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

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

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

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

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

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

Relationships matter:  change comes through forming trusting relationships. People, not programs change people.

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

Adolescence can be the cruelest place on earth. It can really be heartless.  ( Tori Amos)

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

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Neural Plasticity of the Prepubescent Brain

A normal 5 year old child has little difficulty learning and fluently speaking a foreign language. Learning new physical skills such as riding a bike or skiing can be achieved with relative ease during early childhood. After puberty , acquiring new skills will probably not be as easy because the areas of the brain associated with these types of skills becomes more rigid, not as plastic.

The “post pubescent” brain, undergoes a rewiring of its circuitry that makes it possible to perform more abstract thinking skills and an ability to consider alternative viewpoints. This rewiring of the brain is not complete until the mid to late 20’s. A young child’s brain is better able to learn some types of skills than an older brain while the older brain is better able to perform more complex adult type thinking. There is no better time to begin music lessons than before puberty. It only gets harder once the brain has developed past those early years.

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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

“Rick’s approach is so logical. He helped us clearly define the problem, analyze what has happened and select the best strategy. We now feel empowered to do something positive for our kid”

(A.N. – Tillsonburg)