Parenting Gen Z

Big Five for Anxiety Management by Laura Kastner, Ph.D. (pdf)

9 Anxiety Factoids by Laura Kastner, Ph.D. (pdf)

Book

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011)

A groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think.

Web Resources

The Price of Perfectionism by Gordon Flett

How Boys Suffer: The Boy Code and Toxic Masculinity by Laura Kastner, Ph.D.

9 Things to Know About Childhood Anxiety by Laura Kastner, Ph.D.

Handouts

• 911
• Conversation Starters
• Cyber 7 Tips for Online Safety

EPC Learning Event: It's About the Brain

On January 11, 2017, Megan Reinmann, a coach and learning specialist from the Hallowell Todaro Center, gave a presentation to parents on Development of Executive Functions: The Brain and Learning. By request, we are sharing her resource list (see below). In addition, please read The Value of Social-Emotional Learning (a blog post) by Russell Smith, Head of School.

• 8 Keys to Parenting Children with ADHD by Cindy Goldrich: Combining expert information with practical, sensitive advice, the eight key concepts here will help parents reduce chaos, improve cooperation, and nurture the advantages like creativity and drive that often accompany all of that energy.
• Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina: Describes brain rules (what scientists know for sure about how our brains work) and offers transformative ideas for daily lives.
• Brainstorm by Dr. Can Seigel: An inside-out approach to focusing on how brain development affects our behavior and relationships. Explores ways in which understanding how the brain functions can improve the lives of adolescents, making their relationships more fulfilling and less lonely and distressing on both sides of the generational divide.
• Campaign on Comprehension (Series of 11 on YouTube) by Nanci Bell: Presents the underlying symptoms of language comprehension weaknesses and the importance of the imagery-language connection.
• Delivered from Distraction by Dr. Hallowell: Comprehensive and entirely up-to-date guide to living a successful life with ADD.
• Distraction (podcast) by Dr. Hallowell: Guides the reader through stories, guests, tips, calls, and lots of surprises too. For those pulled and prodded all day from many directions or tied to a smartphone and apps, this podcast offers ways to regain control.
• Driven to Distraction by Dr. Hallowell: Explores the varied forms ADHD takes (from hyperactivity to daydreaming), dispels common myths, offers helpful coping tools, and provides a thorough accounting of all treatment options as well as tips for dealing with a diagnosed child, partner, or family member. Also focuses on the positives including high energy, intuitiveness, creativity, and enthusiasm.
• Essential Ideas for Parents (YouTube) by Dr. Russell Barkley: Discusses ideas for parents of children with ADHD. Also visit his website.
• Lives in the Balance (nonprofit website) by Dr. Ross Greene: Fostering collaboration and empathy, transforming lives, and inspiring change for all children (especially the most vulnerable), heightening awareness of the detrimental and counterproductive effects of punitive interventions, and to addressing the systemic issues that impede our progress.
• My Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak: This picture book teaches children that they have the ability to stretch and grow their own brains. It also delivers the crucial message that mistakes are an essential part of learning. The book introduces children to the anatomy and various functions of the brain in a fun and engaging way.
• Smart but Scattered by Dr. Peg Dawson: Research in child development shows that many kids who have the brain and heart to succeed lack or lag behind in crucial "executive skills"--the fundamental habits of mind required for getting organized, staying focused, and controlling impulses and emotions. Includes steps to identify a child's strengths and weaknesses, provides activities and techniques to boost specific skills, and offers ways to problem-solve daily routines.
• Smart but Stuck by Dr. Thomas E. Brown: Fifteen true and compelling stories about intelligent, capable teens and adults who have gotten "stuck" at school, work, and/or in social relationships because of their ADHD.
• Social Development: Establishing Meaningful Connections Among Children (YouTube) by Dr. Lilian Katz
• Social Thinking (website) Resources by Michelle Garcia Winner: A person’s social thinking ability has a considerable affect on his or her relationships and success in school and at work. It affects the person’s social skills, perspective taking, self-awareness, self-regulation, critical thinking, social problem solving, play skills, reading comprehension, written expression, ability to learn and work in a group, organizational skills, etc.
• Turning Some Ideas on Their Head (a Ted Talk) by Dr. Adele Diamond: How executive functions can be modified by the environment, modulated by genetics and neurochemistry, become derailed in certain disorders, and can be improved by effective programs and interventions.
• The Whole Brain Child by Dr. Dan Seigel: Explains the new science of how a child's brain is wired and how it matures, along with advice on how to put this information to work in raising happier, calmer children.

Resources (listed in the presentation slides)

Websites

Environmental Working Group
Information on organic foods and personal care product information

American Cancer Society
Learn ways to eat and be healthy along with tips for making healthier choices.

Citizens For Science in the Public Interest
Lists definitions and safety of ingredients.

Books

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler (Rodale, 2009)
Why we over eat and how to stop, why food is so addictive.

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Biran Wansink (Bantam Books, 2006)
How portion and container size determine how much we eat.

The World’s Healthiest Foods, Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating by George Mateljan (George Mateljan Foundation, 2007)

Fat Chance; Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Foods, Obesity and Disease by Robert Lustig (Hudson Street Press, 2012)
How the body reacts to sugar and processed foods.