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Children today are under enormous pressures rarely experienced by their parents or grandparents. Many of today's children are being enticed to grow up too quickly and are encountering challenges for which they are totally unprepared.

The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. (Peggy O'Mara)

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

Parents are the external regulator for kids who cannot regulate themselves.

When a child is disregulated - is the time parents need to be regulated.

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.

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

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

If you are headed in the wrong direction as a parent - you are allowed to make a U-turn.

Many clinicians find it easier to tell parents their child has a brain-based disorder than suggest parenting changes. Jennifer Harris (psychiatrist)

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“Executive Dysfunction” and ADHD

“Executive dysfunction” means an individual has difficulty “stopping” and taking the time to think through the possible consequences of an action and selecting one that is best. Another way of saying this is the child is very “impulsive”. By definition a child with ADHD has “executive dysfunction”. Our goal in helping him is to get him to “stop” long enough for the executive function to kick in. There are a number of approaches to facilitate […]

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Helping a Teen Moderate Stress

  HELPING A TEEN MODERATE & MANAGE STRESS                           “SPIT”  HAPPENS !   1. Listen                                   – without judging                   – try to understand and appreciate their concern                   – if event resulted from bad behaviour or poor judgment – it’s vital to avoid making matters worse by berating and punishing                         […]

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FASD – Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is the most debilitating feature of FASD but only about 50% of them actually fall into the retarded range of intelligence (IQ blow 70) This can present a significant problem to individuals with FASD because they may need special services but they do not qualify because their IQ scores are not below the cut off point and therefore not be diagnosed with FASD. A diagnosis can be useful because it makes it easier […]

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Frequently Asked Questions about ADD/ADHD

1. Is it true that boys have ADHD more often than girls? The short answer is “yes” – 3 to 6 times more boys. The longer answer is that girls may be under diagnosed because they typically display less severe social problems. Boys are more at risk of developing almost every behavioural or emotional problem. 2. Do ADHD children also have other significant problems? Yes. The following is an incomplete list of problems commonly seen […]

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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)