Child care and upbringing: advice for parents Books

Book SynopsisSex. Slang. Slumber parties. The preoccupations of adolescents with Asperger Syndrome are no different than those of other teens, but they can be much more confusing. The lack of social skills and ability to grasp conversational nuances that characterize AS make adolescence the most difficult life stage.Why can I swear in front of my friends, but not in front of the teacher? Why do I have to pay attention when I m not interested in what my friend is saying? What does it mean to go out with somebody? Asperger Syndrome is characterized by a reliance on clear guidelines, and in adolescence the social guidelines become murky and confusing. In Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence, child psychologist Teresa Bolick presents strategies for helping the ten to eighteen-year-old achieve happiness and success by maximizing the benefits of AS and minimizing the drawbacks.You ll Learn: -How to work with the school to help the AS child learn and succeed. -Strategies for turning common AS traits like preoccupations and routines into positive strengths. -How to help the AS teen learn to manage unforeseen glitches with grace. -The best ways to talk to your teen about friendship, love, romance, and sex.Along the way, you ll be inspired by success stories of dozens of AS teens. With the help of this book, you ll learn that it is possible for an adolescent with Asperger Syndrome to achieve unimaginable success.

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Book SynopsisFinding a balance between convenience and providing nourishing food for children, this book gives authoritative answers about how to make good, nutritional food for children. Age-specific and child-tested, it takes a simple, straightforward approach to topics like children's growth, common feeding problems, and how to offer children positive experiences with food. This newly updated edition contains sample menus that combine the latest nutritional information with favourite foods updated listings of the best resources, and handy forms and checklists.

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Book SynopsisApproaching its topic with humor, style, and a critical eye, this unique guidebook enables parents to provide a healthy and diverse diet for their children. Instead of providing yet another guide to kids' nutrition, a medical discussion, a treatise on the perils of obesity, or a parenting primer on good table manners, this study demonstrates that children need to be taught how to eat well just as they are taught to walk. With detailed guidance from nutritionists, physicians, scientists, and chefs, this handbook details how to find the right foods, how to overcome recurring problems, and emphasize the healthiest elements. Dealing with the picky eater and the real worries about obesity and good nutrition, this survey posits that youngsters eat the way they do because of how the parents themselves eat -- and shows how to combat any and all bad habits. Offering plenty of information on how to go about serious change and where to find the best resources, this reference is guaranteed to broaden the horizon of any child's menu.

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Book SynopsisThe authors ease the self-doubts and confusion of parenthood, while answering the tough questions parents grapple with every day, including:Is social media safe for my son?How can I discipline my daughter so it actually makes a difference?Can I change my child''s attitude about school? (He hates it!)Why should I praise my daughter for doing what she''s expected to do?This award-winning book, in an updated fourth edition, offers expanded chapters on a range of parenting strategies, including setting reasonable expectations, creating predictable family routines, teaching social skills and helping children develop healthy relationships. Parents, also, learn how to create and use a parenting plan that combines all of the parenting skills explained in the book.

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Book Synopsisoilet training children with autism and related disorders is fraught with countless challenges stemming from the very core of their unique characteristics. The communication and sensory issues alone can create formidable barriers. As a result, typical strategies are frequently ineffective when used with children with special needs. Using a no-nonsense, often humorous approach, Judith Coucouvanis, MA, APRN, BC, shares strategies that have produced remarkable results for parents of children with autism and related disorders nationwide. Promising no "quick fixes," The Potty Journey systematically guides you through the entire toileting journey, step-by-step, to the ultimate destination - dry pants.

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Book SynopsisWritten by internationally renowned autism trainer, teacher, and advocate and best-selling author Catherine Faherty, the workbook is engaged by the autistic child or adult to enhance self-understanding and awareness and foster communication with others about needs, preferences, and identity.Almost every facet of a person’s life is explored, including areas particular to autism, and areas every person engages with. Among these are: Ways of thinking, including focused interests Perfection versus doing your best The support of schedules Sensory experience, including stimming Creative expression Learning about and interacting with people Writing Social Stories Understanding speech and expressions in others Types of communication, including verbal or nonverbal Self-advocacy and miscommunication Supportive structures for school and approaching ieps Friendship, play, online acquaintances and safety Emotions, including feeling anxious or upset, depression, and outbursts The book concludes with an extended section on happiness, including relaxation, exercise, gratitude, forgiveness, kindness, positive attitude, and making the world a better place.Extensive materials designed especially for older readers, as well as for parents, therapists, and teachers, are included. Understanding what’s actually true and supporting acceptance and appreciation form the cornerstones of Catherine’s approach and the workbook. This new book is completely updated and revised from the original edition with the “Asperger’s” title. It adds more than 150 pages of brand new material and worksheets.Trade Review“This book offers another approach to furthering the understanding of autism … encouraging autistic children to learn more about themselves, and guiding them through a journey of self-discovery. It is a valuable resource for awareness and … self-esteem! Such a book could have been very helpful to me and my family when I was a child.” —Dave Spicer, diagnosed at age 46

