Dr. Levy asserts that anxiety is one of our kids’ most treatable struggles. In this interview he gives parents hope, practical, usable techniques and a lot of information about what not to do when your child gets anxious. He distinguishes between techniques to use when anxiety is ego-syntonic (you child is fine with it) and ego-dystonic (your child is bothered by the anxiety). If your child grapples with anxiety, this talk is for you!

In this interview Ricki Dembitzer addresses what to do when our kids get super-hyper-wild-silly ( a common issue for complex kids). She understands this behavior as a sign of what she calls a “depleted body budget,” our child’s way of letting us know that something is really not working for them. She reviews how to make a clear and compassionate boundary, stay connected and help our child learn to down-regulate.

Dr. Simcha Chesner is co-author of the recently published Kosher ADHD. In this interview he introduces us to his model of developmentally attuned parenting- parenting that prioritizes a deep understanding of our child and his/her strengths. He believes that neurodivergent kids and their parents are high neshamos that have a lot to give to the world and our job as parents is primarily to identify the value in our child’s area of interest/gift. This interview covers what that looks like and some interventions you can use to help your child identify his/her strengths.

Amy and Evelyn Guttmann are sisters who run an Occupational Therapy practice that focuses on identifying the root causes of children’s dysregulation. In this interview they share the general categories that these root causes fall into, lay out some ages and stages that we may see red flags indicating that our child needs professional support and walk us through several usable techniques to help ourselves and our kids regulate. They end by emphasizing the importance of parents’ ability to self-regulate so that we can co-regulate with our children effectively. 

This interview is packed with practical tools that you can use to problem solve with your child whether or not they struggle with processing issues (speaking about and understanding the problem itself). Speech and Language Pathologist Shoshana Bass walks us through the three primary ways we understand information and how to use visuals in problem solving with all three types of processors. She also teaches us how to role play solutions, help our children determine the size of their problem and give our children a wider emotional vocabulary. 

Malkie Davidson is a psychologist and mother of a child who was diagnosed with PANDAS, a neuroinflammatory condition that can happen after an infection. In this interview, she shares her personal experience of having a child who was “neurodevelopmentally on target” and then had a sudden change in behavior and ability. She shares her experiences as a school psychologist and mother, explains what we know about neuroinflammatory diseases and gives parents permission to explore physical root causes of sudden behavior changes.

R. Simcha Weinstein says he started as a dad in denial of his child’s neurodivergence and became, what he calls, a “dadvocate,” advocating for children with autism in the state of NY. He shares his personal story, validating that many parents start in a denial phase and go on a unique growth journey to understanding their child and their role in helping and advocating for their child. He addresses advocating for your child in school when your child is “perfect” in school and gives some advice on how to be effective in expressing the specific needs of your unique child. 

What is responsive and responsible parenting?
 

Why are incentives/sticker charts so looked down on today
 

How can I use incentives in a way that is actually helpful and effective long term for my child