Sunday Star-Times

App offers lifeline when kids need help

Project targets gaps in mental health care. By Hannah Martin.

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Parents of preschoole­rs will soon be able to assess their children’s mental health with a new app being developed by psychologi­sts.

University of Auckland Professor Sally Merry is leading the developmen­t of ‘‘Super kids’’, an app which aims to be a mental health ’’Fitbit’’ for young children.

The project aims to reduce New Zealand’s high youth suicide rates 13 children between 10 and 14 took their own lives last year, according to figures released by the chief coroner.

Merry, head of psychologi­cal medicine at the university, said infant mental health interventi­on could have life-changing effects.

An app like this might have made things easier for Aucklander Saraid Black, who struggled to get support and diagnosis for her young son.

When George was around 18 months old, Black noticed he was wired differentl­y to other toddlers. He was sensitive and volatile and could spiral into huge tantrums, becoming inconsolab­le, she said.

Black and husband Paul, who have an older daughter and two younger sons, sought advice early on but struggled to get anything consistent. They tried GPs, paediatric­ians, parenting experts – nothing helped.

Things became worse still when George started school. Teachers attributed his behaviour to simple naughtines­s.

‘‘We faced lots of judgement from our families and his school about not being tough enough on him,’’ Black said.

‘‘It became really difficult – on us, on our marriage – because we were doing our very best, but we were caught in a ‘no man’s land’. We didn’t know where to turn.’’

When George was five, educationa­l psychologi­sts flagged him having strong dyslexic tendencies. His parents forced a referral to a paediatric mental health service,

We were doing our very best, but we were caught in a 'no man's land'. Saraid Black

but by the time it came through George was too old to take part in its early interventi­on programme.

He was finally diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactiv­ity disorder (ADHD), opposition­al defiance disorder (ODD) dyslexia and anxiety at age seven.

This is where Merry hopes Super kids can make a difference.

Many children first exhibited emotional and behavioura­l difficulti­es before the age of five, she said.

Merry believed parents should be able to access advice and treatment themselves before matters reach crisis point. Super kids will give parents of pre-school age children reliable, evidence-based therapeuti­c advice and resources.

‘‘If you can help parents help their children become emotionall­y and socially wellregula­ted, you set a good trajectory that will help them settle into school and reduce the risk of mental health crises down the track.’’

Now 11, George is medication free, but his brushes with mental illness have been ‘‘relentless’’, Black said.

Fifty per cent of mental health conditions start before the age of 12 – without the work of researcher­s like Merry, ‘‘parents are going it alone’’, she added.

Black, who works for Cure Kids as a communicat­ions adviser, said she saw struggling children who were told they were brave and inspiratio­nal, but in cases of mental health conditions ‘‘the parents feel like failures and the kids feel stigmatise­d and embarrasse­d’’.

‘‘Being able to empower parents, teaching them that there is something they can do for their children, is critical.’’

September is the Cure Kids appeal month, culminatin­g on Red Nose Day on the 29th. It hopes to raise $1 million for child health research.

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