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Book SynopsisThe transition from nursing to weaning is a rite of passage. It can either be a time full of stress, regret and confusion, or a joyous celebration of growth. This book is for mothers and nursing children, to help them both communicate their deep love and respect for one another. The author believes that it is never too early for mums and dads to talk to their baby with tenderness and dignity, and to explain that nursing together is a cherished and special time. Yet, when mother no longer chooses this mutual task, or for health or other reasons cannot continue, then it is better for parent and child to begin the weaning. There is no other book like this, although many adult books are devoted to the process of weaning. Ready to Wean is a children's picture book, designed to empower mothers in the weaning process. The friendly text reassures and prepares the child, in a confident way, for this new stage of growth, and bolsters mother's confidence that she will continue to grow with her child, beyond this particular form. Already, national and state WIC (Women, Infants and Children) agencies are asking about the appearance of this book, calling it a crucial addition to the literature. Without making any general statement about how long nursing should continue, the book cleverly and gently allows each mum to insert her own deadline date, and encourages her to start planning for this date with her child. The author knows that parents and children will be sharing this bonding experience differently, and so she suggests many lovely, nurturing alternatives that babies and young children can relate to as the date approaches.

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Book SynopsisSquirmy Wormy is a wonderful little children's book about a boy named Tyler, who has autism and SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder). Together with Tyler, the reader learns about SPD, and what everyday easy therapys he can do by himself feel better. For instance: ""I feel like running really fast, run run run! Maybe I just need a s-q-u-e-e-z-e between the couch cushions like a hot dog. Whew! I feel better."" Endorsed by Dr. Temple Grandin, this book is sure to help many children, who perhaps previously did not even know they had SPD, lead calmer, richer lives.

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Book SynopsisNobody Ever Told Me (Or My Mother) That! : Everything from Bottles and Breathing to Healthy Speech Development fills a missing niche in the child rearing world. It explains everything from the basics of nursing, to SIDS, to facial massage; finishing with the secrets to good speech development and your child's best natural appearance. Written by an SLP with over 30 years experience, this book is a wealth of necessary information for any new parent.

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Book SynopsisEvery child begs for “one more story” before bed. Finally, social skills expert Carol Gray has provided a solution with the book The Last Bedtime Story: That We Read Each Night.Short, sweet, reassuring, and to-the-point, this instant classic helps children go to sleep quickly and calmly. According to parents, this book has ended bedtime arguments after just one night!When parents clearly and warmly state that this is “The Last Bedtime Story,” children relax their bodies and minds as it is being read to them. They know there are no more stories to be begged for. Plus, Carol carefully wrote this book so it can be read in less than one minute!The only question that remains is - why didn’t anyone think of it sooner?

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Book SynopsisIllustrates how to use yoga to bring calm and focus (and exercise!) to children with special needs. Childhood is a time filled with new motor challenges and hurdles; and this is doubly true for kids with autism and other special needs. The motor challenges children face require strength, coordination, and the ability to focus and attend. Yoga can help children with these challenges as it can strengthen their bodies while calming. This book demonstrates how to get children started with the discipline that so many of us use in our daily lives. Occupational therapist Britt Collins tells how to use yoga to support special needs, increasing body awareness and fine tune coordination skills.Trade ReviewSensory Yoga for Kids is an excellent resource that will help all who are trying to make the lives of children better now and for the future."- Friendshipcircle.org, 5 Books for Those Supporting Individuals with Autism and Sensory Issues"Sensory Yoga for Kids offers suggestions for bringing calm and movement to children with SEN. It has chapters for different common disabilities with ideas to support the child to access yoga."- Sensory Integration Network

