Q: We are trying to stop our seven-year-old daughter from masturbating in school. She rubs herself by rocking on her school chair rythmically. She used to do it at home but does it rarely as she is kept busy. She continues this repetitive behaviour at school. She also has excessive fat deposits on her stomach. I developed gestational diabetes when I was carrying her and she was born a heavy baby. Please advise.

A:If your daughter is obese she needs to see an paediatric endocrinologist to investigate for the cause of obesity. Regarding her problem of masturbation, most often it tends to settle down with time, but get her examined for any irritating lesion. Also, get her seen by a child psychologist for couselling. Don't condemn her for this as she would get more anxious and things would get worse.