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

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

Early intervention is always better than crisis management - but it is never too late to do the right thing.

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

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

Children do not develop on their own - they only develop within relationships.

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

Parenting style matters - a lot!

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

Learn more.

The Problem with ADD/ADHD Assessments

The medical community uses the term “diagnosis drives treatment”.  This means that a correct diagnosis must be made before a treatment is prescribed. This is quite straight forward with many medical problems (examples – throat infections, cancer, heart attacks, broken bones, abscess tooth, etc) as there are diagnostic tests that can definitively identify the problem (examples – blood tests, bacterial cultures, MRI, biopsies, X rays, etc).

The problem diagnosing  ADD/ADHD (and many other problems in the brain) is that there are no “hard” biological markers that can be used to definitively diagnose it. The diagnosis is made by interpreting the observations of the child’s parents and teachers. The only professionals that are legally allowed to diagnose ADD/ADHD  are medical doctors and some psychologists. These professions sometimes  observe the child directly but more often than not they use the observations of others in making a diagnosis. This admittedly is a poor way to diagnose a problem and subsequently decide on a treatment plan but it is the usual way it is done.

My next posting will outline the preferred assessment procedures for ADD/ADHD.

“What parents need most are ideas because with ideas we get options.”

Rick Harper  has been providing ideas to parents for over 40 years.

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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

“Rick’s approach is so logical. He helped us clearly define the problem, analyze what has happened and select the best strategy. We now feel empowered to do something positive for our kid”

(A.N. – Tillsonburg)