THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Chart a child's path with less stress and more optimization for healthy habits and future success' Time From age 5 to 12, parenting decisions get more complicated and have lasting consequences. What's the right kind of school? Should they play a sport? When's the right time for a phone? Making these decisions is less about finding the specific answer and more about taking the right approach. Along with these bigger questions, Oster investigates how to navigate the complexity of day-to-day family logistics. The Family Firm is a smart and winning guide to how to think more clearly - and with less ambient stress - about the key decisions of these early years.

The groundbreaking book that explains Sensory Processing Difference (SPD)–and presents a drug-free approach that offers hope for parents–now revised and updated.

Does your child exhibit…

• Over-responsivity–or under-responsivity–to touch or movement? A child with SPD may be a “sensory avoider,” withdrawing from touch, refusing to wear certain clothing, avoiding active games–or he may be a “sensory disregarder,” needing a jump start to get moving.
• Over-responsivity–or under-responsivity–to sounds, sights taste, or smell? She may cover her ears or eyes, be a picky eater, or seem oblivious to sensory cues.
• Cravings for sensation? The “sensory craver” never gets enough of certain sensations, e.g., messy play, spicy food, noisy action, and perpetual movement.
• Poor sensory discrimination? She may not sense the difference between objects or experiences–unaware of what she’s holding unless she looks, and unable to sense when she’s falling or how to catch herself.
• Unusually high or low activity level? The child may be constantly on the go–wearing out everyone around him–or move slowly and tire easily, showing little interest in the world.
• Problems with posture or motor coordination? He may slouch, move awkwardly, seem careless or accident-prone.

These are often the first clues to Sensory Processing Difference–a common but frequently misdiagnosed problem in which the central nervous system misinterprets messages from the senses. The Out-of-Sync Child offers comprehensive, clear information for parents and professionals–and a drug-free treatment approach for children.

This revised edition includes expanded information about SPD “look-alikes,” including Learning Disabilities, ADHD, and autism; about diagnosis and treatments; and about other topics.

An internationally respected neurologist offers a revolutionary look at the brains of adolescents, providing surprising insights--including why smart kids often do stupid things--and practical advice for adults and teens.

In this groundbreaking, accessible book, Dr. Frances E. Jensen, a mother, teacher, researcher, and internationally known expert in neurology, introduces us to the mystery and magic of the teen brain. One of the first books to focus exclusively on the neurological development of adolescents, The Teenage Brain presents new findings, dispels widespread myths, and provides practical suggestions for negotiating this difficult and dynamic life stage for both adults and adolescents.

Interweaving easy-to-follow scientific data with anecdotes drawn from her experiences as a parent, clinician, and public speaker, Dr. Jensen explores adolescent brain functioning and development, including learning and memory, and investigates the impact of influences such as drugs, multitasking, sleep, and stress. The Teenage Brain reveals how: Adolescents may not be as resilient to the effects of drugs as we previously thought. Occasional use of marijuana has been shown to cause lingering memory problems, and long-term use can affect later adulthood I.Q. Multi-tasking causes divided attention and can reduce learning ability. Emotionally stressful situations in adolescence can have permanent effects on mental health, and may lead to higher risk for certain neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression.

Rigorous yet accessible, warm yet direct, The Teenage Brain sheds new light on young adults, and provides practical suggestions for how parents, schools, and even the legal system can better help them during this crucial period.

As a culture, we are increasingly failing to respect young boyhood, pathologising normal boy behaviour and foisting burdensome and stigmatising diagnoses of ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, bipolar disorder, and more on boys as young as three years old. The result, as Dr. Anthony Rao passionately argues in "The Way of Boys", is nothing less than a crisis in boyhood, with ever-increasing numbers of boys being treated and medicated for problems they simply don't have. In this practical and accessible guide to the distinct challenges of raising young boys into good men, Dr. Rao urges parents, educators, pediatricians, psychologists, and other developmental experts to reevaluate and radically alter how we deal with our youngest boys. He teaches parents how to rear their sons with respect for their natural development right from the start, which gives them the best shot at growing into confident and healthy men ready to make their unique contributions to the world.

