto drawings, toys, or even things they’ve outgrown. Separating the child from items may even cause panic attacks or meltdowns. Their room or living space can quickly become cluttered or full of piling up unused items. They may also resist attempts by family members to clean or declutter, which can lead to conflicts at home. Socially, kids who hoard [...]

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Preventing Generational Attachment Issues from Affecting Your Kids

Preventing Generational Attachment Issues from Affecting Your Kids

Ronald Jenkins, Kate Motaung2025-06-21T06:35:16+00:00June 23rd, 2025|Abandonment and Neglect, Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Sometimes, ingrained habits from our past can unknowingly affect how we parent and influence the emotional development of our children in ways we might not even realize. This is often the case with negative attachment issues, which are usually repeated patterns that quietly shape the emotional landscape of our families. Perhaps you’ve already noticed your child’s hesitation to connect with others, or maybe how they act out when they feel scared or uncertain. As a parent, you might even catch yourself repeating the same emotional patterns that you experienced growing up and wonder why you struggle to connect in certain ways with your child. If these things sound familiar, it might be a sign of generational attachment issues that can affect both you and your kids. Unresolved attachment issues are more than just a set of behaviors; they are deeply ingrained emotional patterns that begin in childhood. When these issues are ignored, they can have long-lasting effects, not only on us but on our children as well. The good news is that with awareness and intentional effort, these cycles can be broken. What are attachment issues, and how do they develop? Most of these issues usually start in someone’s childhood. They’re rooted in the ways children bond with their adults in their early lives. For example, you might have experienced a parent who was there for you some days, but distant or distracted on others. As a result, you grew up uncertain about whether or not you could trust others. If you didn’t have a consistent, secure emotional foundation, you might struggle with forming similar bonds with your children. This inconsistency sometimes leads to approval seeking and a constant cry for reassurance (called anxious attachment). Alternatively, you could withdraw from emotional closeness (called avoidant attachment). There are also cases [...]

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Signs of OCD in Children: What to Look For

Signs of OCD in Children: What to Look For

Stacy Davis, Kate Motaung2025-05-30T08:48:14+00:00May 30th, 2025|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, OCD|

You may be familiar with the phrase “dinner-bath-bed” as it applies to small toddlers. This is a type of ritual that helps to give the young child an expectation of what is going to happen next and helps to form his or her view of the world. This article will explain how these rituals are linked to signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children. As a child matures, so do the types of rituals that apply. At school, children create group rituals when learning to play games in the playground, singing songs, or taking part in sports. Teenagers may start collecting items as a hobby. These rituals play an important part in helping children socialize and learn to cope with anxiety. Noticing Signs of OCD This is where obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) come in. OCD is a type of anxiety disorder that is linked to obsessions via recurring thoughts, and compulsions via recurring behaviors. Studies show that unwanted obsessive thoughts in children are often a sign of OCD. These thoughts are linked to fears, such as becoming dirty by touching an object. He or she will use compulsive rituals like too-frequent handwashing as a way to control fear. Confronted with the challenge of obsessive thoughts, a child with OCD will display increasingly more signs of OCD through recurrent and compelling rituals that may even get in the way of everyday life and development. What are the reasons for the signs of OCD? Studies have presented inconclusive results on the cause of OCD. However, experts think that this disorder is caused in our brains due to a lack of the chemical serotonin. As with other disorders, if your parents and siblings have OCD, there is a higher chance that you may have it too. This leads some experts to conclude that its [...]

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Types of Behavioral Therapy for Children

Types of Behavioral Therapy for Children

Stacy Davis, Kate Motaung2025-05-09T06:54:02+00:00May 9th, 2025|Christian Counseling for Children, Family Counseling, Featured|

