Text Box 2: Language that children find offensive

Term	Example of use	Reason why the child finds the term offensive	Alternate language options
Psycho (prefix)	Psychogenic, as in psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, psychogenic tremor, and so on	In everyday slang, psycho means crazy or mentally ill, and the child interprets the clinicians to be telling her that she is crazy or mentally ill.	Non-epileptic seizures (without the “psychogenic” prefix) Functional seizures Functional tremor
Pseudo (prefix)	Pseudoseizures	The child may interpret the clinician’s use of pseudo as communicating that her that her seizures are “fake” and that she is “faking” the seizures.	Functional seizures Non-epileptic seizures (without the “psychogenic” prefix)
Behavioral	The FND symptom is described as being “behavioral”	In everyday slang, behavioral means naughty or bad behavior, and the child interprets the clinician as telling her that she is naughty or bad or that she is doing it on purpose.	The symptom can be described as functional: reflecting dysregulation within the nervous system—rather than a problem with structure—and requiring mind–body interventions that restore regulation and normal function. The symptom can be described as functional: reflecting activation of the stress-system and disruption of normal motor function, as a result of physical, emotional, or cognitive stress* (see explanation given in text).
Psychological	The FND symptom is described as “psychological”	The child may interpret that the clinician as telling her that her symptoms are “all in the mind” or “all in the head” and that she is making them up.	The symptom can be described as functional: reflecting dysregulation within the nervous system—rather than a problem with structure—and requiring mind–body interventions that restore regulation and normal function. The symptom can be described as functional: reflecting activation of the stress-system and disruption of normal motor function, as a result of physical, emotional, or cognitive stress* (see explanation given in text).

* It is very important that the clinicians highlight that when he/she uses the term stress he/she is referring to both physical and psychological factors. Physical stress commonly includes illness (e.g. viral illness), injury (e.g. fall), or medical procedures: all of which can activate the brain-body stress system(s). Emotional stress commonly includes difficulties with friends, academic stress, stress in the home setting due to conflict or other issues, and uncommonly various forms of maltreatment: all of which can activate the brain-body stress system(s). Cognitive stress involves thoughts, images, emotions, and memories, that function to activate the brain-body stress system(s) in a top-down manner.