What is the most reputable acting school for children in the US?

Children's Counselling...Is there a point?

• My son is 6 and is acting out in school. When he was young my mother and sister called Child Protective Services and had him taken from my care. They had him for 4 years (in the same foster home the whole time) while I did everything I could to get him back. It's a big deal if an "Inquiry" is done on a case. It basically means the case is put on hold while they review it for short comings on CPS's end of things. The case against me was so unjust that the person who had my case at Children's Advocate (the ones who demand Inquiries when needed) sent my case up to his supervisor who was on the verge of a department wide inquiry for the past year + depending on the results of the Inquiry. Needless to say my child was returned to my care very shortly after that. He has been back in my care for the last 2 years and is now acting out in school. The school has said that it must be because he was in care and he's upset about his home changing, My son still visits his foster family once a month for an overnight visit and once a week to go to baseball. He shows no signs of being upset about the amount of time that he sees them and doesn't ask for more visits. He has a clear understanding of where his home is and that he is a part of the family. The school wants him to go to counselling. His foster dad's opinion is that counselors talk to people about what they are feeling but that doesn't correct the behavior. Understanding his feelings and using appropriate discipline will help change the undesirable behavior. My husbands opinion is that he's just being a child, testing his limits and that he needs us to show him how to behave, guide him on his path to becoming an adult. His foster mom's opinion is that his behavior doesn't hit such extremes outside of school and that it is possible he is being picked on, or that he has something that 'sets him off' as opposed to anger about his home life. She too believes he knows, understands and accepts his family situation. I contacted the name of the place the school suggested and asked if he wasn't a bit too young for counselling to be effective. They agreed that at his age he was a bit young for counselling to yield any results, it's possible but not likely. We've been looking martial arts programs as those would help him get out some of the extra energy he has (which is a lot) and teach him respect for self and others as well as discipline. Have you tried counselling for a young child and was it effective? Have you tried martial arts programs for your child and was it effective?

• Answer:

  I don't agree that at age 6 counseling would be too young. I do think since his behavior is related to times in school that something in THAT area is going on. either w/the teachers, students, or perhaps an issue w/his learning that you are not aware of. Sometimes when a child has a learning disability or comprehension issue they act out because they are frustrated. I DO think a therapist would be helpful. I have gone through this myself w/my oldest son. He was 6 almost 7 when he started therapy. there were things he had to deal w/from his past (he is my step-son technically though i've been the dominate mother figure in his life since he was 3, since his mother usually left him w/babysitters or other family for 90% of the day so she could go out drinking *alcoholic*), his biological mother died in 2002 and he came to live w/my husband and i full time (something we were working on for several years before through custody hearings...long story). He also had some learning disabilities and the therapist he saw did a comprehensive test to figure out just what was going on. through therapy and learning therapy for his disabilities he has made HUGE progress. He went from barely passing and in special needs classes, to the honor roll w/almost straight As! He's come out of his shell and through therapy has learned HOW to express those feelings that they talk about. therapy isn't just for talking, the therapist also uses tools and ways to get your child to understand how to express their feelings in a productive way, and how to understand how to express those feelings w/out being destructive. a 'firm hand' isn't the way to handle a child that has a problem expressing themselves verbally, all that does is cause them to clam up, bury it, and then their feelings fester until they explode in anger or other behavior problems. Both my oldest sons were in Karate for about 4 yrs. it helped BOTH of them VERY much. my oldest son was able to use Karate as a way to learn how to control his emotions, his fears, his frustrations and exhibit them in a productive way rather than a violent way. My middle son has ADHD and ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), Karate was a FABULOUS way for them to get out that frustration. as they got older they chose other outlets. My oldest is in Tennis and basketball (where he's learning sportsmanship and teamwork), and my middle son is playing Baseball and football (learning those same things as his brother). if it wasn't for my oldest son's therapist i really don't know how we would have coped! he not only helped our son, but he helped US understand where HE was coming from as well, and gave us tools to help defuse the situation. he was also our advocate for the school. if i had any issues or concerns with the way the school was handling my son all i had to do was call the therapist and he was right there w/all the right steps to keep things moving forward instead of bogging up the progress our son made. he was very instrumental in helping us learn the legal things we could have demanded of the school given our son's disabilities. **side note: Play therapy never helped w/my middle son either, he was acting out in daycare when he was 2, and they demanded he see a therapist or he couldn't return to the daycare. the therapist we saw had the most ridiculous views on what my son was "saying" through his play that was so totally off the mark about what was going on at home that it seriously ticked me off. we decided to go w/a different style therapist and it paid off. this is the same therapist that helped w/my oldest son, and he was a specialist w/children w/disabilities and emotional issues from childhood trauma (such as being removed from a home)**