Of Hats and Children and This Coming August

Many hats

So many hats… The teacher hat Like so many of you, I wear a number of “hats” every day. Since March, I’ve worn the teacher hat often. This isn’t foreign to me—I spent ten years in early childhood education—but being Teacher-Mom is a whole new classroom! Two of my students have autism. For them, communication […]

Being a CASA: Another Way to Help Kids

an empty courtroom

My kids are grown, and while my spouse and I have agreed to be done parenting, we still want to help kids, so I became a CASA. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. In some places, they call this person GAL, Guardian Ad Litem. I, along with my husband, have been doing it for […]

7 Ways to Help a Child Deal with Traumatic Stress

sad boy alone in a corner chewing finger

Humans are wired for connection and thrive in conditions of safety and security. When safety and security are compromised, we must do everything we can to restore a child’s felt sense of safety and security as fast as possible.

ADHD versus Anxiety

by:  Craig Peterson A recent article about the misdiagnosing ADHD in children with early trauma has been making the rounds. Before everyone jumps on the bandwagon, let’s remember that many mental health issues are at play. Not all children are the same. Each needs to be carefully diagnosed. For traumatized children who haven’t begun to […]