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Wouldn't it be nice if children would simply listen and learn.

It is what we say and do when we're angry that creates the very model our children will follow when dealing with their own frustrations.

"To be a man, a boy must see a man."  (J.R. Moehringer)

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

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

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

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

Good parenting requires sacrifice. Childhood lasts for only a few brief years , but it should be given priority while it is passing before your eyes

There has been an explosion in the prescribing of medication for very young children, particularly preschool and kindergarten boys (Juli Zito , Univ. of Maryland)

Learn more.

Ritalin – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Second – the bad

Like all medications, Ritalin has negative side effects. Not all individuals will be affected in the same way but the following list are concerns that have been observed:

  • decreased appetite (hunger returns when meds wear off)
  • weight loss
  • failure to grow
  • insomnia
  • dizziness and drowsiness
  • increase in motor and/or vocal tics
  • increase in heart rate
  • increase in blood pressure
  • abdominal stress (nausea)
  • headaches
  • allergic reactions (rash, hives)
  • nervousness
  • excitement
  • can affect liver function
  • may activate latent epilepsy or glaucoma
  • tolerance develops requiring larger dose
  • makes some children feel “funny”
  • negatively interacts with some drugs
  • “rebound” – hyperactivity returns stronger when drug wears off

The following list includes possible psychosocial side effects:

  • lower self esteem
  • attributes “external” cause for success or failure
  • disowning responsibility for their own provocative behaviour
  • stigmatization by peers
  • family issues remain unresolved
  • need for parenting and teaching changes are buried

The following quote from the American Psychiatric Press – Textbook of Psychiatry –

page 1076 is noteworthy – “Stimulants have not been demonstrated to have long term therapeutic effects”. . . . “It is clear that medication alone is not sufficient treatment”.

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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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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 were so naive. We thought our son’s poor behaviour was just a phase he was passing through. Thankfully you led us ‘out of the wilderness'”

(N.S. – London)