University Resources
Gun Violence/Mass Shootings
We are deeply saddened by the recent mass shootings, especially the 21 lives lost in Uvalde as we work closely with children in our field of research. Our condolences go out to all those affected both directly and indirectly. As researchers in the field of psychology, we acknowledge that traumatic events like these can take a large toll on both physical and mental health.
We wanted to offer a few resources on gun violence and mass shootings, as well as guidance on how to discuss hard topics with your children:
The War in Ukraine
Like many of you, we are deeply troubled by the invasion of Ukraine and our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people during this devastating humanitarian crisis. Their bravery and resilience demonstrated in the face of tragic losses and hardships is remarkable, and we sincerely hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the war.
In particular, we want to acknowledge the immeasurable difficulties being faced by our Ukrainian colleagues who we know from their work involving child psychology, child development, social work, medicine, and research - including FASD work. We feel for them and for the families with whom they do their professional work. War interrupts access to essential support services and, as families involved in our studies here in the U.S. can understand, caring for a child with FASD or any special needs is challenging even during times of peace. The disruption of medical care, intervention programs, support service, research, and the forced refugee status of many fleeing the country will inevitably have a lasting health impact. We also have colleagues in Russia who do clinical work and research in Russia with children who have special needs and we fear the disruptions to normal life that will impact so many there as well.
If you would like to provide support and/or want to learn more about the situation as it progresses, we’ve provided resources below:
COVID-19 & BLM
Managing Stress in Children:
Mindfulness meditation for children : click here
An Age-by-Age guide to helping kids manage emotions: click here
How to check in with your child emotionally through the pandemic: click here
A Message from the U of MN on parenting during COVID-19: click here
Educating Children on Race:
1. CNN and Sesame Street are partnering for a town hall special on Standing up to Racism. This will be broadcast Saturday Morning (6/6/2020) at 9am Central Standard Time. If you missed the live showing, click here to watch.
2. Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein recently created a great list of anti-racism resources. It includes many links on topics such as resources for parents to raise anti-racist children along with different articles, videos, social media sites, and podcasts. Click here.
3. For parents and older children: Here is an article on 75 things white people can do for racial justice.
We welcome any feedback during this time. Please feel free to reach out to us either via email or our website. We are always looking for ways that we can improve. Thank you all for your support!