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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.

The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. (Peggy O'Mara)

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

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

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

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

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

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

The mistake that Sharon and I both made is we never set any boundaries.  (Ozzy Osbourne)

It's more effective to reward your child for being "good" (appropriate) than to punish him for being "bad" (inappropriate).

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FASD – Late Childhood (aged 8 – 12)

The main developmental task for children of this age is to develop a sense of industry. Family stresses are likely to increase as FASD children can be exhausting. Caregivers will benefit from counselling and respite care may become necessary. Peer and sibling relationships can become more difficult because the child may have legitimate  difficulty with following the rules, turn taking, cheating, stealing, breaking things and being unpredictable. Children with FASD do not understand the feelings of others and he/she may find structured groups to be beneficial (eg. Cubs, Brownies, karate, etc.)

Sexuality – Puberty is right around the corner which can bring a new set of concerns to parents. Because children with FASD have trouble understanding boundaries the risk of being sexually abused or aggressive increases. They have trouble cueing into social norms and are frequently very impulsive. Open discussion about sexuality at this stage makes discussing these issues in the teen years easier.

School – School will probably continue to be a area of concern and I recommend that the parents and teacher have a communication system in place to check on work frequently. Worksheets with a small amount on each page and breaking the assignments into small sections will help the child remain focused. Computers, calculators, tape recorders etc. can increase his/her attention span and oral exams may be beneficial.

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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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