Blog
Join the Fun: “Empowered Parents Summit”
I am honored to be a part of this Empowered Parents Summit. So many great speakers are presenting their view of parenting in the modern era. I will be talking about issues related to my latest book, "Beyond the Power Struggle: A Guide for Parents of Challenging...
No One to Play With
When I was coming up in this field as a young psychologist, I got my first job at the Hill Top Preparatory School, a renowned private school in the Philadelphia suburbs specializing in adolescents with learning disabilities. Different than reading any chapter in a...
Nonverbal Learning Disability – “NLD” in a Nutshell
Terminology in the field of psychology and education can be very off-putting. Too often jargon is tossed around that few people really understand. My test for jargon would be if the average person on the street doesn’t know what a term means, then it...
BRDD: Boy Reading Deficit Disorder
You're a 12 year old boy. Let's say you have three hours (or more) to kill. Which would you rather do, entertain your superhero fantasies, kill a gazillion bad guys, and perhaps save the world, or read a book? While I haven't conducted this research study, I would...
“Hot Cross Buns” & Dolly Madison
Recently I did a workshop called, Bullies, Victims and Parents: A Complicated Brew. Never one to be shy on offering my opinions, I sometimes find myself going against current "political correctness." When I presented my notion that we try and help the...
WINNING THE BATTLE BUT LOSING THE WAR
Sometimes parents are living in Dreamy-Dream Land when it comes to accommodations and 504 Plans. They come up with all these schemes and interventions that may make some sense (although often it doesn’t) on paper, but in reality the child wants no part of the...
WAS THIS A PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVERTED?
A mom of a fifth grade child, Alison, who had some reading issues (decoding, fluency, etc.) asked, "Was this a problem that could have been averted? My answer: "There are essentially two categories of kids. In the first category, these kids get out of...
SHOULD CHILD BE ON MEDICATION WHILE BEING EVALUATED?
The followings question came to me regarding the pros and cons of having a child on medication while being tested: “Please address whether a child should be on medication while assessing a child with executive function issues. Some of the specialists we refer to...
Gumby Parenting
In the 1950’s into the early 1960’s rigid, authoritarian parenting was one of the predominant styles of parenting. Perhaps a function of so many men formerly being in the military, children were often treated like little soldiers who had to march to...
ANGER: “YOU CAN’T MAKE ME”
What do these behaviors sound like to you? o Not handing in homework consistently o Avoiding responsibilities o Procrastinating o Not sustaining mental effort o Underachieving...
“MOM! THERE’S LINCOLN WHATEVER FIELD”
Should a bright fifth grader be able to read the word "financial?" Well, when driving by the Philadelphia Eagle’s stadium the other day, fifth grade Carrie got excited when she saw the stadium with the sign outside that read "Lincoln Financial...