These are ‘hot’ topics of interest

Essential Summer Reads for Parents

/in /by

Many students have a required summer reading list. You can model good reading habits by having your own summer reading list. You can chose one of these quick read books and brush up on skills to help your child and family.

Start with the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. This book explains that success in life has a lot to do with the ability to stick with something until it’s finished even when it’s difficult. Many children lack grit and give up too easily so this book can help you learn how your child can develop grit.

Help reduce argumentative and defiance in your child by reading The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child. It is a guide for parents of kids in elementary and middle school. If you are consistent and apply this method, you’ll see results.

Help teach your child the right mindset with Mindsets: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. You’ll learn how success in school, work, sports, or the arts can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. You’ll learn the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. This book shows how parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to get great results.

Avoid Grade Retention

/in /by

It’s the time of year when struggling students may be considered for being held back and to repeat a grade.  The National Association of School Psychologists 2011 position paper recommends parents and teachers do not retain students. They report, “The majority of studies conducted over the past four decades on the effectiveness of grade retention fail to support its efficacy in remediating academic deficits.” In other words, just repeating the same thing does not fix your child’s problem. I’ve found retention only works well when the child receives a substantially different and specialized curriculum designed to meet their needs. How do you know your child’s needs? Testing your child helps you learn what reading, writing, or math program can best help your child learn.

In the position paper researchers wrote, “When retained and promoted peers are compared at the same age, retained students achieve at a slower rate. When retained and promoted peers are compared in the same grade, retained students experience a short-term boost that dissipates within 4 years.” This implies that retaining your child is a quick short term solution but it the same problems will return when your child’s older. As the adage says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” You can be proactive now with testing and special instruction or spend a lifetime repairing your child’s low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy.

The National Association of School Psychologists recommends, “Students whose performance is substantially below their grade level peers need an intensive individualized intervention plan with frequent progress monitoring and involvement with specialists and related services providers, in order to ensure the maximum benefit for the student.” You can start now before the school year ends. I can help you determine the root cause of your child’s struggles and help you prevent learning catastrophes (like dropping out of school) in the future.  Call our office and we are here to help.

3 Ways To Help Your Child Perform Better

/in /by

If you’re like many parents, you want your child to achieve to his or her potential. I recommend 3 ways to help your child perform better.  These are foundational principles that kids need to help them achieve well in school: plenty of sleep, healthy nutrition, and limits to screen time. How is your child doing in these areas?

Sleep

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends children ages 6 through 12 receive 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night. Teens between 13 and 18 should receive 8 to 10 hours per night. A lack of sleep can cause your child to start the day in a mental fog, feeling lethargic, and may contribute to behavior problems. During the school week I recommend having a set bedtime with a consistent bedtime routine.

Nutrition

Children who start the day eating foods with only simple sugars or carbs quickly feel hungry again. Help your child start the day with a cheesy egg, peanut butter on toast, or a protein smoothie. Poor nutrition contributes to behavior problems, moodiness, and difficulty concentrating.

Limit Screen Time

Place reasonable limits on your child’s screen time because excessive screen time associates with aggressive behavior, inattention, and obesity. The average child gets 7 hours of screen time per day! Even if your child is nowhere close to that number, consider reducing screen time to the AAP recommended 1 to 2 hours per day. Use it a reward for completed homework or chores. ScreenfreeParenting.com can help you gradually reduce your child’s screen time.

As parents we do the best we can and the three above-mentioned principles underlie your child’s success. Consider discussing these principles with your family and optimize your child’s success. Need help? Call (561) 625-4125

Preparing Your Child for Hurricane Stress

/in /by

Children face the same type of distress as you as we all prepare to experience a major hurricane. Young children have never experienced hurricane stress like this. You must prepare your child without scaring them. I recommend you evacuate the area if you have children under 10 years old. If you stay for the hurricane explain that this will be a really bad storm and there could be a lot of unusual noise such as banging, pounding, howling wind, and clattering. Prepare your child for the atmospheric pressure change that may occur in their ears. Your child may feel like they are on an airplane with the changing air pressure surrounding the storm.

Hurricane Irma

It appears Hurricane Irma will make landfall during daylight hours which is beneficial and less scary for children who are naturally afraid of the dark. Show your child the safe space in your home and discuss how you may be in there for hours. Explain that you need them to be on their best behavior and do what mom and dad say. Have quiet activities for your child to do during the storm such as coloring or watching a video using headphones. Have your child’s blanket, snuggie, lovey, or what ever you call her security item with you at all times.  Allow your child to comfort her baby doll or your pet because she will simultaneously be comforting herself.

During the storm process your child may require additional reassurance that everything will be all right. She may want to stay by your side. Some children experience heightened emotions and moods. These are all typical behaviors from stress. As I wrote in, Stressed Out! Solutions to Help Your Child Manage Stress, children’s stress may emerge in unusual behaviors or rituals. Your child’s agitation might manifest as hyper energy or an inability to self calm and settle down. This experience causes some children to overgeneralize and believe any storm will have the same intensity as Hurricane Irma.

Three strategies to help children manage hurricane stress

After the storm, try these three strategies to help your child manage stress. First, ask your child to draw a picture of the hurricane experience. Art can be therapeutic and it helps children express inner feelings. After your child is finished with the picture ask, “Tell me about your drawing.” Allow the child to explain their art. Your child won’t have a right or wrong answer but just follow his lead and ask open-ended questions.

If your child is now fearful of any storm, create a written plan. List out the steps you’ll take if there is a storm. Post these on the refrigerator. Then help your child practice a positive inner dialogue by saying, “It was scary during Irma but I was ok. I’ll be ok during this storm too.”

Third, once in recovery mode, involve your child in helping because children feel valued when they can help. For example, your child may hold a bake sale to raise money to donate to an organization such as the Red Cross. When your child helps others it helps place her focus on others and take her mind off of her worries.

Call us if you need professional help managing your child’s stress.

Helping Stressed Out Children

/in /by

Stress. It is a constant in today’s society. Whereas some level of stress can keep us motivated and engaged, too much can overwhelm and exhaust us. Stress is not the exclusive domain of adults anymore. It is concerning that negative signs of stress are becoming increasingly common in children today, even in toddlers and preschoolers, as society has become more hyper-connected and its demands have become more frenetic. Pediatricians report an uptick in the number of patient visits related to stress, even in children as young as kindergarten and first grade.

Helping Stressed Out Children

When your child is stressed and anxious, you may feel it and see it in your child’s behaviors or he or she may suffer silently. Increased emotion, sensitivity, and tears are just a few of the ways stress overload emerges in children. Changes in eating habits and sleep are also common warning signs that stress could be developing into a problem. Learning more about stress is an important step in helping your child learn how to handle stress, which is a skill set that will be invaluable regardless of the age. There are many things you can do to help your child perceive challenges accurately, develop effective solutions to events, and keep stress in perspective

Your own responses to stress provide your child with the best examples of how to respond to changing situations and challenges. Children often mirror parents’ behaviors and attitudes. I’ve recently co-authored a book to help you and your child. It can help you as you and your child face the daily challenges of life so energy won’t be sapped by indecision and worry but will be channeled into productive ways to handle stress. It’s titled Stressed Out! Solutions for Helping Your Child Manage Stress and available in book stores and online.