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Whining and crying are employed by kids for the purpose of getting something. If it works, then it was worth the effort and will be repeated.

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

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

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)

Simple rules adhered to when children are young can prevent more serious problems later.

If there is no relationship - nothing else matters !

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

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

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

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TRACKING – a tool for teaching appropriate behaviour

Many children with FASD have difficulty with sequencing and seeing cause and effect. Life seems to be a series of randomly unrelated events. “Tracking” means to help the child recall an event or situation and its resulting consequences. Bedtime is a good time for “tracking” as he may be more ready to listen (a teachable moment). We want him / her to begin to connect the dots” of life. It may need to be repeated […]

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FASD

FASD – What is it? it is damage to the brain and body the damage is caused by alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy it is the leading cause of mental retardation in North America its effects are irreversible and lifelong its effects vary from slight to devastating Characterized by: growth deficiency central nervous system dysfunction (ie. brain damage) special facial features (not always) body malformation (not always) Fetal Alcohol Related Problems have Significant […]

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An Adoptive Mother of a Child with FASD

“Children with FASD have permanent, irreversible brain damage – you do not outgrow it, and you cannot fix it, love it away, punish it away or ignore it away. You can however, provide the types of long-term intervention, support, structure and supervision that encourage, promote and allow adequate function” (Jan Lutke – adoptive mother of 12 children with FASD – British columbia)

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Diagnosing ADD/ADHD

Diagnosing ADD/ADHD is not as simple and straightforward as you would think it should be. There are no “hard” biological markers detectable by conventional diagnostic tests (example – Xrays, blood tests, MRIs, etc.) Diagnosis is usually made by observing a child and comparing his/her behavioural characteristics with those of other children. Parents, teachers and others who know the child well are asked to rate the child on various checklists and scales (examples – Conners, ACTeRs, […]

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Delayed Gratification

  “Compared to previous generations, young people are more likely to want lots of money and nice things but are less likely to say they’re willing to work hard to earn them.” (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin) A prime example of this is the number of children and teens who have their own smart phone, but do absolutely nothing to earn the privilege of the device. Those who don’t have a smart phone, […]

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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)