Category Archives: Parent Advice

Finding the Right ADHD Doctors

We are fortunate to live in an age where conditions that once went unrecognised and diagnosed are now fully understood and catered for in the world of medicine. ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – is one such condition, and it is surprisingly commonplace. Furthermore, ADHD is not solely confined to children. Many adults also suffer, including those who may not have been diagnosed during their childhood. Before we go on to talk about finding the right doctor to help with ADHD, let’s talk in a bit more detail about what it is, what causes it, and what the effects can be.

ADHD Explained

ADHD is a neurobehavioral issue that is commonly diagnosed in childhood. To simplify that statement, for kids with ADHD, the way their brain controls their behaviour is different to a non-sufferer. It is a chronic condition that is very common in children of school age, and needs careful handling.

There are many symptoms that an ADHD child will display; they may be subject to a lack of attention, they may be impulsive, and it’s often the case that they are hyperactive. They may display all three or just one or two of these symptoms. Children diagnosed as ADHD can find life very difficult. Some problems they experience include difficulty interacting with others, poor academic performance – indeed they can lead to great disruption in a classroom – and problems with relationships, even with family members closest to them. They can also suffer from low self-esteem, and it is not unusual for these problems to continue through teenage years into adulthood.

Thus, ADHD is a real problem that can affect not just the child, but all members of the family, and this is why good, reputable ADHD doctors for children are very much sought after. Finding one who is able to help may not be the easiest thing in the world, but there are many with excellent reputations such as Connecticut and Gulf Coast ADHD Associates, headed by Mitchel G Katz M.D. They specialise in ADHD and autism, as well as other behavioural issues. How can they help?

How an ADHD Doctor Can Help

The first step is to get your child a proper diagnosis, and a fully qualified, experienced ADHD doctor will be able to do this for you. It may give you peace of mind, should you have a child who you have problems controlling, that they can be diagnosed, and that they can be helped. The doctor will help by talking with both the child and the parents – and anyone else who may be closely involved – and advising on the best course of action.

They don’t only diagnose, but also offer therapy that can help the patient – either child or adult – lead a more stable life, as they fully understand what it is to be an ADHD sufferer. If you think your child may be suffering from ADHD, or perhaps is on the autism spectrum, get in touch and arrange a consultation, and you’ll get all the advice you need.

Expert Family Lawyer in Connecticut

Legal issues involving family matters need expert help, and they can be among the most difficult of all to deal with. It’s never a pleasant time when you are looking at, for example, a divorce as it involves a lot of personal issues. Likewise, family lawyers will also be expected to deal with troublesome and emotional child custody cases, as well as those involving domestic violence and more. This is why finding a good, reliable and professional family law service is always essential, but it is not always easy to do.

What do you look for when you need a family lawyer? Ideally, you want an attorney who is experienced in the specific area of the law you are dealing with, and one who understands the stress and emotional turmoil that these cases involve. You need a sympathetic attorney who is going to listen to your story, and one who will fight every corner for you. Where do you find such an attorney? There are some excellent choices of family lawyer in Connecticut, and Jeffrey D Brownstein is a good example of what to look for in these circumstances.

What to Look For

There is more to an attorney than just knowing the law, especially when dealing with sensitive areas of family law. A good attorney will be able to assess the situation correctly and come to a sensible proposal as to how to handle things to get the best outcome for their client. Whether you are going through divorce proceedings, are taking someone to a domestic violence case, or need help with child custody – or any other family issues – you need one that can show you evidence of their past experience and, most preferably, success in your sort of case.

Connecticut law has some specific rules regarding, for example, divorce. If a couple has been separated for 18 months continually, the state allows for a ‘no fault’ divorce. There are also other instances in which this may apply. However, that is not the end of the story, as the problems start when the couple begin to try and divide up the property they jointly own. Inevitably, this will lead to disagreements, and in these cases such problems are best dealt with by someone with the legal knowledge to help both sides come to the right result.

