Let’s start with a clarification. ADHD is a medical condition, not a personality flaw. Just as you need to be aware of, monitor, and support any other medical condition your child might have, the same is true of ADHD. Here’s why: A child who isn’t paying attention, isn’t learning Even if your younger child is managing now, you will find that as they progress in school and the workload gets greater, what was once manageable through some extra time on homework or parent support, is no longer sustainable. It’s like the old saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Only in the case of a child who has ADHD, “You don’t know if you don’t know what you missed.” Unidentified ADHD impacts social skills,… Read More

No, social media is not giving your kid ADHD, but it might be giving your kid ADHD symptoms. There is no clear link between screen time and ADHD in adolescents.* ADHD is a brain-based biological condition. It’s not something that you “get” because of something you did. However, most students aren’t diagnosed with ADHD until grade school, the same time social media usage is on the rise. So it could feel like screens are causing ADHD. However, screen time could be affecting your child’s sleep, which looks a lot like ADHD symptoms. It is true that parents are reporting an increase in ADHD-like behaviors. It’s also true that students are spending a lot more time on social media, and it’s indisputable that screen time interferes with sleep. So while it’s unclear… Read More

Spring is here. If you’re a student, that means…Finals. And plenty to memorize. Flashcards are one of the most effective study tools. Finding the best flashcard app, can save you A LOT of time so choose wisely. Best flashcard app features: Create your own: The process of creating the flashcards helps you learn. And when you create your own, you know you are studying accurate information. Never rely on open-sourced flashcards. Categorize Cards: It’s best to learn and review by chunking information. If you have 20 vocabulary words to learn, master five before moving on to the next. As you progress in your studying, you want to group your cards by which ones you mastered and which ones still need more practice. Random Order Review: You want… Read More

The nature vs. nurture question comes up frequently in education and parenting circles. By most estimates, it’s about 50-50. In other words, 50% of who you are comes from genetics and the other 50% is environmental. That allows parents and educators plenty of influence. So what does that imply for stereotypes about the “selfish only child”, the “responsible first child” or the “lazy youngest child”and the value of sibling relationships? Parenting and psychology expert Dr. Susan Newman provides us the research behind the stereotypes. She explains what parents can proactively do to avoid the stereotype trap so “onlies” have the value of sibling relationships without the siblings. What is the Stereotype? If you are the parent of one child, it’s hard not to… Read More

Without question the best way to get kids, all kids, to do what you want them to do is… Let them choose. If this is a new concept to you and you are dealing with a teenager I’m not going to guarantee it will work the first time. However, after a few trials you are likely to discover why this approach, while perhaps against our most visceral impulses, is far more effective than asking, telling or demanding a child to do what you want. Why it works? Quite simply, choice empowers. When students choose, they take responsibility, and when they take responsibility they follow through. Glorious isn’t it? Ok, so it doesn’t always work perfectly. But as you get more comfortable letting… Read More

by Nancy Weinstein Is there anyone not feeling news fatigue? It’s hard to watch and yet you must. If you are a parent or teacher the challenges are compounded. Quite simply, you can’t hide kids from the news. And lest we forget, kids are not little adults. In most cases, they are not socially, emotionally and intellectually ready to process the drama, trauma, and full implications of what they are hearing, seeing and reading. Our solution: business news. Yes, business news. The networks like CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and Fox Business that cover the daily markets. While their programming of charts, graphs, and, let’s face it, [mostly] men in suits might not garner the same enthusiasm of general news, you can rely on them for factual, bi-partisan information across… Read More

  Note if you were looking for the MindPrint Assessment to help qualify for the gifted program please click the link. If your child didn’t get in to the gifted program, but you think he or she should, don’t give up. You have options. Get the Facts on your school’s Gifted Program Re-read your denial letter. It should include a paragraph about the appeal process, with contact information and deadlines. Typically you have 30 days to appeal the decision. Request a copy of the formal, written appeal process immediately. Never rely on a telephone conversation. Then call, write, and email your intent to appeal as quickly as possible. Expect a response back from the school within 30 days which includes an invitation for an in-person meeting. If you don’t… Read More

By Nancy Weinstein We remain optimistic that technology has the promise to transform education. Yet we start 2017 with a sobering reminder that technology’s impact has been slow and inconsistent. In every community, students are still struggling or disengaged, parents are anxious, and teachers are stressed. So what do we do next? Keep trying new solutions? Give it another year? We say it’s time to accept that technology is not the magic bullet that will save our educational system. We know technology can help make learning and teaching easier and more enjoyable. But only if we first embrace the three human elements essential to effective learning. Students will need to work hard to learn. There is no solution, technology or otherwise, that will change that. There’s no… Read More

  Consistency matters. If we want our kids to learn, parents and teachers need to be delivering the same consistent, key messages with kids at home and at school. Why so important? Elementary school kids literally hear every word you say. And they generally want to please. But if they get conflicting messages, they can’t please everyone. They might stop trying. By middle school, however, we need to face the reality that tweens and teens don’t hear a lot of what adults say. It becomes even more essential to deliver simple, consistent key messages with kids so that when they tune in, the message sticks. 5 Key Messages with Kids What Do You Think? All too often, adults tell but forget to ask and listen. It’s amazing… Read More

Research on cognitive skills gives powerful insight into what we should generally expect from children behaviorally, emotionally and academically at every age. Scientists from University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine Brain Behavior Lab evaluated nearly 10,000 children ages 8 to 21. They began with fMRI scans and then moved to an online assessment to analyze brain development at every age. Their data is fascinating. What We’ve Known About Cognitive Skills We’ve know for a long time that childhood is a period of rapid brain development. It is important that students shouldn’t be coasting and they shouldn’t be stretched too far beyond their comfort zone. In other words, they should be working in a state of “desirable difficulties” according to Dr. Robert A. Bjork. What’s News About Cognitive Skills from the Brain… Read More