Services for Children, Teens & Families

I provide a variety of services to assist children and families struggling with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other attentional difficulties, Asperger's Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disorder and other autistic-spectrum disorders, school and learning difficulties, and a variety of behavioral, parenting and family-related concerns. Specific concerns addressed include:

Attention and impulse-control problems

Problems with organization and memory

School, homework & learning difficulties

Oppositional behavior

Self-esteem issues

Difficulties in peer relationships and social behavior

Parenting and behavior management difficulties

Asperger's Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disorder and other autistic-spectrum concerns

Chronic and elevated family discord & conflict

Children, and their difficulties, are often more complex than simple. There are often a number of factors affecting children's performance. This means that frequently a combination of interventions and supports will be important to resolve children's difficulties and achieve the best outcomes. This tends to be true with the issues involving ADHD and related concerns.

Taking a "holistic" view of children and families, I consider the different issues that may be affecting children's performance and family functioning and provide a variety of services, interventions and supports that address these needs. This may include training children and teens in needed skills, considering children's neurological and medical needs, implementing developing appropriate parenting and behavior management strategies, addressing the need for school and educational accommodations, considering children's nutritional needs, and other concerns.

Each child's and family's needs are unique. The types of interventions or supports that may best meet the needs of one child or family may not be the ones that best meet the needs of another. I tailor my services to meet the unique needs of each child, teen and family.

I have devoted much of my career to research and development of the strategies and parenting practices most effective in addressing the attentional difficulties and behavioral concerns of children, teens and families. To this end, I provide a spectrum of interventions and support services instrumental in improving children's attention and impulse-control skills and promoting more cooperative and responsible behavior from children and teens.

My intervention strategies are designed to improve children's behavior and performance in such areas as mangaging impulsive behavior, keeping organized, staying on task, studying and learning, completing homework, behaving cooperatively, overcoming procrastination, fulfilling their responsibilities, improving social skills and peer relationships, managing frustration and anger, and making responsible choices.

The key role parents play in meeting children’s needs goes without saying. Much of the responsibility for addressing children’s problems and improving their performance falls upon parents. The more knowledgeable parents are about their children’s difficulties, the more effective they can be in meeting their children’s needs and achieving the best results.

To effectively meet their children’s special needs, parents often must be knowledgeable of a number of different factors, including the nature of their children’s difficulties; the benefits and risks of treatment with medication as well as non-medication treatment alternatives; children’s nutritional needs; educational options, legal rights and how to work with the educational system; and special parenting and behavior management practices, to name just a few.

To this end, I serve parents by providing them with the information and support they need to effectively meet their children’s needs.

Parenting is a challenging enterprise even when children do not have special needs. Effectively parenting children struggling with ADHD and other difficulties can be a particularly trying prospect.

The challenges of effective parenting and child-rearing have been a particular interest of mine. I have spent years studying the keys to effective parenting, behavior management and healthy family functioning. For over two decades, my practice has served as a virtual laboratory with hundreds of families, testing and refining the child-rearing principles and practices that consistently yield the best results. In addition, I have conducted many seminars and courses for parents on effective parenting strategies.

Through my years of research, experimentation and the feedback from parents themselves, I have been able to identify essential keys to greater success and satisfaction in child-rearing efforts for many parents and families in general, and children with special needs, such as ADHD, in particular. This has led to the development of models and tools for effective parenting that have received consistent praise from parents. I am currently completing a handbook on effective parenting for publication.

To many parents, it may seem a long, difficult undetaking to change children's long-term patterns of unwanted behavior. However, it has been demonstrated time and time again that positive change and improvement can often occur much more quickly and to a more significant degree than parents ever expected.

This is not to say that parents who consistently follow the principles of effective parenting will never again encounter behavior problems with their children. Kids are still kids, and will still present behavioral challenges; the need to test limits and learn from their mistakes is a normal part of childhood. But parents who consistently apply the principles of effective parenting tend to enjoy the greatest degree of satisfaction in their child-rearing efforts, to have more positive interactions with their children and to raise children that assume greater personal responsibility, make better decisions and have a positive self esteem.

I have an extensive background of training and experience in the behavioral and educational interventions and/or accommodations that many children need to succeed in school. I have a long history of working with schools to address children's educational needs and developing the programs, intervenions or supports that result in greater school and academic success for many students. In addition, I often play an instrumental role qualifying children for special education services, such as Individualized Education Programs (IEP's) and 504 plans, and in improving the quality of such programs already in effect.

I often play a key role in mediating parent-school disputes and finding mutually-agreeable solutions. I am well-versed in educational law and children's rights and when needed, serve as a powerful advocate for children's educational needs, ensuring that children's legal rights are met and that schools are accountable for meeting children's legitimate educational needs.

Treatment with medication is a common strategy for addressing the needs of children and teens with ADHD and other concerns. Although many children have experienced significant benefits from treatment with medication, medication is not necessarily the answer for all children and teens with ADHD or other difficulties.

Parents understandably have many questions and concerns about the necessity and potential adverse effects of treating their children with medication. There are also many myths about medication treatment that do not help make these matters any clearer for parents. In addition, there are several medications which physicians may consider for treating chidlren with ADHD and other concerns, and new medications coming out all the time.

I appreciate that parents' decisions regarding whether or not to treat children with medication is a very important one, and a very personal one. My goal is to be a key resource for parents considering treatment with medication for their children, helping parents review medication considerations as well as evaluate other options.

I am continuously upgrading my expertise regarding the intended use, potential benefits and risks, dosing schedules, and other information concerning medications prescribed for children. I also consult regularly with prescribing physicians to ensure the highest quality of medical care for children and teens.

Some children may be receiving services from a variety of sources, including the educational system, physicians and other specialists and treatment providers. Unfortunately, there is often a lack of adequate communication and coordination among the various programs and professionals working with children.

I often play a key role in ensuring adequate communication and coordination between the various helping professionals with whom children may be involved.