Full Range of Services

There is a lot to be said for engaging the services of a family lawyer where any issue arises that needs resolving via legal routes. This is because it will avoid the problems of arguments and stalemates between family members. An attorney with experience in family law will reduce the time taken to get to a decision, and will help keep stress levels low at what is always a trying time.

If you need help with family law, no matter the gravity of the problem, it’s worth getting in touch with an attorney such as Jeffrey D Brownstein, one with experience and knowledge of how the law works.

A Few Great Tips for Toddler Discipline

Toddlers are a great fun and fascinating to watch. That’s part of the time! The other part of the time, they can be troublesome little monsters! Of course, that’s not really the case, it’s simply that at such a young age your child has yet to learn about behaviour and other complex aspects of life. They simply get on with what they do, and sometimes it leads to tantrums! Controlling your toddler needs careful consideration, so just how do you discipline a toddler?

Before we give you a few brief tips, we recommend you check out this great guide to toddler discipline books for more detail, as there is some great information there. So, let’s have a quick look at a few useful tips for successful toddler discipline.

1: Learn the Triggers – there will be certain things that convert your beloved little person from a friendly, fun child into a raging terror in a matter of seconds. You’re not alone, they’re mostly like that! The trick is to know what will inspire this change. It could be they see things that they think are fun to play with – toilet rolls, for example, or things on shelves on shops – which results in you telling them no, and a tantrum next. Remove those things from temptation, and you’re pre-empting the problem.

2: Consistency is the Key – if your child has a persistent trait that you need to stop, perhaps it bites or some other unacceptable action, then adopt a disciplinary tone of voice that is different to your usual one – and do this every time. Being consistent will help the child learn what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, but if you vary it, the effect will be lost.

3: Quick and Simple – toddlers do not have a long attention span, so your approach to discipline should always be quick and effective. It’s not easy to get right, but rather than give the child a lengthy pep-talk, tell them in concise yet uncertain terms that they are doing wrong. Eventually they will recognise this as a no sign.

4: No Emotion – try and keep emotions out of things when discipling a toddler. Once again, it won’t be easy, but it helps to stem the situation if you remain calm and collected while your child is playing up. Any sign of emotion on your part will instigate the same on theirs, and inflame the situation further.

5: Listen – your child may have – or will have from their point of view – a legitimate reason for acting up, so listen to what they are trying to tell you. You’ll soon learn what they want to tell you, no matter how they do it, which will help you recognise further triggers for bad behaviour and work with them further.

The above are just a few of the tips we came up with when researching how to discipline toddlers, and there are many more you may discover if you look at more in-depth books and advice.

How To Choose the Best Child Custody Lawyer

Going through a divorce is already a tough affair and it only gets worse if children are involved. Fighting a child custody battle is never easy. There are tips you can use to make sure it goes smoothly but the first hurdle is finding the best lawyer to represent you. According to the Wilmington Family Law Attorneys, this is “someone you can trust to guide you through your divorce and protect what is most important to you.” It can be quite a challenge to find someone who fits this criteria.

There are general guidelines for when you want to hire a lawyer but it gets even more complex when it’s a child custody lawyer you need. Keep in mind that hiring the right lawyer will definitely increase your chances of getting custody of your child, which is, after all the most important thing.

Get Special Help

You should seek out a specialist. Instead of looking for general lawyer listings, find someone who is listed under family law or child custody battles. You can always ask around because word of mouth is an effective tool in cases like these. Feel free to visit different firms and find out how various lawyers operate. Read up on older cases they have tackled and see if any of those make sense to, or are close to your personal case.

Set Up Meetings

You should never take a lawyer on board unless you have met with quite a few of them face to face. Feel free to set up meetings with the lawyers you have shortlisted. Don’t be afraid to interview them all one by one and ask pertinent questions that will be relevant to your case down the road. Some lawyers will try to talk down to you or throw complex jargon your way. When you meet different lawyers, you’ll be able to figure out who you get along with best.

