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

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

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

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.

Parenting style matters - a lot!

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

"Unexpressed feeling never die. They are buried alive and come back later in ugly ways." (Stephen Covey)

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

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

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.

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What Is ADHD?

“The wildest colts make the best horses” (Themistocles 5oo BC) ADHD is a common behaviour disorder that affects approximately 10% of school age children. An analysis of the research suggests that boys are affected 3 times more often than girls, althought the reason for this is unknown. Children with ADHD are hyperactive, act impulsively and have trouble focusing on their responsibilities. Most children of course have these same tendencies, but children with ADHD present these […]

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Alcohol Abuse in College Age Women

The following data comes from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse in the U.S. (similar in Canada ? ? ?) In the 1960’s, only 7 % of American girls reported having their first alcoholic drink between the ages of 10 and 14. Today, nearly 1/4 of all American girls report beginning to drink before age 13. Over the past 50 years, the rate at which boys abuse alcohol has remained roughly constant. Over […]

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Adolescent Narcissism

Adolescence is the prime time for humans to become completely immersed in narcissism. Teens will often start sentences with the word “I” and end with “Me” with several good ‘My’s”, “Mine” and “Myself” sprinkled throughout. Any family decision will be deemed important only by how much it affects the teen. To the teenage mind, having to go someplace he/she doesn’t want to go is a complete waste of precious time that could be wisely spent […]

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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)