Articles

In 2018, the child development literature indicated that almost half of the children in the U.S. had at least one adverse childhood experience (ace), and some have many more.  Even one ace has the potential to create living situations that cause toxic stress, which,...

To get the most out of this section, it is advisable to take the Please take the Parenting/Teaching Assessments. After completing the assessment return to this page.  The four main parenting styles—authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved—differ based...

Those with easy adaptive temperaments handle change easily, they adapt to change more easily than those with less adaptive temperaments   Your child’s temperament might be different from yours. Some parents and teachers find that it’s easier to understand a child...

Teachers often struggle to teach effectively because disruptive student behaviors, rooted in poor social and emotional skills, interrupt the learning process. Parents also report feeling helpless when their children or teens seem unmanageable or unresponsive. These...

Adults are the architects of the environment's youth experience. What if you could cultivate a strong sense of confidence within all youth you care for? Adults who support youth in their choices are adults who trust and have confidence in youth’s individual ideas and...

What we know is that resilient people are able to cope with challenges, weather the storms in life, and work successfully through setbacks to reach their goals and make their dreams come true. In other words, resilient individuals are much more likely to live...

You can’t just tell someone to be confident and expect that he/she will magically feel confident. Boy do I wish this were true. Parenting and caring for youth would be easy if we could wave a wand. Cultivating confidence involves actively implementing the following...

Resiliency is the ability to overcome illness, depression, and adversity unscathed and come out stronger after weathering the storms of life. In other words, one who is resilient comes through emotional and/or physical trauma without any injury or harm to their...

1. Create a sense of community in the classroom or the home. 2. Use positive-child guidance to flip the flipped brain and use disruptive behaviors as opportunities to support children in learning social and emotional skills.  3. Use whole-child teaching practices to...

When a person flips their lid (the brain) they reveal that they are unable to control themselves and they lack the skill of self-regulation.  Self-regulation is one of the most pivotal developmental skills youths can learn. If we can start thinking about what’s going...

We throw lots of information at youth:  “Do this”"Don’t do that”“Be honest”“Be kind”“Don’t cheat”“Be quiet” "“Listen"“Stop”“No”“What are you thinking?”  We hope that some of what we throw at them sticks, but we rarely ask for their buy in. Naturally, we have many good...

Thinking:  the process of considering or reasoning about something; the action of using one’s mind to produce thoughts, opinions, judgments and decisions.  The science of psychology includes theories and research that allow us to describe, predict, and understand...

There is a simple formula to achieve a productive, meaningful, joyful life. Unfortunately, it has been largely overlooked in the mainstream, despite the overwhelming research that clearly identifies this formula. It’s never too late to support teens in creating a joy...

As children move into the school years, the demands on their social, emotional, and academic skills grow quickly. This free reference guide outlines desired developmental results for school-age children, helping parents and educators identify where kids are thriving...

The preschool years are a critical window for building the foundations of learning, self-regulation, and social connection. This free guide outlines the desired developmental results for preschool-age children, giving parents and teachers a clear picture of what...

Every child grows at their own pace — but knowing what to look for at each stage helps parents and caregivers provide the right support at the right time. This free reference guide outlines desired developmental results for infants and toddlers, covering social,...

When teens go through my programs the tools they get start them on a path to making decisions that they are proud of, feel good about, and help them communicate more authentically. Though that sounds idyllic, they typically run into obstacles. I love it when they come...

Caretakers of youth use the power of their spoken words to reveal their unconditional positive regard for a young person’s accomplishments—Leading young people to embrace and recognize their self-worth as a unique individual! Think about this: Can any human being see...