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Ask Questions. Get Answers. Ask the Professionals E-mail your questions to: features@independentfreepress.com Elayne M. Tanner B.A., B.S.W., M.S.W., R.S.W., DIP. SOC. ADM. Counselling & Psychotherapy Milton 905-854-0801 www.etasolutions.com Elayne M. Tanner Elayne Tanner & Associates Inc. Ask The Professiionalls 211 Guelph St., Suite #5 Georgetown L7G 5B5 905-873-8400 www.haltonspeech.com Karen MacKenzie-Stepner Cyndi Olsen Education Co-ordinator 324 Guelph Street., Georgetown 905-877-3163 Q:My daughter has come to me for help. She admits to self-harming and has cuts on arms and thighs. Is this a mental illness or a suicide attempt? What should I do? A:While self-harm is neither a mental illness nor a suicide attempt, it can causeserious problems. The root causes should not be ignored. Self-harm can take many forms such as burning or cutting and can result in shame, guilt, serious accidental injuries even including suicide. The behaviours, if not treated can become very entrenched, almost addictive. Self-harm behaviours are unhealthy coping mechanisms for overwhelming feelings. Sometimes the person doing it doesnt seem to feel the pain. Sometimes the pain makes them feel alive. Whatever the reason, it is not a good way to deal with life and is best stopped as soon as possible. It is often very difficult to stop self-harming without help. Treatment can include counselling, medication and even in rare occasions, hospitalization to provide temporary safety. As the parent of a self-harming child, do not threaten or try to understand how to stop this behaviour, but rather, help your daughter find a reputable counsellor that she can trust and talk to. This counsellor will help her understand the behaviour and why she is doing this and explore healthy coping techniques that will replace these dysfunctional ones. Commend your daughter for telling you and try to keep the lines of communication open. Although self-harming behaviour is not usually life threatening, it should not be ignored. At the same time, you must remain calm but firm in your approach and not turn this into a crisis so that your daughter goes back into hiding. H E L P I N G Y O U H E L P Y O U R S E L F. Q:My 17 month old son babbles a lot but does not talk asof yet. I take him to a Parent-Child Center and see other toddlers his age talking, some of them even using two- word sentences. Should we worry? A:This is a difficult question to answer. In general, as longas you eliminate the serious things that might be wrong - deafness for instance - and as long as there is comprehension and sociability, not talking at 17 months or even at 20 months is not as big a deal as parents often fear. By age 2 however, if your child doesnt have a vocabulary of about 50 words and doesnt put them into simple sentences, its reasonable to begin to ask why. There are a number of reasons why an otherwise normally developing child might not talk, from extreme shyness to slow physiological development that makes articulation difficult. Ruling out these possibilities requires an evaluation. It is also important to note that of the 10% of young children with language difficulty, for 3% of them there is no obvious reason why. If you have concerns or would like more information, contact our Centre. Q:My daughter is reluctant to participate in classroom discussions. Is it reallyvital that she takes part in all conversations? A:That really is an interesting question. So many students are unsure about making their voices heard in class. It was actually addressed recently in the Oxford Lets Talk Blog, in an article entitled, Raise Your Hand. Encouraging Students To Speak Up in Class. How many classes in a school day are fun, interactive classesa place for bouncing ideas off one another in a point/counter-point lively interactive learning forum? Sadly, the answer is not too many, if any at all. Most classrooms exist in the lecture-listen format, which means that in order to interact within the classroom, students have to raise their handits the only way to ask questions, to solicit comments, to get feedback, and to become an active participant in the classroom! Many students are hesitant to put their hand up in class. Its risky businessattracting attention and running the risk of being wrong, or even ridiculed in front of the class. Still, putting your hand up in class is a risk worth taking. Heres why: - It can signal the teacher that you have something to add, or that you need clarification - It helps you become an active participant in your education - It tells the teacher that youre paying attention, and thinking about what is being taught - It shows that you are relating this new information to other information Raising your handwhether you are called on or not, or if you know the answer or not helps you to gain a better understanding of the subject matter. Understanding the material is better than memorizing it. Memorization only gets you through a test. Understanding is for life. Raise your hand if you want to really learn. Read related articles at: www.oxfordlearning.com ONE-DAY ONLY!!! - MAJOR LIQUIDATION SALE! DIRECT FACTORY AUTHORIZED LIQUIDATION SALE ALL ITEMS MUST BE SOLD!!!!!!!! 