School Issues Library


F E A T U R E D    A R T I C L E

Advocating for Your Child within the School System

April 26th, 2013
“I’ve had it.” The parent on the phone is incensed. “The teacher just won’t listen to me. My child needs more individual attention. She isn’t a bad kid. She just needs more help. She’s on an education plan ...

5 Warning Signs of Tipping Points in an ADHD Life

5 Warning Signs of Tipping Points in an ADHD LifeRecently, I’ve noticed a pattern in my clients that I call the “tipping point.” The tipping point is basically a time in people’s lives when, for various reasons, the strategies they have been ...

Executive Function & Child Development

BOOK REVIEW.
Working with children with ADHD, Tourette's Syndrome, or other challenges isn't easy. Various issues can make it hard for these kids to get through everyday tasks. In their book, Executive Function & Child Development, Marcie Yeager and Daniel Yeager provide a framework for teachers, parents, pediatricians, and therapists to help children with developmental and other issues become ...

Spring Break Cautions & Tips

Spring Break Cautions & TipsIt’s spring. Many colleges and universities in the U.S. adjourn for a week-long vacation sometime in the months of March and April. Originally intended as a mid-semester break from studies, it has evolved for many students into a ...

The Social Neuroscience of Education: Optimizing Attachment and Learning in the Classroom

BOOK REVIEW.
“They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel.” That’s the anonymous quote introducing the infant brain in The Social Neuroscience of Education: Optimizing Attachment and Learning in the Classroom  by Louis Cozolino. As a mother and grandmother, I’ve found that the idea has been resonating deeply ever ...

Secretly Debilitated by OCD: Should You Hide It?

Secretly Debilitated by OCD: Should You Hide It?My son Dan suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder so severe he couldn’t even eat. He’d get stuck sitting in one particular chair, hunched over with his head in his hands for hours at a time, was tied to the clock ...

Suffer the Children: The Case Against Labeling and Medicating

BOOK REVIEW.
When a child has an emotional or behavioral problem, their school often recommends that they see a psychiatrist. This psychiatrist typically labels the child with a disorder, then advises the parents that the child should be given psychiatric drugs. Millions of children in America have been diagnosed through this process — but not everyone believes ...

So You Think You Want to Take Online Classes?

So You Think You Want to Take Online Classes? If you are a college student or if you are an adult who simply wants to become better educated, it’s a good time to take stock and to think about what you may need to ...

Artificial Maturity: Helping Kids Meet the Challenge of Becoming Authentic Adults

BOOK REVIEW.
Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder of Growing Leaders, an organization that teaches middle school, high school, and college students how to become “authentic leaders.” He has presented internationally, written more than 25 books, and worked with students since 1979. As a result, he has plenty of experience with young people and in figuring out ...

OCD and Homeschooling

OCD and HomeschoolingAfter reading many of John Holt’s books in college and subsequently working with him in Boston, I became committed to the homeschooling movement. This was in the mid-'70s, way before homeschooling became an acceptable alternative to traditional schooling. When my three children were young, ...

When to Take Time Out from College

When to Take Time Out from CollegeThe semester has barely started and some students are already wondering whether they should be in school. They aren’t feeling motivated to study. They don’t like their classes or they like their classes okay ...

OCD: When Once is Not Enough

OCD: When Once is Not Enough“Say good-night mommy, say good-night,” pleaded Johnny every night. It wasn’t as if he had not already read several books, been tucked in, and kissed good night. Johnny’s pleas continued every night. After the third or fourth nagging ...

Taking OCD to College? Build a Support System

Taking OCD to College? Build a Support SystemWith students heading off to college this month, I can’t help but think back to when my son Dan was a freshman, fifteen hundred miles from home. He had been diagnosed with ...