Debra Ginsberg knew that her son was unique from the moment he was born. Blaze never crawled; at one he simply stood up and walked. By the time he was four, he knew the complete works of Miles Davis. At five, he assigned colors to the days of the week. When he turned ten, he asked to reenact his own birth, so that this time he could have "enough breath to cry." But from his first day of kindergarten, Blaze was considered a "problem" in the classroom. All his life he's defied diagnosis by a host of experts who have sought to label him.

Writing with blistering honesty and irrepressible humor, Debra Ginsberg interweaves her moving personal story and tales of her hard-fought battles with schools and medical professionals to create a book that speaks to all parents. Raising Blaze is a message in a bottle to all the square pegs who refuse to be shaped, shoved, or squeezed into unyielding round holes.

This vital, sensitive guide explains the serious issues children face online and how they are impacted by them on a developmental, neurological, social, mental health and wellbeing level. Covering technologies used by children aged two through to adulthood, it offers parents and professionals clear, evidence-based information about online harms and their effects and what they can do to support their child should they see, hear or bear witness to these events online. Catherine Knibbs, specialist advisor in the field, explains the issues involved when using online platforms and devices in family, social and educational settings. Examined in as non-traumatising a way as possible, the book covers key topics including cyberbullying; cyberstalking; pornography; online grooming; sexting; live streaming; vigilantism; suicide and self-harm; trolling and e-harassment; bantz, doxing and social media hacking; dares, trends and life-threatening activities; information and misinformation; and psychological games. It also explores the complex overlap of offline and online worlds in children and young people’s lives. Offering guidance and proactive and reactive strategies based in neuroscience and child development, it reveals how e-safety is not one size fits all and must consider individual children’s and families’ vulnerabilities. Online Harms and Cybertrauma will equip professionals and parents with the knowledge to support their work and direct conversations about the online harms that children and young people face. It is essential reading for those training and working with children in psychological, educational and social work contexts, as well as parents, policy makers and those involved in development of online technologies.

In a book likely to transform how parents manage many of their child's daily struggles, Drs. Smith and Gouze explain the central and frequently unrecognized role that sensory processing problems play in a child's emotional and behavioral difficulties. Practicing child psychologists, and themselves parents of children with sensory integration problems, their message is innovative, practical, and, above all, full of hope.

A child with sensory processing problems overreacts or underreacts to sensory experiences most of us take in stride. A busy classroom, new clothes, food smells, sports activities, even hugs can send such a child spinning out of control. The result can be heartbreaking: battles over dressing, bathing, schoolwork, social functions, holidays, and countless other events. In addition, the authors say, many childhood psychiatric disorders may have an unidentified sensory component.

Readers Will Learn: The latest scientific knowledge about sensory integration How to recognize sensory processing problems in children and evaluate the options for treatment How to prevent conflicts by viewing the child's world through a "sensory lens" Strategies for handling sensory integration challenges at home, at school, and in twenty-first century kid culture

The result: a happier childhood, a more harmonious family, and a more cooperative classroom. This thoroughly researched, useful, and compassionate guide will help families start on a new path of empowerment and success.

In this completely revised and updated edition of Raising Adopted Children, Lois Melina, editor of Adopted Children newsletter and the mother of two children by adoption, draws on the latest research in psychology,sociology, and medicine to guide parents through all stages of their child's development. Melina addresses the pressing adoption issues of today, such as open adoption, international adoption, and transracial adoption, and answers parents' most frequently asked questions, such as:

• How will my child "bond" or form attachments to me?

• When and how should I tell my child that he was adopted?

• What should schools be told about my child?

• Will adoption make adolescent upheavals more complicated?

Up-to-date, sensitive, and clear, Raising Adopted Children is the definitive resource for all adoptive parents and concerned professionals.

"Raising Adopted Children is a comprehensive source of practical, reassuring advice and intelligent support for the adoptive parent. [It is also an] excellent professional resource for social workers, physicians, teachers, therapists, and others working with adopted children and their parents."
--North American Council on Adoptable Children

"Melina, an adoptive parent, writes both sensibly and sensitively on many critical issues faced by parents and their adopted children from infancy through adolescence."
--Booklist

