News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined this morning by Stacey Spata and Lea Theodore to talk about the toll the pandemic has taken on children.

Spata is a licensed clinical social worker with over two decades of experience working with nonprofits. She is the executive director of the YMCA of Long Island's Family Services branch. She also provides direct therapy for individuals, families, and children. Theodore is a child psychology and school psychology professor from Adelphi University.

Some people are feeling excitement and fright about the return to normal, including school, proms and graduations:

For teens, at this age it is normal to get away from parents and spend much their time with friends. The pandemic changed that. This age involves reaching developmental and emotional milestones, as well as learning healthy social skills and how to cope with problems. Spata says parents and kids should talk about what should be expected:

School is more than just a place of learning, it's also a place of social emotional growing. Theodore talks about the needs of children:

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed 1 in 4 teens has become angry, anxious or stressed during the pandemic, and about 15% show signs of depression, according to their parents or caregivers. How do we know what to look for?