Negotiate Fees

Anything is up for negotiation if you try hard enough. There is no reason why you should go bankrupt while trying to pay the lawyer’s fees. Speak to the lawyer about how they structure their fees and whether you can pay with some sort of plan or flexible breakdown. If the lawyer continually asks for a flat fee and this is something you can’t afford, don’t sweat it. You can always find a different lawyer who will be more accommodating to your needs.

Make A Decision

In the end, make up your mind. However, before you make the final call, review your notes again, look at the research and fee structure for each lawyer, and then decide. The lawyer you choose will be with you for the duration of the child custody battle and you want someone reliable by your side. Child custody battles can be extremely unpleasant and stressful for everyone involved. Make sure you have someone by your side who can handle the heat and can also keep you calm in the courtroom. A calm demeanour and knowledgable attitude is what will win you the case!

SSAT Prep – Get Your Child Into the School You Want

A good education makes all the difference to the future of your child, which is why you want to make sure they get into the best possible school. While the education system does its best to provide what you need, it is often the fact that a private school education will give the child a far better chance of future success. With better attention on a one to one basis, and a more rigorous curriculum, you want the best private school place they can achieve, but with all children, the SSAT exam is the barrier.

Many young people do not fair well in exam situations. Others find them stressful and are unsure of what to expect. This is why well planned, carefully considered SSAT prep is a sensible investment, and a proven method of giving a student the best chance of achieving that all-important pass grade. How do you know that, among all the people offering help with preparation for the entry exams, you are choosing the right one? It’s a good question, yet there are a number of reasons we would recommend PrepNMe as the right choice.

Why PrepNMe?

There are many online prep websites that claim to give your child the best chance – and some will certainly do – yet PrepNMe appeals in the first instance with a well laid-out, neatly designed website that has all the information you need on the home page. It’s easy to read, and explains everything in clear and simple terms. What do they offer that makes them our choice? PrepNMe caters for three levels of SSAT prep – elementary, middle and upper levels – so it covers the entry exams for all the age groups.

Then there’s the support you get, which is 365 days, 24 hours a day, and fully comprehensive. Support is provided by experienced tutors who are dedicated to helping young students through the daunting phase of the exams, and they do so with courtesy and also a great deal of pride. The mock tests the child will practice on are exactly as the actual SSAT test will be, and there is a clever and very informative scoring system that allows you to see how progress is being made at each stage.

Authentic Environment

Practice tests will take place in an authentic environment that mirrors that in which the actual SSAT test will take place, thus allowing students to acclimatise to what can be an unusual setting. They will answer the questions in exactly the same format, and results will be split into different categories so that it is clear where improvement is needed. All questions are also provided – after the test – with answers, so that repeat mistakes can easily be eliminated.

If your child is facing an SSAT test for private school entry, then PrepNMe is waiting to help. Get in touch online or give them a call right now, and one of the team will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.

 

Benefits of Regular Eye Exams for Your Children

There are some things most parents seem to understand the importance of – like regular visits to the dentist and pediatrician for their children. However, vision is sometimes overlooked. Are you wondering if it really is important to go through the hassle of taking your child to see ophthalmologists?

We are not saying you are not interested in taking care of your children, but if it looks like your kid’s eyes are developing fine, what’s the problem? Surely, vision screening is adequate? Look at some of the key benefits of regular eye exams and why vision screening should not be seen as a replacement.

Vision Screening is Not as Thorough as Full Eye Exam

Don’t worry if you thought they were the same thing. Many people seem to follow that misconception. However, vision screening can only help determine if further evaluation of your children’s eyes is necessary. It usually involves the assessment of only a few areas of vision and can’t accurately diagnose problems your child may be having with their vision or eyes.

With an eye exam, on the other hand, along with their vision, their ability to use specific vision skills like teaming and focusing is also assessed. The eye doctor will also look at their eye health in general and test their color vision.

Learning and Vision Go Together like Cheese and Ham

The visual abilities children develop before they attend school are some of the most important. For your child to have the best success academically and in sports and other activities outside school, they should ideally have single and clear vision. Your child learns around ¾ of what they know through their eyes. So, you must schedule regular eye exams.