In a world full of many influences, The Parenting Project shows you how, through the practice of daily conversation, to maintain influence in your child's life. Are you losing the influence game with your children? If you want to direct your child's growth, then they need to get to know you. In The Parenting Project, parenting experts Dr. Amy Alamar and Dr. Kristine Schlichting show you how to talk with your children on a regular basis to gain their trust. In a time when kids have many things vying for their attention, you want to become the go-to person, the one they turn to the most for advice and comfort. Sometimes it's difficult to speak with your children about serious subjects. That's why The Parenting Project teaches you how to make a habit of it, providing you with prompts to help start potentially difficult conversations across a broad range of subjects that apply to everyday life. The authors have divided these conversations into five categories to inform your approach-Heart-based, Uncomfortable, Dangerous, Character, and Brave-because each type requires different strategies and "conversation starters." The book includes story after story of how parents have built extraordinary relationships with kids through the act of talking with one another, day by day. With some help from Dr. Alamar and Dr. Schlichting, it will be become easier to open up conversations with (rather than at) your children so that when the big questions arise, your child will turn to you first.

Everything you need to know about how to best raise, educate and guide Generation Alpha (born 2010-24) - the most materially endowed and technologically literate generation ever - to help them live their best life. Renowned social demographer Mark McCrindle shares everything we need to know about Generation Alpha in this accessible, fascinating book for parents and educators on how the most globally connected generation ever (born 2010-2024) will grow up, how we should parent them, what we should teach them and what we need to be aware of to ensure that we get the best out of them. Discussing the impacts of the recent Coronavirus pandemic as an educational, world health and economic crisis with a unique set of problems presented to this first-ever remote-learning generation, Mark will help parents understand how complex the life experiences of today's children truly are. From looking at digital anxieties around social media to the unprecedented rise of environmental and social consciousness at a young age, Mark McCrindle will help parents and teachers to create the best possible framework for a child's development right the way through into adulthood.

Read chapter 3 for free! Understand and encourage your toddlers physical, social, emotional and language development. Learn about developmental principles and use a journal section to capture and preserve your memories of your toddlers likes and dislikes, favourite songs, stories and daily routines. The book is organised around helping toddlers accomplish three developmental milestones: (1) secure attachment or bonding with parents; (2) development of language, social and emotional expression and (3) developing a sense of self and unique individuality. The book provides simple but effective techniques to help you: Promote toddlers preschool and reading readiness with academic and persistence coaching; Strengthen toddlers emotional and social competence; Cope with separations and establish predictable routines for bedtime, toileting and mealtimes; Use positive discipline strategies; Manage successfully typical toddler responses such as hitting, biting, opposition and tantrum storms; Keeping toddlers safe and secure; Develop your family support team.

As adults, we like to think we have a good idea of what the world may have in store for our teenagers, but the fact of the matter is there's a vast divide between what we perceive as dangerous and what our teens are actually up against. Teenagers (ages 13 - 19) face unique challenges when it comes to situational awareness. These challenges are only exacerbated by the constant physical and biological changes teens are subjected to. As young people learn to deal with these changes, they begin to explore the limits of their individuality. Unfortunately, this process often involves rebellious behavior and unnecessary risk-taking. The key to keeping teens safe during this time is to keep them alert and engaged with their environment. Teenagers have to understand that real personal safety isn't about being scared of what lies around the next corner. It requires confidence that if something bad were about to happen, that they have these skills: Ability to identify the problem early Competence to develop a plan of action Power to control their fear Aptitude to implement that plan Spotting Danger Before It Spots Your Teens is designed around the principles of positive communication, trust, and teamwork. It's written specifically to set parents' minds at ease and allow teens to confidently explore their independence, secure in the fact that they can spot dangerous situations before they happen and take the necessary steps to ensure their own well-being.

'Wonderful Ways to Be a Family' shows how to take the pain and headaches out of parenting and points the way to creating a joyful and close family that grows together through all the passages of life.

There's no denying the clear connection between overuse of devices--smartphones, computers, and video games--and the growing mental health crisis, especially in our children. Too much screen time has a real, measurable effect on kids' brains, self-esteem, emotional development, and social skills. We aren't controlling our devices anymore--they're controlling us. In Disconnected, psychotherapist and parenting expert Thomas Kersting offers a comprehensive look at how devices have altered the way our children grow up, behave, learn, and connect with their families and friends. Based on the latest studies on the connection between screen time and neuroplasticity, as well as the growing research on acquired ADHD and anxiety, Disconnected presents a better way to move forward. Kersting shares indispensable advice for parents on setting boundaries and engaging in concentration and mindfulness exercises. If you want to reclaim your family and reconnect with your kids, this hard-hitting yet hopeful book is the place to start.