Author name: Devora Samet

(1-minute read) One of the cool things about teaching social skills is the idea that any problematic “Red” behavior you encounter can be modified by teaching a “Green” better alternative. You don’t have to feel stuck that a child who CURRENTLY has social difficulties will FOREVER have social problems. It doesn’t have to be that […]

(4-minute read) Question: Hi Devora, Hope all’s well. I have a question regarding a 12-year-old child I’m working with and I was hoping you can point me in the right direction please. She is the 3rd of seven children, and has a sister one year older than her. Per mom, the older sister is a

(1-minute read) One of my colleagues shared that she has been teaching the “I CAN” attitude as a green behavior to help children in a variety of different areas that they otherwise felt hopeless. So instead of nagging them and saying “C’mon, try, don’t be lazy,” she teaches them the following chant which she tweaked:

(1-minute read) Why do kids get anxious about change, such as a change to a new day camp or sleep away camp? Well, for the same reason that many of us adults would get anxious about any kind of major change in our lives. Think – new job, new business, new neighborhood, new home, new

(1-minute read) I was working with Esther, a sweet fourth grader, who stayed indoors on weekends and would not go out to play with her neighbors. She gave me lots and lots of reasons why there was no point in even trying. Over the past few months, we had worked on play skills, conversation skills,

(2-minute read) Question: My 9th grade daughter refuses to go to sleep-away camp because she says that she doesn’t have any friends. She doesn’t want to go to a local day camp either for the same reason. She’s a very bright student and I’ve told her numerous times to just have conversations with her peers,

(3-minute read) Would medication solve the problem?? I completed an evaluation for a 2nd grade girl whose biggest struggle seemed to be distractibility. It was two-thirds into the school year, and while all students opened the book to the correct page very quickly, the student I was evaluating was “too distracted” and would take forever

(3-minute read) Question: Dear Devora, My 8th grade daughter is dreading camp. She knows that it is seven weeks away and is counting down anxiously. Some days, she cries herself to sleep, and other days, she is just irritable. Do I just keep her home instead of making her endure the torture? Answer: Dear Dreading

(30-second read) Hi All, I am writing a mini-behavior book on the topic of preparing for Pesach and the Seder Night. I’d like to share it with all of you before yomtov so that you can read it with your children and students. I’m inviting all our blog members to share the concerns that they’d

(2-minute read) Dear Devora, I observed the following during a home observation and was wondering what strategies you’d recommend. Sarah threw something and mom said, “I think that might hurt someone.” Sarah continued to throw train tracks off the table and mom said, “I really don’t think we should throw this.” Sarah threw it anyway.