Often kids with social learning differences feel uncertain or not competent. These feelings trigger anxiety in the form of fight/flight/freeze responses that become labeled as behaviors: bolting, yelling, hitting, arguing, climbing under a table, or even shutting down. And then the behaviors become the focus.… keep reading

In this clip, Des and I talk about his NOOOO's. Using a recent example, he helps me remember why it's worth it to dig deeper and figure out what the NO is all about … keep reading

When we say a child “doesn’t engage in non-preferred tasks”, we are lumping many items into one bucket. And I don’t think this is helpful. Using this term to talk about many things does not help the child do it any faster, and it doesn’t define for us how we can best help…. keep reading

When Charlie is regulated and calm, he is thoughtful in his actions, uses language well to express his feelings, and shows care, curiosity, and affection for others. But … when he is off – maybe because he is tired, overstimulated, hungry, or worried – his impulses get the best of him… keep reading

How do you help kids – who really need to be in control – let go and be open to your guidance? It takes time to change this dynamic, but it is possible… keep reading

Ever since Ryan Wexelblatt and I talked about it on his ADHD Dude Live last month, I’ve been thinking about why some kids use self-defeating comments (e.g., “I’m a failure”, “I’m so stupid”, etc.), and importantly, what to do about it.... keep reading

He got very angry at us and stormed off from the table. We were pretty upset with him because he was being rude to the rest of our family by not staying at the table for dinner and socializing with everyone. ... keep reading

Your child’s emotions are escalating (and maybe yours are too). It seems hardly the time to sit down and chat using declarative language! So what do you do?… keep reading

I, like many others who I’m sure are reading this, am a perfectionist a lot of the time,… … keep reading