Q. I am a 30-year-old mother of a four-year-old child with a serious physical disability. My son was born in Antigua when I was working there. I had to come back home early as there was not enough help there for him. The problem is that we live in rural St Catherine and I am not able to take him regularly to the facilities that have been recommended. I am thinking of placing him in a children's home and taking him on weekends. Is this possible?

A. I recommend that you contact the Child Development Agency office in your parish and they will assign you a social worker who will sit with you and discuss the options that are available to help you. Please take all documents such as medical reports and educational assessments with you to this meeting. The representative at the agency will guide you. Please email us to let us know how well things worked out.

Q. Last week, the police came to our apartment building saying that they got a report that a child was beaten badly on the premises. I did spank my child but she was not hurt. They would not tell me who called them. Can I really get in trouble for beating my own child?

A. You can get in trouble if you abuse your child in any way. The police cannot tell you who reported the incident. Their job is to visit and find out if a child has been hurt. Try to find other ways to scold your child, instead of beating him or her. Whatever your child has done, try to find out the reason and set some rules explaining what will happen the next time he or she misbehaves. Please make sure that you are clear in what you say to your child.

Q. My daughter has failed her CXC math exam for the sixth time. I have tried her at many of these math centres in Kingston. She wants to be in the medical field and has passed all the exams except math. Is there any place that she can get help? She says that she does good enough in the class tests but keeps on getting a four. She is paying to sit it again next time.

A. You need to get her to a psychologist and get her tested. She may have a learning disorder as it relates to math or she may need counselling to cope with the anxiety she feels when she is going into the exam.

It is going to be important that you listen carefully to the recommendations made by the psychologist and follow them. A math teacher can work with the psychologist to help your daughter.

Orlean Brown-Earle, PhD, is a child psychologist and family therapist. Dr Brown-Earle works with children with learning and behaviour problems throughout the island and in the Caribbean. Email questions to helpline@gleanerjm.com or send them to Ask the Doc, c/o The Gleaner Company, 7 North Street, Kingston.