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Parents

Parents

Parents
Anxiety & Mood Disorders

Is My Teen Just Shy, or Do They Have Social Anxiety Disorder?

Figuring out The Shy Kid Anyone who spends time with children knows they come in all shapes, sizes, and personality types. One of the most important and most difficult jobs as a parent, teacher, or caregiver is figuring out what kind of child it is you’re dealing with. A free spirit? A loose cannon? A happy-go-lucky goofball? A quiet and reserved sit-on-the-side observer? An even-keeled kid with an understated dry

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June 14, 2018

Marijuana Decriminalization: Effect on Use in Teenagers

Back in 2012, when citizens in the states of Washington and Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana use, critics predicted doom and gloom. People who see marijuana as a gateway to harder drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine were convinced things would go haywire. Legal pot would mean easier access for everyone, not just the adults old enough to buy it. Critics were sure the youth of America – at

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June 12, 2018
Parents

Ten Signs a Teen is Abusing Substances

Teenagers experiment. Teenagers push boundaries and take risks they shouldn’t. They hang around with the people their parents warn them against. Sometimes only because of the warning. And teenagers get in cars they shouldn’t get in with those same people they shouldn’t have been hanging around in the first place. Adults know all these things because – news flash – every adult on the planet was a teenager once. One

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June 11, 2018

Grading for Learning

What’s in a Grade? One of the most challenging aspects of education lies in assessment. Whether in public school, private school, or home-school, teachers work to determine how much a student learns. Traditionally, assessment means grades. And grades are typically assigned by combining homework, projects, and tests scores into a single letter grade for each subject. Most adults are familiar with this A-F grading system, which is based on percentages.

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June 4, 2018

Online Charter Schools: Great Option or Epic Fail?

Summer is here. Which means it’s time for parents to look back over the school year and answer an important question: Is my child in the right place? The answer to that question is different for every family, and every family has different criteria upon which they base their answer. Some families prioritize academics, some prioritize sports, and some prioritize a good social and cultural fit. The criteria get more

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May 31, 2018

California Department of Health Report: STDs in CA at All-Time High

Adolescent Substance Use, Risky Behavior, and STDs Risk-taking is one of the primary characteristics of adolescence. We’ve discussed this phenomenon in detail in our article Understanding Adolescent Development. The short explanation of why adolescents take more risks than adults has to with brain development: the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for emotions, develops ahead of the frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for rational decision making.

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May 30, 2018

Teaching Discipline Without Abuse

Discipline, Abuse, and Power: Five Years of Headlines About five years ago, the news media burgeoned with disturbing news about domestic partner abuse and child abuse. Then the 2016 presidential election and all the attendant drama immediately following it drowned all that out. In light of the #metoo movement and the rollercoaster of domestic and international drama playing out today, it’s easy to forget the frenzy of coverage that surrounded

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May 28, 2018

Childhood Mental Health and Adult Employment

Childhood Mental Health: Emotional Fundamentals Most adults are well aware that the lessons children learn in their early years lay the foundation for success later in life. That includes educators, parents, and mental health professionals. Whether they’re educated at home, in a public school, or in a private school, a robust amount of early education and social interaction gives children skills that translate to the workplace on two key levels.

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May 26, 2018

In the News: Upward Trend in Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts by Teens

A report published in March by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) showed an increase in hospital visits by young people for suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA). In the report, researchers analyzed billing data from emergency room and outpatient visits from 45 children’s hospitals across the United States. Numbers for SI and SA visits rose across all youth age groups between 2008 and 2015. The most significant increases

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May 25, 2018

Parents: Mental Health Care for Youth on the Rise

Mental Health Care for Youth in the USA Over the past twenty years, there’s been a positive trend in general public attitudes toward both mental health care and individuals struggling with emotional and psychological issues. Due in large part to the efforts of organizations such as The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), emotional and psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and others have gradually lost much

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May 15, 2018