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Book SynopsisThe FIRST children’s book by these two authors, Temple Did It and I Can Too! will help guide and inspire kids to reach their full potential.Winner of a 2015 Academic’s Choice Award, this book explains the obstacles Dr. Temple Grandin faced while growing up, the rules she followed to overcome them, and her path to becoming a leading animal scientist and a world-famous advocate for those with autism.This colorful, hardcover book even includes worksheets for kids to identify and reach their goals!Trade ReviewTemple Did it, I Can Too is a perfect book for a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) class or even language arts class. After her short biography, she offers 7 tenets for children to follow. I particularly liked page 13. It gave an example of the kind of thinking kids should really develop. She synthesizes two passions and (bugs and math) comes up with a career that a child can strive for. A classroom teacher could easily turn this into a child-centered classroom activity that would really engage the child as well as offer the opportunity for the child to become empowered to be a professional at something (as well as write about it) they love at such a young age. Well done, Temple. You are a hero to both children with academic challenges as well as students with emotional and physical challenges. This is a very empowering book for young children.""- Academic's Choice Award review;""This lovely book will inspire a can-do spirit in every child and adult!""- Carol Stock Kranowitz, author, The Out of Sync Child;""Temple Grandin is an inspiration to people with autism, their families and people working with them. The 7 rules for success are brilliant and apply to everyone!""- Paula Aquilla, BSc OT, author, Building Bridges through Sensory Integration and The Sensory Detective Curriculum;""What a great book! Temple’s simple life rules can lead to fulfillment and achievement. She is a pathfinder and others can follow the same path to success.""- Tony Attwood, PhD, author, The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome;""Most of the children I treat who are on the spectrum lack sufficient self-confidence to fully participate in life. The book Temple Did It, and I Can Too! helps the child, the parent, and the therapist think through new ways to build this confidence.""- Diane Bahr, MS, CCC-SLP, author, Nobody Ever Told Me That!: Everything from Bottles and Breathing to Healthy Speech Development.

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Book SynopsisOur senses! Thanks to them, our brains are constantly flooded with information about the world around us. What may surprise you is that we’re not all wired the same way, and some of us are unable to understand exactly what we’re sensing. People with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), a newly identified neurological condition, as well as those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), are frequently misunderstood by others when they over- or under-react to sounds, sights, smells, tastes, touch, movement, balance, and feelings within their bodies. In this guide, mental health counsellor, SPD community advocate, and sensory adult Rachel S. Schneider, helps us to make sense of sensory issues. Whether you’re someone with sensory issues, a loved one supporting a sensory person, a professional, or someone that is curious about unusual and complex sensory experiences, this guide will answer your questions about life with sensory processing differences.Trade ReviewI don't care how much I love you, you're not borrowing this book. SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), which is highly common in people with autism, is mind-blowing in its complexity and, yet, this guide somehow makes great sense of it in just ten short chapters. [...] Making Sense is the perfect pocket guide to SPD for parents and practitioners. Explanations this simple can only really be given by someone in total, confident command of their subject. Written with passion, enthusiasm and empathy, it will also be a heartening companion for those who themselves have SPD and want some self-help advice". - AuKids Magazine

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Book SynopsisSometimes doctors don't know best. Luckily, mom and doctor Susan Markel is a pediatrician who questions conventional wisdom and instead partners decision-based medicine with the best ideas of attachment parenting. Too often, parents ignore their instincts and better sense to follow their doctor's advice, such as overtreating vulnerable children, letting babies cry themselves to sleep and giving their children cow's milk for strong bones, even though strong evidence shows none of these practices is the best route. Revealing the medical industry's gaps in knowledge is Dr. Susan Markel, frequent contributor to BabyCenter.com, the world's most popular parenting site, and Le Leche League International medical liaison, and Linda F. Palmer, D.C., author of Baby Matters, in What Your Pediatrician Doesn't Know Can Hurt Your Child. This new work combines the latest research with solid advice from a pediatrician who dares to defy her rote education and big-industry-supported dogma and seek out parent- and child-centered choices in all aspects of child care. As a mother and a pediatrician with 27 years' experience, Dr. Markel has come to find that less intervention in the natural processes generally brings superior outcomes. While providing helpful how-to natural parenting ideas throughout, What Your Pediatrician Doesn't Know Can Hurt Your Child gives parents insight into many instances where standard pediatric dogma is in conflict with the best research. Parents will find comprehensive solutions to specific health concerns and issues affecting children, such as: * Nutrition, including breastfeeding * Shared sleep * Common illnesses and drug usage * Allergies and asthma * Attention deficit disorder * Emotional health * Discipline In a reader-friendly, succinct format, not bogged down by scientific digressions, this book will assist parents in making the best possible choices for the mental and physical health of their children.

