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A tantruming toddler is a little ball of writhing muscle and incredible strength. It's like trying to carry a greased pig past a slop bucket.

Whining and crying are employed by kids for the purpose of getting something. If it works, then it was worth the effort and will be repeated.

If you (parents) tend to overreact to your child's misbehaviour - your child learns that he can't trust you. Mom, Dad, stay regulated!

The more 2 parents differ in their approaches to discipline, the more likely it leads to trouble for the child.

If it  was going to be easy to raise kids, it never would have started with something called "labour".

The quickest way to change your child’s behaviour is to first change your own.

Hurt people hurt people.

"The thing that impresses me most about North America is the way parents obey their children"    (King Edward VII , 1841-1910)

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

It's more effective to reward your child for being "good" (appropriate) than to punish him for being "bad" (inappropriate).

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ADHD and Executive Function

Most species of animals do not have the capability of planning for the future. They are unable to “self talk”. They react on impulse and are not able to evaluate their past actions rationally. Humans however do have this capability. It is called “executive function” and it gives us the option of modulating our behaviour. No single part of the human brain is solely in charge of this modulation, however it does appear that our frontal and prefrontal lobes  function as our “CEO”.

One of the most important functions of this part of our brain is to “inhibit” (put on the brakes). Successful execution of a plan largely involves putting brakes on distracting activities. These brakes  – courtesy of our inhibitory centers – allow us the luxury of TIME during which we can consider our options before reacting.

People with ADHD have a problem with INHIBITION (putting on the brakes)

  • unable to adequately inhibit distraction
  • unable to inhibit impulsive reactions
  • unable to inhibit physically reacting to stimuli
  • unable to inhibit their behaviour long enough for other executive functions to operate

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Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

This full day or 2 evening workshop will introduce you […]

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+ A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain

  A teenager’s brain is not just an adult brain […]

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+ Reading Rescue

A program for children with reading problems

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+ A Guided Tour of ADHD (now available online)

This workshop will present the facts, myths, misconceptions, controversy and […]

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See more of our workshops


Contact

2720 Rath Street, Putnam, Ontario
NOL 2BO

Phone: (519) 485-4678
Fax: (519) 485-0281

Email: info@rickharper.ca

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Parents' Comments

“We are foster parents who took in a 13 year old girl (going on 18!) and she ran us through the wringer. Rick helped us learn how to set limits that made the difference.”

(G.E. – Strathroy)