There are many versions to this tale. However, here is a summary of the one I prefer, whose author, unfortunately, is not known. Three hungry soldiers came upon a small village, but the villagers had nothing to offer them since they had a very poor harvest that year and didn’t want to share what little [...]
Paul Ekman, Ph.D. in 1989 devoted an entire book about kids and lying, called Why Kids Lie, to this topic. For some of his data, he drew from a landmark study, the largest one has ever done, which was conducted in the 1920s by psychologists Hugh Hartshorne and Mark May. For a more up-to-date (2009) [...]
It can be very easy as a therapist to get frustrated when you’ve been working with someone and you haven’t seen any real progress, even after week after week of offering several suggestions that you know would be helpful. Then one day, as sudden as a flip of a switch, something happens. This person has [...]
Many parents are concerned that their son or daughter doesn't seem to fit in with other children or to know the appropriate responses to further their social interactions. Some children or adolescents are shy and hold back from reaching out to others. Other children or adolescents are full of energy and reach out to others [...]
Here are some Summertime Parenting Tips from us at Specialized Therapy Associates! Summer is coming and kids are looking forward to time out of school, days in the park, riding bikes, or at the pool. Parents are looking forward to a break from overseeing homework and taxi service duty taking kids to sports and activities. [...]
Executive functions are those aspects of our mental functioning that enableuse to get things done. A seminal writer on ADHD, Russell Barkley, also has a book entirely devoted to executive functions. He defines executive functions "as self-regulation to achieve goals". In his book on childhood ADHD, Barkley states that there are six executive functions and [...]
This post centers around the poem, Kids Who Are Different, by Digby Wolfe. Everyone wants to fit in, right? No one wants to be identified as the one different from all the rest. This is especially the case with adolescents. As adolescents try to claim their own independence away from their families they are looking [...]
Idle moments and relaxation are that brief span of time, lasting for a few minutes or longer when we stop doing everything we're doing and just let ourselves breathe slowly and focus, at least initially, on nothing in particular. These moments occur too infrequently in our fast-paced lives. They are a helpful antidote to the [...]
In considering what gifts to give to your children for the holidays, or their birthday, or any other occasion for giving the gift of experience, there are a few points worth remembering. Children's thinking tends to be focused on concrete objects. This style of thinking, combined with the onslaught of media advertisement, leads to children [...]
I sometimes hear parents lament about Kids and the Anti Work Ethic. I reflect on the wonderful lifestyle parents worked so hard to provide for their children, and how they may have inadvertently taught their children that they don’t have to work too hard to be entitled to the good life. Many sources are referring [...]
