Executive Functioning Disorder and Mathematics
Three Strategies to Implement Evan is a likeable fourth grade student who has a lot of friends but struggles in school, especially with math. He was diagnosed with ADHD last year because of his attention-related behavior. Evan thinks he understands the material, but then struggles at home with completing his homework. He feels most defeated…
Read MoreBalancing Virtual and Classroom Learning
How to Keep Kids with ADHD On Track There’s no doubt that the fall of 2020 will be like no other. As parents, we hoped our kids would be sitting at their desks on that first day of school, but the reality is very different. If you’re sad, anxious, disappointed, angry, or feeling any other…
Read MoreLimiting Screen Time During a Pandemic: A Guide for Parents
The COVID-19 lockdown has taken our usually functional (and sometime dysfunctional) dependence on technology as a society to a new level. For example, as a child and adolescent psychiatrist specializing in internet and video game addiction, I have converted my practice to video conferencing. Naturally, with the lack of in-person school, camps, and outdoor activities,…
Read MoreShould My Child Be Evaluated for ADHD During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Many parents may be wondering whether or not their child can be evaluated for ADHD right now, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, many clinicians are currently performing ADHD evaluations, both in person and remotely through videoconferencing. Before deciding whether your child should be evaluated now, and whether an in-person or a remote telehealth evaluation…
Read MoreSupporting Successful Transition to High School
The STRIPES Peer Coaching Program Experts tell us that ninth graders who struggle with ADHD are at an increased risk for failing classes, not finishing school, and a host of other negative outcomes down the road. They also tell us that a number of these students are not being effectively reached at school. In an…
Read MoreI’m Fine, Thank You Very Much!
“My daughter is so sassy! I try to help her make friends, but she will not take my advice.” Many parents of tweens and teens with ADHD struggle as they watch their child ignore overtures of friendship, cling to friends who don’t treat them well, or ignore advice and make mistakes that ultimately leave them…
Read MoreCalming Down and Cooling Off
Help Children with ADHD Learn to Regulate Their Emotions If you have a child with ADHD, you are probably intimately aware of the fact that people with this diagnosis often have trouble managing their feelings. This difficulty is referred to as emotional dysregulation. For clarification, emotions are physical states whereas feelings are the conscious…
Read MoreEmotion Regulation in Teens with ADHD
Everyone EXPERIENCES A MIXTURE of positive and negative emotions daily. For some people, these emotions—particularly negative emotions like anger, frustration, sadness, and guilt—can be overwhelming. Emotion regulation is a term generally used to describe a person’s ability to manage and respond to an emotional experience in an adaptive way. Emotion regulation is essential for social and…
Read MoreReplace Suspensions with Reset Rooms
A restorative practice innovation Have you spent more time in the principal’s office as a parent of a child with ADHD than you ever did as a student? ADHD is difficult to manage in school, for students and teachers. Parents dread discipline calls from school—the ones where the school notifies you that your child is…
Read MoreThe Imagine Neighborhood, Where Children (and Adults) Learn About Feelings
Joyce Cooper-Kahn, PhD, interviews Scotty Iseri and Sherri Widen, PhD Imagination and pretend play have long been considered a foundation for the development of behavioral and emotional regulation—see, for example, the work of psychologists Dorothy and Jerome Singer. Both the process of imagining and the specific rehearsal of situations that are part of pretend play…
Read MoreWhat Is School Readiness and Why Is It Important?
The capacitY TO FORM POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS is an essential aspect of healthy child development. Children’s relationships and daily interactions with their parents contribute to developing a set of skills that help children succeed in the classroom once they start kindergarten. Collectively, these skills are referred to as “school readiness.” They generally include children’s language and literacy…
Read MoreFearless Advocacy
Pro Tips for School Team Meetings FOR MOST PARENTS, school team meetings provoke dread, anxiety, and frustration—especially when you’re still new at this. Some of us charge into the meeting like the mighty lioness defending her cubs. Others feel more like the baby rabbit staring helplessly into the headlights of a speeding car. Having…
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