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"Parents aren't the cause of ADHD, but they are part of the solution." (Kenny Handleman, M.D.)

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

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.

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

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

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

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.

Removing a child from a traumatic environment does not remove the trauma from the child's memory.

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

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

Learn more.

Behaviour Management (now available online)

This full day or 2 evening workshop will introduce you to the skills, techniques and strategies to assess and manage a wide range of behaviour problems (eg. aggression, destruction. noncompliance, swearing, school problems, tantrums, sibling quarreling, etc.). You will learn how to determine the underlying causes of the inappropriate behaviours, develop logical interventions and establish a monitoring system to evaluate progress. Suitable for parents, teachers, daycare, social workers. (6 hours)

A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain



 

A teenager’s brain is not just an adult brain with fewer kilometres on it. It is a brain that has not fully developed. It is a work in progress and has stymied parents for centuries. Modern neuroscience is now explaining biological reasons why:

1. teens can seem so mature one minute and so maddening the next

2. some struggle and some bloom

3. they engage in risky behaviour (drinking, drugs, sex, etc.)

4. they can’t get out of bed before noon on Saturday

5. he / she won’t talk to you anymore

6. they slam doors

Science is tiptoeing on the edge of understanding the teenage brain and the science is changing fast. Understanding the teen brain can lead to smoother relationships between parents and their kids.

 

Reading Rescue

Can you read these?

1. Msot of the wrdos in tihs scetenne are slelped icnrceorlty and yet you are slitl albe to raed it wtuhot mcuh ducfltiify.

2. thewordsinthissentenceareallspelledcorrectlybutitisprobablymoredifficulttoreadthansentencenumberone.

The sentences you just read illustrate what a complex skill reading actually is. You did not use your phonics skills or your whole language skills to read the sentences because most of the words do not conform to the “rules”. And yet you were able to read it by using a set of skills that were not directly taught to you.

Your brain has mastered the skill of reading to such an extent that you are able to pick up subtle clues from the combination of letters and spaces and context and length of word, etc. to make sense of something that actually makes no sense.

Most children are able to learn the basic individual skills of reading in the conventional manner taught in our schools and begin to assimilate the more obscure skills on their own and become proficient readers as you have done. There are however, a significant % of children who for a variety of reasons, have been unable to grasp these skills and consequently have great difficulty in learning to read.

“Reading Rescue” has been developed to assist those children whose “special” learning needs are not being met by regular classroom experiences.

A Guided Tour of ADHD (now available online)

This workshop will present the facts, myths, misconceptions, controversy and treatments associated with one of society’s most common childhood disorders. ADHD can affect every area of a child’s life producing feelings of failure, learning difficulties, inability to make and keep friends and stressful relationships within families. Suitable for parents, teachers, daycare staff, social workers, etc. (3 hours)

Living with a Child With Fetal Alcohol Related Behaviour Problems

This workshop offers solid information and practical advice for dealing with FASD/FAE’s lifelong effects on behaviour and learning. It addresses historical, medical, educational and societal aspects of FASD and details common behavioural characteristics associated with the condition. The workshop is presented in a developmental format and gives specific behavioural management strategies that are appropriate for individuals with FASD from infancy through young adulthood. (3 Hours)




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Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

This full day or 2 evening workshop will introduce you […]

Learn more

+ A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain

  A teenager’s brain is not just an adult brain […]

Learn more

+ Reading Rescue

A program for children with reading problems

Learn more

+ A Guided Tour of ADHD (now available online)

This workshop will present the facts, myths, misconceptions, controversy and […]

Learn more

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

“I am no longer overwhelmed with a child who has unending discipline and behaviour problems.”

(P.S. – London)