By popular demand, here are my 10 top school recommendations for children struggling with focus and attention in class! Remember, no one strategy will be effective for every child. Take this list to school with you to discuss with your child's teacher which strategies would fit your child the best!! 1. Preferred Seating. Try placing [...]
Hello Dr Deb, I have been trying to toilet train my almost 3 year old daughter for 4.5 months. We gave it a break after no progress with doing a poo on the toilet. She seems anxious and can't let go even if she is desperate and has already started going. We are on our [...]
Question: I would love more information on raising a child with Aspergers. Thank you! Answer: I appreciate this question and while it is very general (and I could write books on the topic!) I thought I would start by giving families a little bit of a ‘what to expect’ when raising a child with [...]
Hi Dr Deb, I have been counseling the parents of an 8y/o girl. Her mother describes her issue with bedwetting as follows. " She was in pull/ups at night until she was 6.She is a really heavy sleeper. She started wetting the bed in September right when she started 3rd grade and 2 weeks after [...]
Question: "What is your opinion on "sensory processing delay"and OT therapy? Is this being overly diagnosed in your opinion and the new catch phrase? Thank you." -K Dear K: Thank you so much for submitting this question. I think there are many parents like yourselves who share the same concerns. To provide you the [...]
I know from talking to a lot of parents in my practice that the holidays can be exceptionally stressful for a child on the spectrum. And so here are my tips on how to successfully navigate the holidays with your special needs child!! (PLEASE NOTE - I have included some exceptional suggestions I have received from parents on what's [...]
Hello! This last October, thanks to a parent sponsor (whose son has autism spectrum spectrum disorder) I had an amazing time presenting to teachers at their private school about the "ABCs of ASD" which is a new teacher training program I developed especially for teachers of students with ASD in a general education preschool or elementary/middle school. [...]
This post was written by my colleague Maria Bagby, from Therapeutic Literacy Center. (858) 668-8366 maria@therapeuticliteracycenter.com, www.therapeuticliteracycenter.com Why is learning to read, write and spell difficult for some of our children? The real question is why isn’t it? We are hard-wired for learning to sit, stand, walk and talk. But reading and writing have to be [...]
("Many thanks to my extremely knowledgeable and wonderful friend and colleague Nancy Cohen, M.A. for writing this very helpful and informative article. BTW, personally I LOVE #5 - so brilliant! You can find out more about Nancy Cohen, Child Development and Behavior Specialist at her website www.nancygcohen.com." - Dr. Deb) Let’s face it – siblings [...]
How to Manage ADHD Effectively WITHOUT the Use of Medication (Part 1 of a series) Dear Dr. Deb, Our 7-year-old son was just diagnosed with ADHD. Our pediatrician has recommended that we start him on medication, however my husband and I are hesitant to put him on medication this young. We are hoping that maybe [...]
