Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is defined by the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the book clinicians use to diagnose ODD, as: There are five research-based therapeutic strategies for treating ODD in children/adolescents. These strategies are referred to as psycho-social therapies, and are described in further detail below: Five Therapeutic Strategies for ODD1. Parental Management Training (PMT) PMT …
5 Effective Anger Management Tips for Kids (or Adults)
It’s natural to get angry when you feel misheard, misunderstood, treated unfairly, or wrongfully accused. When you are angry, you often feel stuck with a problem that you can’t solve. Rather than yelling, screaming, hitting or hiding, here are some problem-solving strategies to help you make the most out of a difficult situation. There problem-solving strategies are based on the …
An Interactive Story to Teach Kids About Restaurant Behavior
Social stories are a research-based tool used to help children prepare for real-life events. They can be used to teach someone what to expect or how to behave in a particular setting. Because no situation is the same, it may be helpful to talk to your child about how their restaurant experience might be different from the story below. For example, in this story …
What is an IEP and How Do You Know if Your Child Needs One for School?
Intro Are you wondering if your child needs special education services or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or how children obtain an IEP? In order to qualify for an IEP, your child needs to receive an evaluation in school (or at home if your child has not started school yet or attends homeschool or cyber school). Depending on your child’s …
21 School Accommodations Available for Children with Special Needs
*This article pertains to U.S. public schools. If your child attends private school or school outside of the U.S., talk to the school team to find out which accommodations they are able to provide. Parents may not always know what accommodations or modifications are available to their child with special needs in school. This article provides that knowledge, along with …
17 Ways to Get Your Kids to Listen to You and Show You Respect
This article gives you tips that teach you how to get your kids to listen to you, show you respect, and connect with you. Working as a residential counselor, behavior specialist, school psychologist, assistant teacher, tutor, mobile therapist, and babysitter, I have used all the strategies in this article with my own clients and students (except the ones that are more …
Printable Classroom Rules with Matching Visuals
See below for strategies and tips on implementing your classroom rules. Download [130.34 KB] Set Up Your RulesHaving rules/expectations for behavior in the classroom is a great way to encourage positive behavior if used correctly. For rules to be effective: keep them short and to the point, do not have too many rules (3 to 5 is a good rule …
How to Use Natural and Logical Consequences to Improve Children’s Behavior
What are Natural Consequences?Natural consequences are consequences that occur naturally as the result of a behavior. For instance, if you were talking and being loud in the movie theater people might yell at you or tell you to be quiet (so other people can hear the movie). If you are hitting your friends, they probably won’t want to play with …
Mommy, Can You See Me?
One day I sat in the waiting room of a doctor’s office waiting for my appointment, while a mother was in there with her little boy (around 6 years old). The mother was sitting in a chair looking at her phone while she and her son waited for the doctor to call them in. The little boy tried to interact …
Is Labeling Children Good or Bad? The View of a School Psychologist
I am a school psychologist. My main job is to evaluate students to see if they are eligible for special education. In order for a child to be eligible they have to meet criteria for one of 14 disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). If they do not meet criteria for at least one of these …
What Can You Do if Your Child is Having Persistent Problems in School? (Tips for Parents)
The contents in this article refer to public schools in the United States. If your child attends private school or school outside of the United States, speak to your child’s school to find out if their policies for addressing the matters discussed in this article are the same or different. When Would You Request an Evaluation by a School Psychologist? …
Top Five Reasons for Behavior Problems in Kids
This article is meant to be helpful for any adult (teacher, parent, caregiver, etc.) who has a child with behavioral difficulties. Remember, there are no magic answers, and some kids may have challenging behavior no matter what strategies you use. However, most kids respond well to positive behavior strategies and these need to be your first step in trying to …
A Story to Teach Kids to Calmly Respond to the Word No
If you have read my articles on positive behavior support, you know that I am not a big fan of simply using the word “no” when it comes to telling kids what they can’t have. Research and my own experiences show that telling kids what they can have instead, empathizing with their feelings, offering choices, and explaining the reason for …
Top 10 Tips to Get the Most from Your Child’s IEP
Published in Autism File Magazine Aug-Sept 2014 Issue 57-Republished with Permission When I first thought about the content of this article, I thought, well, this will be easy, I will just tell parents what I have found to be the key steps to take at Individual Education Program (IEP) meetings. After all, I just wrote a book that shows the reader, …