Pre-Schoolers Normally Don’t Understand Their Vision is Impaired

Although your child may be able to tell you they feel sick or are having other issues, even before they reach school, the same is not the case with vision and eye issues. Often, they won’t even realize they have poor vision. The reason being, for many children, their vision has always been as it has been and they have nothing to compare it with, so they may just think any issues they are experiencing are normal.

That is why it is best to take them along for regular eye clinic appointments to make sure you get the opinion and diagnosis from an expert, rather than leaving it to your child.

Early Treatment For Eye Conditions Are Essential

We’ve all heard and used, at some point in our lives, the term ‘lazy eye’. This is a medical condition known as amblyopia, which means one eye does not have clear vision. When your child was born and up until they are around 7 or 8, their eye and brain are supposed to be forming connections to develop proper visual processing and vision. The condition we commonly refer to lazy eye stops these connections forming.

The best way to treat this issue is if it is caught as early as possible in your child’s development.

The same could be said of any eye issues. The sooner they are correctly identified, the sooner your eye doctor can recommend the best course of action to take.

So, hopefully, you can see how important regular eye exams are for your children and will not skip on them.

Parenting Tips for ADHD Children

Dealing with a child that suffers from ADHD can be tiresome, yet there are certain things you can do to make life easier for both you – the parent – and the child. ADHD is not the same in every case; some children have more severe ADHD than others. However, what is common to all cases is that it means the child will have notable behavioural differences to non-ADHD children, and may also be prone to impulsive – and sometimes destructive – actions.

Children with ADHD can be taught what is acceptable and what is not, and they will  understand, but they way their brain operates can sometimes lead them to overstep the permitted mark. What can you as a parent do to help make things less stressful and easier for everyone involved? We have a few tips that are recommended by experts in ADHD treatment for children that are worth putting into place in the first instance.

Behaviour Management

The major obstacle to overcome when dealing with ADHD children is that of setting the boundaries when it comes to acceptable behaviour. As we said above, the child will learn and understand what is right and wrong, but it takes a certain method to help them do so. The first thing to do is start a regime involving behaviour management therapy. This involves getting the child to understand that actions – both good and bad – have consequences.

By rewarding the child when they do something right, and inflicting some form of punishment when their behaviour is not acceptable they will come to understand, and should begin to reign in their impulsive behaviour. You need to lay down the boundaries early, and always keep to the boundaries you have set very strictly, as a form of order is what the ADHD child needs first and foremost.

Care With Change

The ADHD child will not adapt to changes in the environment as readily as a non-ADHD child, so there need to be constants in their life. Routine is good for ADHD, as it keeps the child grounded, but there will be mistakes made along the way. While you have set the boundaries, it is important that these mistakes are considered by the child, and that they grow to understand why this instance of behaviour was unacceptable. This is something that can take some getting through, but with persistence it will be successful.

Other tips that you will get from experts in ADHD childcare include creating routine and ritual around mealtimes, and giving the child space and time to complete tasks such as homework. You will need to make sure the child’s surroundings – your home – are neat and ordered at all times, as confusion is the last thing an ADHD child needs to have to deal with.

We recommend that you read more on expert help with ADHD children and take all the professional advice you have, and most of all, while it is a difficult path, a considered approach will lead to your ADHD child living life stress free and enjoying it!

Smart Baby Systems – Smart Child Proofing System with Custom App, Voice Command and Backup Remote

Any parent will get thrilled when their toddler begins to crawl. However, there’s a downside to having a crawler at home.  It’s time to think about babyproofing. Children are very curious and tend to get their little hands on everything around them. But when your baby grabs things like sharp objects, electrical sockets, and cleaning detergents, they can easily get harmed. As a result, you’ll want to have a babyproofing system with a robust locking system and sturdy baby gates to keep your little one out of trouble. A child proofing system helps to put harmful items away from children and steers them away from spaces where they’re likely to get hurt.  If you’re considering babyproofing your home, you may want to consider a top-of-the-line baby system with superior features – Smart Baby Systems.

Smart Baby Systems is a top-quality home babyproofing system that combines a smart locking kit and customizable baby gates. This smart child proofing system provides instant security to any area around your home with easy-to-install baby gates, which are designed to auto re-lock.  It helps you to put items that can harm your baby on the lockdown and prevents your baby from accessing rooms they need to avoid.

Smart Baby Systems are equipped with smart features that allow you to seamlessly babyproof your home and guarantee the safety of your little one.

Key features

Smart locking system

Smart Baby Systems comes with innocuous locks that can be installed in different enclosures to ensure children don’t gain access. The locks are technologically advanced; hence, they are truly secure.

Smart compatibility

This feature allows you to integrate your smart baby system with smart home speakers, smart storage cabinets, smart office desks, and other smart devices. This improves the functionality of your baby proofing system. 

Voice-enabled technology

This feature allows you to connect your system with smart home speakers for locking and unlocking with a voice command. This allows you to control the system as you perform other household chores.

Easy digital access

Smart Baby Systems allows you to access any area that is secure using your smartphone, or a voice command or backup remote.

Pros

  • Comes with simple-to-install gates.
  • Allows you to control your babyproofing system from any place at any time.
  • It’s versatile hence can fit into any home or child care center.
  • The system is easy to install. You simply need to connect the device to a power outlet, download the custom app, and you’re good to go.
  • Comes with backup manual functions to allow you to operate the system when there is a power outage or a network outage.
  • Comes with standard kits that can be customized to meet individual needs.
  • Comes with a 12-month warranty

Smart baby systems is a must-have baby and toddler safety system for an elevated level of safety and security for your child. Moreover, it gives you easy access to different doors, rooms, drawers, and other spaces. With Smart Baby Systems, parents no longer have to worry about environmental harm to exploring toddlers.

The Benefits Of Primary School Tutoring

A lot of people assume that younger students don’t need any sort of tutoring. It’s important to remember that the primary school years provide a student with a valuable foundation. If your child is struggling to grasp concepts now, they may continue to fall behind as they grow older. It’s best to start tutoring early. These are a few of the benefits of primary school tutoring.

Your Child Will Be Able To Catch Up With Their Peers

If your child has fallen behind, you’ll want to get them caught up as soon as possible. Because children learn so many fundamentals in primary school, a child that fails to grasp certain concepts may miss out on essential information.

A tutor will be able to see where your child’s strengths and deficits are. They will be able to get your child all caught up on essentials, and they will be able to teach them new things as well.

Tutoring Can Foster A Lifelong Love Of Learning

A lot of kids grow up hating school. They look at school as a chore, and they only go to school because they have to. These attitudes can be a big obstacle. If a child doesn’t enjoy learning, they aren’t going to get as much out of the time they spend at school.

The right tutor will be able to make learning fun for your child. They’ll be able to educate your children, but they will also show them just how much fun learning can be. If you teach your child to love learning while they are still young, that love should last them a lifetime.

Primary School Tutoring Is Surprisingly Affordable

A lot of parents don’t look into tutoring because of the cost. They assume that tutoring is an expense that they can’t afford. Although tutoring can be costly, there are also plenty of low-cost options out there. If you’ve been assuming that you can’t afford a tutor, you should see how much it would actually cost you.

A lot of people are astonished when they see just how affordable tutoring sessions can be. You don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune in order to get your child a tutor. There are plenty of tutoring services that have reasonable prices, especially for children in primary school.

Tutoring Sessions Can Build A Child’s Confidence

Students that struggle in school often start to develop low self-esteem. This is especially true for children that have fallen behind their peers. If your child is able to work with a tutor and master important concepts, they’ll feel a lot more confident about their abilities.

Don’t let a lack of confidence keep your child from reaching their full potential. Work to build up their confidence now so that they’ll be able to tackle subjects head-on in the future.

The benefits of primary school tutoring are clear. Now that you’re aware of the perks that tutoring provides, you may want to look for a tutor that can help your child. There are some skilled and talented tutors out there.