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Book SynopsisOur love of wild and beautiful places and our determination to save them began outside. We want the same for our children. This visual guide illustrates why Patagonia's on-site child care center is a key component of our corporate mission and why providing high quality on-site child care to working families is essential. In safe and engaging environments we support unstructured play where our children learn hand-eye coordination, balance and mental agility. Anything that can be done indoors is better learned outdoors where physical strength, creativity and confidence develop. True to Patagonia's climbing roots we encourage risk as the children learn and grow in an atmosphere of trust. This book is the visual story of how one corporation provides the support working families need to preserve American ingenuity that begins in early childhood.Trade ReviewFinalist, 2016 Foreword Indies Awards, Business & Economics Finalist, 2016 Foreword indies Awards, Family & Relationships

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Book SynopsisThe Special Needs SCHOOL Survival Guide is the handbook that will answer your questions about school accommodations, how to work with school personnel for government assisted programs, autism, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) in the classroom, learning disabilities, handwriting, ADHD, Individual Education Programs (IEPs), behavior, dysgraphia, and more! Cara's knowledge is quite in-depth as to how to acquire the necessities for your child's success by utilizing various government or school-based programs. This book contains easy to follow school activities. The Q & A format makes the book easy to read and understand. This book will prove to be a resource you will use frequently as your student with special needs progresses through school.Trade ReviewThis is one of those books that I wish I’d had seven years ago at the beginning of my autism journey. […] Chapters include information on IEPs, therapy, handwriting, fine motor skills, autism, sensory issues, behavior, attention/organizing, and learning disorders. […] I usually like to mention both pros and cons, but I honestly don’t have cons about this book. Even the price is reasonable. When considering price, I often like to compare the price to something else I could buy with that money, or what I would have to pay for services or classes to learn about that topic/get the help I need. Fifteen dollars is not much to spend to get an incredible amount of help for your child with special needs."— Jenny Herman, Encouraging Others in the Special Needs Trenches"Packed with ideas for all things school-related, this is the handbook that will answer your questions about school accommodations, working with school personnel for government-assisted programs, autism, sensory processing disorder (SPD), learning disabilities, ADHD, individual education programs (IEPs), behavioral concerns, fine motor delays, trouble with transitions, homework concerns, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and more.In her introduction, Koscinski explains that she hopes this book give readers a feeling of empowerment. She provides up-to-date and comprehensive information and a lot of strategies, always explaining the why behind each technique. This book is a resource you will refer to frequently as your student with special needs progresses through school or as new needs arise or behavior issues crop up."-FriendshipCircle.org, 5 Books for Those Supporting Individuals with Autism and Sensory IssuesTable of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: IEP 101— What You Need to Know Chapter 2: Therapy in School Chapter 3: Handwriting Chapter 4: Fine Motor in the Classroom Chapter 5: Autism Spectrum Disorders Chapter 6: Sensory Processing Disorder in School Chapter 7: Behavior and Transitions Chapter 8: Attention Disorder and Organizing Chapter 9: Learning Disorders References

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Book SynopsisA unique look at behavior through the child’s perspective!Behavior isn’t an isolated event. All behavior is communication, and when it comes to figuring out what your child is trying to say, Dr. Jim Ball has the answers. This book walks the reader through a variety of scenarios that will explore why a child may engage in a specific behavior, and help you build your “behavior-investigator” skills to develop a behavior plan that works.You’ll find: Short, quick-to-read, and easy-to-understand chapters about behavior and behavior change. Stories that illustrate six main functions of behavior. An on-the-spot behavior assessment tool to help you figure out the situation and why it’s getting out of control. A worksheet to create a behavior plan to reduce problematic behaviors. In-the-moment strategies adults can use when problems occur, and longer-term strategies to implement over time. As the adult, behavior change starts with you. This book applies a whole-person perspective toward behavior management and will help you address the unwanted behavior in the moment, as well as provide strategies to prevent the behavior from recurring again in the future. Shaping and changing behavior is a journey—and it starts here.Table of Contents Foreword by Dr. Barbara Becker-Cottrill (former Executive Director of the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University) Preface Introduction Part 1: Why Does My Child Do That? Chapter 1: Behavior Basics Chapter 2: Here's Where I'm At! Chapter 3: Positive Strategies for Behavior Change Chapter 4: Creating the Behavior Plan Part 2: The Six Functions of Behavior Explained Chapter 5: Leave Me Alone! Escape/Avoiding a Person Chapter 6: Get Me Out of Here! Escape/Avoiding an Environment Chapter 7: You Can't Make Me! Escape/Avoiding a Situation Chapter 8: Hey! Hey You! Look at Me! Attention-Seeking Behavior Chapter 9: It Feels Sooo Good! Sensory-Seeking Behavior Chapter 10: I Want What I Want and I Want It NOW! Satisfying a Tangible Need Part 3: Final Thoughts Chapter 11: Let's Be Honest: Whose Behavior are We Really Changing? Chapter 12: ASD and Behavior Change Glossary Appendix A. Behavior Plan Worksheet Appendix B. The Crisis Plan