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March 22- AT 12: Noon (Preview: 11: AM) Gellert Community Centre 10241 Eighth Line - RR#2 Halton Hills (905)-877-4244 See our Flyer in your March 19 issue to receive discount coupon Partial listing only: Brand new Imported Fine quality Leather sofa, loveseat & chair groupings, Recliner theatre sets with top grade leather hides from Italy etc. Bedroom suites with full cabinetry and mirrors, Quality deluxe Box & Mattress sets, New designer style 9 pc Pub sets, selection of 7 pc dining tables and chairs, storage ottomans, French tables, desks, Hand Painted Bombay chests, commodes, unique designer marble top vanity and sinks, Grandfather clocks, Gallery mirrors, Sleigh beds, quantity of occasional tables, Armoires, Commodes, dining table & chair sets, Hand carved mahogany furniture (designers choice)- wine racks, china cabinets, executive partners desks, bar chairs, bookcases, whatnots, salon chairs Marble top vanity/sink/taps Framed art, Group of Seven & Wildlife, Glassware, Crystal, German cookware, 18/10 Stainless cutlery, Staffordshire, Limoges, Royal Derby, Fine Porcelain, Sports Memorabilia, Jewellery, Ironstone, tea sets, Tiffany glass lamps, ASFOUR, SWAROVSKI, STRAUSS, crystal jewellery sets,and many more items too numerous to mention. Terms: Cash, Visa, MC,debit, Buyers Premium in effect, Delivery available, as per posted & announced at sale. Early registration available one hour prior to sale time. Limited seating, arrive early. Additions & Deletions, List may change without notice. ROYALTON INTERNATIONAL LTD. www.auctioneer.ca contact us: email-info@auctioneer.ca 4 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, March 19, 2008 An altercation between two men, that resulted in a chase which ended at the Georgetown police sta- tion Saturday morning, has resulted in one man being charged. Police say the altercation occurred at about 6 a.m. on Mill St. That incident was followed by a car chase at speeds of up to 100 km/h through nearby residential streets. The chase ended at the police sta- t ion parking lot when the man being chased led the other man there. Charged with dangerous opera- tion of a motor vehicle is Michal Asciukiewicz, 46, of Wesleyan St. A Georgetown woman has been charged after money was taken out of the account of a man who left his debit card in the bank machine at the Real Canadian Superstore Friday morning. The incident occurred just before noon. Police say the person in line behind the man, who left his card in the machine, took an undisclosed amount of money from his account. Charged with unauthorized use of a debit card is Pauline Allen, 47, of Rosetta St. A 2000 Dodge Ram was stolen from the driveway of a Churchill Rd., Acton home sometime between 2 and 8:30 a.m. Friday. The truck is worth $9,000. Someone attempted to break into a home on the Eighth Line Friday afternoon by forcing open a back door. The frame and door were damaged but the culprit didnt get into the home. A male youth, who police say broke into Prestons Lucky Dollar Variety store on Confederation St. in Glen Williams at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, was found in the area by officers who responded to an alarm at the store. Nothing was taken. The youth is to go through Halton Police Service s Youth Diversion program. Approximately $2,000 worth of damage was caused to a 2002 Cadillac parked at Boston Pizza on Guelph St. Saturday (March 8) evening when it was struck by unknown vehicle. The incident occurred between 10 and 11:55 p.m. Police are investigating a break and enter at a Five Sideroad home that occurred sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. Thursday. The rear door of the home was forced open, the master bedroom was ransacked and jewelry was taken. Nothing was taken during a break and enter at a George St., Georgetown home Thursday between 11:30 and 12:10 p.m. A door was forced open to gain entry. Two rolls of copper wire valued at approximately $7,000 were stolen from a barn on the Trans- canada power plant construction site on Steeles Ave. sometime between 1 and 7:30 a.m. Monday. A door was forced open to gain entry. Approximately $4,000 damage was caused to a Volvo parked at a Main St., Glen Williams residence Saturday sometime between 1 a.m. and 3 p.m. The doors, hood and truck of the vehicle were kicked. A $10,000 2007 blue Polaris ATV was stolen from a shed at the rear of a Main St. N., Acton property some- time Friday or Saturday. A padlock was cut off the shed to gain entry. The plate on the vehicle was 70NFN. Two mailboxes on Eighth Line were destroyed when a vehicle left the road sometime late Friday or early Saturday. The driver and the vehicle, which police said would have damage to its front end, left the scene. Police blotter Chase ends at police station