Behavior
The Importance of Early Intervention for Autism: What Parents Need to Know
When you’re raising a child who processes the world differently, you’re often the first one to notice the little things. Maybe it’s the way your child struggles with transitions, avoids certain textures or sounds, has difficulty with conversation, or melts down the moment you get home from school. Maybe things just feel harder than they…
Read MoreDoes your child struggle with transitions?
Transitions are everywhere. Some are so big and obvious that you can spot the problem from a mile away—like moving from a beloved tablet game to sitting at the dinner table… or from a fun holiday weekend to a busy school schedule on Monday morning. Others are tiny and constant, almost invisible unless you’re really…
Read MoreSeparation Anxiety in School-Aged Children
Your 8-year-old clings to you at the classroom door. Your 10-year-old insists on sleeping in your room. You wonder… Is this normal, or is something else going on?
Read MoreIs it normal for my child to have meltdowns?
Your child is having an intense emotional outburst — screaming, crying, seeming unable to calm down. Is this normal? Will they outgrow it? The honest answer: it depends on what’s driving it, not necessarily their age.
Read MoreProtective Parenting and a Child’s Growing Independence
Every parent wants to keep their child safe, happy, and thriving. It’s natural to want to protect them from discomfort, disappointment, or distress. But sometimes, in trying to shield children, parents can unintentionally limit their growth. Protective parenting and accommodating behaviors often come from love — but they can make it harder for kids to build independence, confidence, and resilience over time.
Read MoreYour Child’s Big Feelings – Is There Something More?
Labels commonly used to describe the temperament or personality of children are everywhere – such as “highly sensitive”, “deeply feeling,” “strong willed,” and many more. But I’ve listened to parents who start to wonder: Is there something deeper we should be paying attention to? Why don’t typical parenting strategies work? Why Descriptive Labels Can Help Descriptive…
Read MoreReading Your Child’s Behavior: Clues Beneath the Surface
When a child acts out, melts down, avoids, or resists, it’s tempting to see these behaviors as oppositional, laziness, or “bad behavior.” Your child’s behavior provides clues – signals from their brain and body telling us something about might be needed in the moment. If we can learn to read those signals, we can also…
Read MoreLow Frustration Tolerance
Giving up quickly, avoiding activities or situations that make them uncomfortable, and dependence on others to do difficult things – these are common concerns of parents. When kids and teens show intense emotions, parents really feel it. Sometimes parents have a visceral response. It’s truly painful to watch your child in distress. Naturally, parents want…
Read MoreAnxiety and ADHD
Recent estimates from a very large US study (>45,000 participants) with the CDC shows that around 35% of children and 43% of adolescents/teens with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder (Danielson et al., 2024). Next to behavioral/conduct problems, anxiety is the most commonly associated disorder with ADHD. Why and how are anxiety and ADHD related?…
Read MoreAnxiety and Math
The impact of anxiety on math achievement has received significant attention in the field of educational research. There is no doubt that anxiety symptoms and math performance are negatively related (as one goes up, the other goes down). In some kids, problems in math may cause anxiety. But in other kids, anxiety may contribute to…
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