Behavioral therapy for children is a treatment that focuses on a child’s actions rather than on their emotions. It is based on the premise that behaviors are learned, and so they can also be changed. Techniques may vary according to the disorder being treated, but the primary emphasis is on promoting desirable behaviors while reducing or eliminating unwanted ones. Primary caregivers and teachers are usually involved in the process as well. Generally, the earlier the intervention, the more successful the outcome will be. Untreated children with behavioral disorders are likely to grow up to be dysfunctional adults. Signs Your Child May Need Behavioral Therapy Regular irritability Defiant behaviors Loss of interest in activities they enjoyed Intense emotional reactions Easily set off by minor triggers Temper tantrums Difficulty handling frustration Sudden change in mood or behavior Failure to act their age Head banging, hair pulling, or skin picking Repeated biting, hitting, or kicking Constant fighting Disrespect for authority figures Lying Frequent nightmares Anxiety that interferes with normal activities Stealing Significant changes in sleeping and eating habits Excessive worrying or sadness Types Of Behavioral Therapy for Children Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) Cognitive behavioral therapy is a combination of behavioral therapy, which focuses on patterns of action, and cognitive therapy, which focuses on thought patterns. Studies have shown it to be an effective form of treatment for many psychological disorders among children and adolescents such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and disruptive behavior. The counselor will help your child become aware of his or her thoughts and feelings, evaluate if they are rational or distorted, and learn how to replace them with more positive ones. By discovering new ways of looking at things, the child learns how to respond differently. Techniques [...]

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The Hyperactive Child: Symptoms of ADHD in Children

The Hyperactive Child: Symptoms of ADHD in Children

Stacy Davis, Kate Motaung2025-03-13T08:47:18+00:00March 13th, 2025|ADHD/ADD, Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

Children are commonly known as little balls of energy. It’s a normal part of growing up. However, some children appear to have an overabundance of energy that prohibits them from being able to sit for long periods of time or to focus on schoolwork and other tasks. How can you tell if your hyperactive child is truly hyperactive, or simply in a normal phase of childhood? According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), more than six million children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD, as of a survey dated 2016. What exactly is ADHD? ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Although it is commonly seen in children, adults can also show signs of ADHD. A child with ADHD may have difficulty focusing on schoolwork, constantly “fidget,” and/or have uncontrollable impulses. An individual may suffer chronic bouts of the disorder throughout their life. ADHD may stem from a variety of root causes such as dysfunctional relationships, low self-esteem, or victimization at school or at home. Genetics can also play a role in whether a child develops the disorder. If one or more parent has the condition, their offspring may exhibit some of the symptoms of ADHD as children. Brain structure and brain function may contribute to the change in behavior. Researchers are still unclear on what the underlying causes for the disorder might be when it comes to the brain but theorize it is possibly due to chemical imbalances or problems with the neurotransmitters. Unfortunately, parents may feel at fault if their child is diagnosed with ADHD as the public at large points to an undisciplined child out of control. However, there is a myriad of causes, including the physical and emotional ones listed above. Pesticides, food dyes, in utero exposure to alcohol or [...]

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Teaching Your Child How to Control Anger Well

Teaching Your Child How to Control Anger Well

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T17:19:47+00:00March 18th, 2024|Anger Issues, Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

When a child is born, they have a lot of things to figure out about themselves and the world around them. Everything, from moving about to eating, to playing, to communicating with others must all be learned. Another important part of what a child needs to learn is how to experience and express their emotions well, especially learning to control anger. Being able to regulate and express one’s emotions well has a positive impact on relationships and personal well-being. One of the key tasks of a parent or caregiver is to help a child understand their own emotions and to know what the most appropriate ways of expressing those emotions are. Much of this happens in the early, formative years of the child, though we are always growing and learning how to do better. Reasons children get angry When the words “temper tantrum” are uttered, more likely than not, the image that pops into our heads is a flailing, screaming child in the grocery store or park. Parents often wonder if their child’s behavior is normal, and they can find themselves thinking long and hard about what they can do to help their child. Younger children, below the age of four, can have multiple tantrums in a week. These can include kicking, crying, stomping, and pushing. As a child grows older, they ought to outgrow this behavior. There are many reasons a child gets angry, including the following: Family dysfunction and parenting styles A harsh parenting style that does not consider the child’s needs and personality, or parenting that is inconsistent can lead to a child exhibiting anger and aggression. Genetics This and other biological factors can play a role in a child displaying anger and aggression. Frustration Like any adult, children can get angry when their expectations and [...]

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