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                                                               (3 Minute read) Hi All, In this final segment, I’d like to share a bit more about why a child might behave at home […]

Hi, I hope you all had a pleasant holiday (despite the typical challenges that inevitably come along with a lack of school structure for 1-2 weeks!) In an earlier blog several weeks ago, we discussed a child who is angelic at home but a serious behavior problem at school. Why might that be? Here is

Hi All, I took a break from the recent topic of “kids misbehaving at school …” in order to address a more pressing topic: Pesach Preparations. We will return to it right after Yomtov. Here is a social story I wrote today with one of my students that might be useful to some of our

It is far more common for children to be quite difficult at home and to be angels at school. Those are the kids that when parents go to Parent Teacher Conferences and the teacher gives a glowing report, the parents rub their foreheads and wonder if the teacher is talking about the same child.   However, sometimes

What about children who don’t say the truth because they feel unsafe to do so, are afraid of the consequences that might be heaped upon them, or wish to protect their privacy, belongings, or someone else’s feelings?  Strategy: One of my go-to strategies is to find a calm, peaceful moment and have the Problem-Solving Dialogue with

Some kids speak non-truths because they wish those things actually happened. I remember a 5-year-old little boy I worked with who was busy telling his friends and teachers that he was superman, that he flew off buildings, that he was a policeman and a fireman, that he had a gun, and so forth. Was he lying? NO!

Last week, we focused on the many reasons why children might hesitate to say the truth. What can we do to help kids get out of a pattern of lying? In this blog post, I will share a few strategies to tackle this challenge. Strategy #1: Do NOT set up the child to lie. In

I’ve recently been asked by several social skills coaches and parents what to do about children who are dishonest (I personally don’t like to call kids “liars” and instead, use words such as “dishonest,” “non-truth,” etc.)First, we must understand why kids hide the truth, and based on the reasons, apply solutions and strategies.The truth is,

In the beginning of the school year, I shared a color-coded weekly school calendar for a high school student who was feeling overwhelmed with all the subjects, teachers, and materials required for each class. (Below is the calendar we set up at the start of the school year. You might recall this visual.) Several weeks

Hi!In the last two blogs, we discussed how anxiety can be experienced as panic (physiological symptoms), as worry thoughts (cognitive symptoms), and finally as avoidance or behavioural problems (behavioural symptoms). This week, I’ll share some strategies for behavioural symptoms. In DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy), it is called “Opposite Action.” In CBT, it is known as