Part 1 The IEP process is daunting for parents.  The piles of questionnaires, endless emails or phone calls with school staff, and probably a lot of meetings with news that doesn’t feel very good to hear.  If your child had a difficult school year last year or is already off to a tough start this […]

Do you ever feel confused by conflicting advice on how to respond to an upset child?  Do I validate their feelings?  Do I give space?  Do I stay close?  What if they tell me to go away but it seems like they’re really distraught?! In my experience, fortunately, or unfortunately, the answer is “it depends.”  […]

The short answer?  Yes!  But let me give you the long explanation too 😉 Having a routine is one of the best ways to build structure and predictability for children – and this is a proactive strategy to reduce both anxiety and problem behavior.  Routines can be especially helpful for times of the day that […]

Back to school can be a challenging time period for many children, especially when there are big changes – change of school, moving to a new city, and changes within the family system during the summer all account for transitions that can be hard on many children.  But for children who are more prone to […]

In a previous post, “5 Ways to Stop Problem Behaviors Before They Start,” I talked about the importance of proactive strategies.  You can find that post here.  Proactive strategies can be so powerful, so I wanted to share 3 more of my favorites.   Behavior Rehearsal Behavior Rehearsal is a strategy in which a child […]

Kid Friendly Ways to Talk Back to Anxiety When It Shows Up Everything was perfectly fine until bedtime… My 6 year old was going to a new summer camp – in a new place – with no one she really knew. We had spent some time talking about what the routine of the camp would […]

Assertiveness is a lifelong skill, and it’s one that can be taught early on in childhood.  But what exactly is assertiveness to a child?  How can we explain a very adult concept to a very young learner?   And how can we teach a child to be assertive from a young age? Sometimes it helps […]

One of the most common concerns families express to me is that they don’t know how to respond when challenging behaviors happen.  They’ve “tried it all.”  “Consequences don’t work.”  And they’re often caught by surprise when I ask them to pause the discussion of how to respond to behaviors, and instead shift our strategizing to […]

If only parenting were as simple and fun as a family set of Star Wars figurines… Have you ever been asked to use a strategy that didn’t sit well with you?  Was the recommendation made only in the name of evidence-based practices?  Or maybe it was that if you didn’t use the strategy, your child’s […]