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Book SynopsisFrom biomechanist and bestselling author Katy Bowman comes her eagerly anticipated guide to getting kids—from babies to preteens—and their families moving more, together, outside. Our kids are moving less than any other generation in human history; indoor time and screen time have skyrocketed. As adults and kids turn more to "convenient," tech-based solutions, tasks that once required head-to-toe use of our muscles and bones can be done with a click and a swipe. Without realizing it, we’ve traded convenience for the movement-rich environment that our physical, mental, and environmental health depends on. Parents don’t know what to do! But there’s good news: While the problem feels massive, the solution is simple…and fun! Grow Wild not only breaks down the ‘big ideas’ behind movement as a nutrient, it serves as field guide—how to spot all the movement opportunities we’re currently missing. Learn to “stack your life” for richer experiences that don’t take more time: Set up your home to promote more movement, naturally Dress for (movement) success Add snacktivities to your meals Plan dynamic celebrations Create a dynamic homework space Bring nature into your home and play And much more! Bowman, a leader in the Movement movement, has written Grow Wild to show where movement used to fit into the activities of daily life and more importantly, how it can again. The perfect companion to Bowman’s bestseller Move Your DNA, Grow Wild provides practical, everyday, nature-rich ideas on how to let kids move their DNA while doing things they’ll love. The book features: 100+ full-color photographs of kids and families moving Success stories from parents, grandparents, teachers “Study sessions” that make movement research more accessible to laypersons Written to all that work with children—parents, teachers, relatives, health professionals, and more A book to be referenced again and again as kids grow up! Grow Wild is necessary reading for a wide range of readers—anyone who spends time with children. Humans live in many places and there are countless movement opportunities wherever you live, you just need to know how to spot them. Children and their families can thrive by learning to move more inside, adventure more outside, and grow wild in any environment. Trade Review"Grow Wild is a must-read for any parents and educators who want to inject more movement into kids’ lives but aren’t sure where to start. With plenty of photo inspiration and some great ideas to try, Bowman combines the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of movement to give a field guide to turning sedentary kids into a generation of wild movers."—Caroline Williams, author of Move! and My Plastic Brain"Pandemic parenting. Zoom meetings. Virtual school. If you’ve coped with looking at devices all year, Katy Bowman’s Grow Wild will strike you as a gentle, cautionary guide about kids’ “super-sedentary” environments, and how it’s counter-cultural, yet urgent, to start changing these. A biomechanist, Bowman encourages reconnecting with movement and nature, not only for their health benefits or evolutionary ties, but for longer-term family and community vitality. Rather than outlining specific exercises, her holistic approach spans everything from choosing footwear and flexible clothing, to setting up movement-friendly indoor spaces, to adding motion in natural stages. Its methods dovetail with activities we’d be doing anyway, such as making food. Color photographs of real families and alloparents supplement the book’s personal stories about engaging wild and urban spaces. These inspire ways to rethink how we use our settings. Logical, persuasive, and compassionate arguments make this a timely resource: we’re all culpable of sitting around too much, but we’re all capable of redefining our modern mold, too.”—Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews "Brilliantly organized and accessible, Grow Wild is full of actionable items that families can do immediately... An important book you'll want to keep handy as a daily reference."—Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith, author of Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of WWI"Grow Wild provides essential movement nutrition for you and your family…An inspiring, original and even a joyful book, Grow Wild is an instant classic."—Professor Vybarr Cregan-Reid, author of Primate Change: How the World We Made is Remaking Us"It is [the adults'] job to give [kids] permission to try [growing wild], and an environment that gives them the ability to succeed. Grow Wild is not a book of exercises. Rather it is a helpful reference for creating active spaces for children to move in throughout their ordinary day."—Sheryl Campbell, Mother Earth News"Through touching images, convincing science, and warm-hearted wisdom, Katy Bowman offers you practical strategies to get moving even in the face of environmental and psychological barriers."—Diana Hill, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and author of ACT Daily Journal: Get Unstuck and Live More Fully With Acceptance and Commitment Therapy"Grow Wild is a wondrous invitation to belonging and connection in a world that has forgotten how much movement matters. In this essential guide, Katy Bowman offers a magical blend of inspiration and practical action. Every page glows with ideas for cultivating the innate bodily intelligence that connects kids (and all of us) to health, creativity, radiance, and the wisdom of the earth."—Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Mozart’s Starling"This is more than a book to get you and your family moving more. Each of us has a role to play towards regeneration, and this book outlines ways to shift everyday essential activities from the mundane to the meaningful."—Doniga Markegard, regenerative rancher, author of Dawn Again and Wolf Girl“Katy Bowman lays out the case for centering your family life around movement so plainly that it may not dawn on you right away how profound her suggestions are. Make no mistake--the ideas in this book are a paradigm shift. Making space for wildness doesn’t just help the young humans in your life (and you, too); it can also save the human race and the planet, all while making your family life more fun and fulfilling. No big deal!”—Kate Hanley, author of How to Be a Better PersonTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: Stack Your Life for More Movement Chapter Two: The Culture Container Chapter Three: The Clothing Container Chapter Four: The Cooking Container Chapter Five: The Home Container Chapter Six: The Learning Container Chapter Seven: The Activities Container Chapter Eight: The Celebration Container Chapter Nine: Alloparents Afterword References and Resources Photo Credits Index

