2020 News Stories
How to meet the social, emotional needs of your child during COVID-19
While social distancing from friends and classmates, parents may find their child showing new emotions and ideas during the COVID-19 pandemic. USF School Psychology instructor Kahlila Lawrence, PhD, shares tips for how parents can support their child鈥檚 social and emotional needs while balancing other duties and responsibilities.
Published April 3, 2020
As families across the globe adjust to a new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic, 鈥渟afer at home鈥� orders are requiring everyone to make significant changes to daily routines and activities. Many parents are working remotely, and with schools closing to help prevent the spread of the virus, parents also must help manage the online learning activities of their children while continuing traditional household responsibilities.
Kahlila Lawrence, PhD, an instructor in USF鈥檚 School Psychology program, says the sudden life adjustments may cause many of us to feel mentally, physically and emotionally drained鈥攁nd that these feelings have no age limit.
鈥淲hile our children may appear to be having some fun, we must remember that they are sometimes quite resilient at masking their true emotions,鈥� Dr. Lawrence says. 鈥淎s we spend more and more time at home, our children might begin to show signs of increasing anxiety and frustration, and we must be in tune to how they are experiencing, understanding and attempting to cope with the reality that our daily routines and lives will be different well into the unforeseeable future.鈥�
Dr. Lawrence, who joined the USF College of Education in 2019, has extensive experience collaborating with educators, families and community agencies to provide school psychological services to K-12 students. Throughout her career, Dr. Lawrence has supported the academic, behavioral and social-emotional wellness of students through assessment and intervention in preschools, elementary and middle schools and in al