Help for parents dealing with child behavior problems

MILWAUKEE -- What options are available for parents of troubled or challenged children? A psychologist that spoke with FOX6 News on Tuesday, December 18th says there is hope.

Veteran psychologist Don Rosenberg runs Shorehaven Behavioral Health. It's a large provider of in-home services for children in home psychotherapy.

We may never know exactly what was wrong with 20-year-old Connecticut school shooting Adam Lanza. It's generally accepted he was emotionally withdrawn and had some social and behavioral problems.

Rosenberg says parents of difficult children or mentally ill children showing signs similar to Lanza do have options through professional like him.

"If you can hit a baseball, you'll hit it better with a coach. You can parent your children better if they have issues with the guidance of someone who knows how to help you," said Rosenberg.

First of all Rosenberg stresses it's important for parents to not get stuck in a cycle where their child is repeatedly re-diagnosed or re-medicated.

"Which you might because a hospital might see an acute situation, an outpatient clinic might see the child weeks later when things are calm so you might get multiple diagnoses then you would want to psychological workup something where there`s some testing and thorough investigation," said Rosenberg.

Rosenberg says parents must also be willing to make personal sacrifices for their children if they suffer from behavioral problems. For him, that raises specific thoughts and concerns about the guns -- Lanza's home.

"If you have a child with cystic fibrosis or allergic asthma you reduce the smells in your home you don`t have perfume," said Rosenberg. "With behavioral health, it has to be the same if you have a child who's aggressive or has had some kinds of episodes."

It's been wifely reported that Lanza suffered from Asperger Syndrome, a type of autism that makes social interaction much more difficult. Authorities are re-examining that diagnosis. A big reason for that, as Rosenberg explained to FOX6 News, the level of violence from Lanza does not align with what the medical community sees in people who suffer from Asperger Syndrome.

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