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The quickest way to change your child’s behaviour is to first change your own.

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!

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

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.

We should not medicate the boys so they fit the school; we should change the school to fit the boy. (Leonard Sax, M.D. Ph.D)

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

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.

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

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

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Diagnostic Criteria for ADD/ADHD

The following is a summary of the criteria in DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and describes what doctors look for when diagnosing ADD or ADHD.

A. INATTENTION ( the individual must display 6 or more of these characteristics)

  1. makes careless mistakes
  2. difficulty sustaining attention
  3. doesn’t seem to listen
  4. does not finish schoolwork, chores or duties
  5. difficulty organizing tasks and activities
  6. avoids tasks that require sustained mental effort
  7. easily distracted
  8. forgetful

and/or

B. HYPERACTIVITY/IMPULSIVITY- (must display 6 or more of the following)

  1. often fidgets with hands or feet – squirms in seat
  2. often “out of seat”
  3. often runs about or climbs excessively
  4. has difficulty playing quietly
  5. often “on the go” as if “driven by a motor”
  6. often talks excessively
  7. often blurts out answers
  8. often has difficulty waiting turn
  9. often interrupts or intrudes on others

C. SYMPTOMS PRESENT BEFORE AGE OF 7

D. SYMPTOMS PRESENT IN 2 OR MORE SETTINGS (SCHOOL, HOME,WORK)

E. CLEAR EVIDENCE OF SIGNIFICANT IMPAIRMENT IN SOCIAL, ACADEMIC OR             OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING

F. SYMPTOMS ARE NOT BETTER ACCOUNTED FOR BY ANOTHER MENTAL DISORDER

A diagnosis of ADD/ADHD can only be made by a medical doctor or a psychologist.

What distinguishes ADD/ADHD is the number of behaviours, their intensity and duration.

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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 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)