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Book SynopsisGrowing Up- A Modern Memory Book for School Years features gender-neutral artwork and space to record precious memories from each year of your child's schooling so you can one day gift to your grown child. Growing Up includes- Space to record moments for each grade level from kindergarten through high school Prompts to capture your child's personality, traits, and growth at each special stage Space for special photos, including the first day of school and class photos Pockets to save special mementos like report cards, awards, and programs

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Book SynopsisWe all want our children to reach their fullest potential—to be smart and well adjusted, and to make a difference in the world. We wonder why, for some people, success seems to come so naturally. Could the secret be how they were parented? This book unveils how parenting helped shape some of the most fascinating people you will ever encounter, by doing things that almost any parent can do. You don't have to be wealthy or influential to ensure your child reaches their greatest potential. What you do need is commitment—and the strategies outlined in this book. In The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children, Harvard economist Ronald Ferguson, named in a New York Times profile as the foremost expert on the US educational "achievement gap," along with award-winning journalist Tatsha Robertson, reveal an intriguing blueprint for helping children from all types of backgrounds become successful adults. Informed by hundreds of interviews, the book includes never-before-published insights from the "How I was Parented Project" at Harvard University, which draws on the varying life experiences of 120 Harvard students. Ferguson and Robertson have isolated a pattern with eight roles of the "Master Parent" that make up the Formula: the Early Learning Partner, the Flight Engineer, the Fixer, the Revealer, the Philosopher, the Model, the Negotiator, and the GPS Navigational Voice. The Formula combines the latest scientific research on child development, learning, and brain growth and illustrates with life stories of extraordinary individuals—from the Harvard-educated Ghanian entrepreneur who, as the young child of a rural doctor, was welcomed in his father's secretive late-night political meetings; to the nation's youngest state-wide elected official, whose hardworking father taught him math and science during grueling days on the family farm in Kentucky; to the DREAMer immigration lawyer whose low-wage mother pawned her wedding ring to buy her academically outstanding child a special flute. The Formula reveals strategies on how you—regardless of race, class, or background—can help your children become the best they can be and shows ways to maximize their chances for happy and purposeful lives.Trade Review"If you are a parent or plan to be, read this book. You'll learn what you can do—and there is a lot you can do—to help your child succeed in the fullest sense of the word. Beautifully written, impeccably crafted. I loved it."—Angela Duckworth"The Formula is for all parents who want to be powerful advocates and strategic partners for their kids. Refreshingly practical, it unpacks what parents of high-achieving adults did to help their children be successful and happy. I recognize so many of these traits in my wonderful parents." —Dr. Bridget Terry Long, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education "With over 40 years of education experience, I have learned that a child's success isn't solely dependent on grades or standardized tests. Success, starts first and foremost at home, with parents that support an intrinsic motivation for their children to reach their fullest potential. However, just as children have different learning styles, parents, as well, have different parenting styles. The Formula masterfully combines the latest research with compelling, real-life stories and introduces us to different