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The teenage years require a delicate balance between the young person's need to gain independence, and the parent's need to retain authority.

"Rules without relationship leads to rebellion" (Josh McDowell)

"Moody" and "unpredictable" are adjectives parents will often use when referring to their teenagers.

Some hope their children will be like sponges soaking up the truth and wisdom imparted by their parents. However appealing this philosophy might be, it seldom seems to catch on with their children.

Parenting style matters - a lot!

Setting limits teaches your children valuable skills they will use the rest of their lives. One day, they will report to a job where their ability to follow rules will dictate their success.

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

The best inheritance  parents can give their children is a few minutes of their time each day.

The mistake that Sharon and I both made is we never set any boundaries.  (Ozzy Osbourne)

The challenge of adolescence is to balance the right of the parents to feel they are in charge with the need of the adolescent to gain independence.

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Helping an ADHD Child in the Classroom

Children with ADHD typically have problems meeting the expectations placed on them by teachers. They will be much more likely to be successful if the teacher understands the difficulties that these students have and attempt to accommodate them as best they can.The following are some ways to assist children with ADHD in the classroom: 1. allow additional time to complete assignments and tests 2. give shorter assignments 3. check students backpack to ensure daily planner […]

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Stimulant Meds for ADHD

Stimulant medications (eg. Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Focalin, Dexedrine, Metadate, Methylin, Vyvanse) are the mainstay of medical treatment for ADHD. They have proven quite effective in controlling the symptoms of ADHD with relatively minor and manageable side effects. There is however some disturbing findings coming from research initiated at Harvard Medical School by Dr. William Carlezon. Investigators have discovered that juvenile laboratory animals given stimulant medications display a loss of motivation when they grow up. These […]

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Developmental Tasks During Adolescence

DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS DURING ADOLESCENTS 1) adjust to physical changes 2) separate from their parents 3) develop a social network 4) begin to focus on educational and vocational objectives 5) develop a sexual identity     All of the above is a lot to expect in the few short years of adolescence  = STRESS     STRESS HAS A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON PARTS OF THE BRAIN INVOLVED IN THE REGULATION AND CONTROL OF EMOTIONS     […]

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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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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)