‘Remember that organization is a skill. To some it comes naturally. To others it must be taught. Keep taking small steps to teach your child or teen, and they will be able to learn some simple and effective organizational strategies. Your child will feel much better and more capable in their world when they can start to become more independent and more in control.”….
…..Parenting a teen is never easy, and parenting a teen with ADHD is definitely not easy. But, people with ADHD often have many strengths that other people do not, as well as endless potential. Remember that as much as your teen may push you away, she also needs you beyond measure. In the end, you will both persevere, and have a stronger relationship for it.
Mathematics is often thought of as a subject that a student either understands or doesn’t, with little in between. In reality, mathematics encompasses a wide variety of skills and concepts….. Challenges with learning can be very difficult for a child. But, they don’t have to reflect catastrophe or a life-long battle with success. In fact many of the world’s most talented people have struggled with some type of learning issue. The main goal is to keep going, reach out for help, and learn about yourself in the process.
Being grateful doesn’t mean finding good things to drown out the bad, or to somehow say that you’re not allowed to feel grumpy because you have things to be grateful for. Ultimately, it’s trying to remind ourselves that often we have both; that our lives are both wonderful and difficult, light and heavy, fun and frustrating. It’s taking on a practice that says maybe sometimes you get to be grumpy and grateful.
A wise friend once said to me:
“Mollie, you’d never buy a footlong sub and then tell yourself – ‘I better eat this all in one bite.’”
At the time, I had a good laugh. And now, years later, I think of this all the time. Because when you put it that way, it makes so much sense – it’s crazy to set an expectation like that. You’d choke, you’d be sick, and you’d feel really terrible about that sandwich.
Psychological and neuropsychological assessments can cover a broad range of areas, including cognitive functioning, intellectual functioning, attention, learning, social skills, personality, career, and psychological health and well-being. Concerns in these areas can surface at home, school, or work, and sometimes in all three. While these concerns are sometimes identified early in children, assessments can be valuable tools for individuals across the lifespan. An “assessment” will vary based on what areas you are looking at, but often includes paper-and-pencil questionnaires, interviews, and activities that you would do with your psychologist provider to gather information and help answer your questions.
Dyslexia means that there are significant difficulties with language and reading. Students with Dyslexia also often experience difficulties with spelling, writing, phonics, and pronouncing words.
Dyslexia is referred to as a learning disability because it can make school very difficult.
Sometimes, just coming back to the things we can reach out and touch, the things we hear, see, smell, or even taste can be helpful. Other times, it can be helpful to be prepared ahead of time, to keep a few little tokens on hand that are soothing, enjoyable, and use our physical senses.
Self-compassion is a way to help ourselves stay healthy. If you are like many of us, you may only think about your well-being after something hard has happened, like an illness, a crisis, or a stressful work issue. However, self-care is an ongoing issue, and not just when hard things happen. One thing that’s very […]
If you are reading this, you or your child (or both of you) probably has some anxiety. You may be surprised to know that everyone has some stress, anxiety, or fear. It is part of the human condition. Our biology wires us to recognize and perceive danger. These are survival instincts, and actually quite miraculous. Anxiety allows us to stop, rather than walk out into traffic. It allows us an opportunity to question whether we should make decisions involving safety or taking risks. Anxiety can help us consider the feelings of others when we make decisions.
Extra time is important in reading for people with ADHD.
Does your child have messy handwriting? Does s/he seem unmotivated or uncooperative when asked to complete written assignments? Does your child have great ideas, but seems to compromise creative ideas by writing in concrete or simplistic sentences.? Many children with these concerns are diagnosed with Dysgraphia, or a Disorder of Written Expression. The National Center for Learning Disabilities has published the following table regarding signs and symptoms of Dysgraphia: