Stealing

Learn about children who steal in this child psychology video from Howcast.

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Transcript

So of course if a child or adolescent steals parents are very worried. Their first inclination is, oh my goodness, my child's a juvenile delinquent. Of course this is rarely the case, but stealing of, is something that we do need to be concerned about. Young children are often intrigued by an object that they see in a store and they may take it. As children get older they do recognize that stealing is wrong. They may do it because there's something that they want that they can't have, or to be equal in the eyes of their peers. When parents recognize that their child has stolen something there are some key factors that they should remember. First of all the child should return the object. Two, there needs to be a discussion about the consequences of their negative actions. And three, the child should never benefit from the theft in any type of way. If parents recognize that stealing is something that is ongoing it could be the sign of a larger issue, such as an impulse control issue, or some type of anxiety. Consistent patterns of stealing in children should be evaluated by a clinical professional. These are just a few of the factors that are important when we're considering stealing in children.

Expert

  • Dr. Kimberly Williams

    Dr. Williams is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist and Clinical Psychologist with offices in Long Island and Brooklyn, New York. She has exceptional expertise in the evaluation of children with academic and learning problems, psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, difficult or oppositional behaviors and those with developmental delays and social deficits. Dr. Williams also provides assessments for individuals with neurologic concerns such as tic disorders and tourettes syndrome, epilepsy, traumatic brain injuries and conditions secondary to medical illness. Dr. Williams is a graduate of Spelman College, earned her Doctor of Psychology at The Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology (The College of William and Mary, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School). She received her advanced training through Cornell Weill Medical Center at Lincoln Hospital and NYU Child Study Center and went on to join the faculty group practice and serve as Clinical Instructor of the Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU Langone Medical Center, before opening her private practices.