parenting styles and provides a formula for teaching, motivating, and empowering successful children." —John D. Couch, Apple's first VP of Education and coauthor of Rewiring Education The Formula pursues an important question that social scientists, preoccupied with explaining the problematic outcomes of childhood, seldom address: the role parents play in developing children—regardless of their race, class, or national origin—who become extraordinarily successful in life. Ferguson and Robertson's compelling analysis of data collected on the life stories of interesting people who change the world is a must-read." —William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor at Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsContents Introduction Chapter 1. The Mystery of SuccessThe Black BoxAn Investigation into SuccessMasters of the FormulaChapter 2. What We Mean by SuccessPurpose + Agency + Smarts = Fully RealizedProdigies versus the Products of the FormulaWho Our Achievers Are and How We Chose Them Chapter 3. The FormulaThe Incredible Life of Jarell LeeThe Formula: The Eight Roles of Master ParentingParenting Styles: What Is Different About the Formula? Chapter 4. The StrategistsThe Strange and Strategic Parenting of Lisa SonWhy Esther Wojcicki Raised the Smartest Girls in the WorldMs. Badger’s Holographic Ideal Chapter 5. The Early-Learning Partner (Role #1)Rob Humble’s Moment of TruthThe Science of PlayTeaching a Baby to Read: The Early-Lead EffectThe Girl Raised by a Village of Teenagers Chapter 6. The Flight Engineer (Role #2)Masters Monitor and Manage (Even from the White House)Asserting Authority: “You Will Respect My Child”Knowing When (Not) to Step In: “You Can Deal with Your Teacher This Time” Chapter 7. SiblingsCautionary TalesThe Receptive ChildIs Your Oldest Child Really Smarter, or Were You Just Tired with the Rest of Them? Chapter 8. The Fixer (Role #3)The Fixer to the Rescue Vigilance: How One Mother Deconstructed the SATSacrifice: Dad Says, “We Need to Leave—Now!”Resourcefulness: The Girl Who Needed a Flute Chapter 9. The Revealer (Role #4)Albert Einstein’s Master ParentsThe Art of Supplementing EducationExposure to the World—and Harsh Realities Chapter 10. The Philosopher (Role #5)The Preschooler Who Debated Aristotle in the BathtubWhat the Philosopher Creates, Part 1: Bree Newsome’s MissionWhat the Philosopher Creates, Part 2: Jarell Lee’s Purpose Chapter 11. The Model (Role #6)A Ripple EffectWhen the Past Provides the ModelTracing Family Mindset Chapter 12. The Negotiator (Role #7)Bringing a Child to the Bargaining TableNegotiators, not PushoversMaster Parent versus Tiger ParentIs the Formula the Superior American Style of Parenting? Chapter 13. Mastering HurdlesSuccess MindsetHow “Gritty” Ryan Quarles Found a Way to WinMaggie Masters a Memory SlipThe Future News Anchor Who Stuttered Chapter 14. The GPS (Role #8)The Navigational Voice in Their HeadThe GPS and the Fully Realized Human BeingThe Achievers as Parents Conclusion: The Formula’s SecretAcknowledgmentsNotesIndexAbout the Authors

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Book SynopsisPreparing Kids for the Real World and Their Best SelvesThe greatest gifts we can give a child are those that help them grow into their best self. Parents and professionals alike strive to guide youngsters in developing a sense of self-worth and functioning in line with their highest capabilities. No matter what specific challenges a child may face, success is reaching the level of independence and engagement in the world they are realistically capable of achieving.Since the 1st edition of our book, the prevalence rate of children diagnosed as autistic has continued to rise. Greater numbers of kids are transitioning into adulthood with a spectrum label than ever before. Researchers around the world churn out studies, many aimed at learning more about the factors that help autistic children learn and gain skills. Community awareness of autism has risen, and companies and colleges are taking notice.Table of Contents FOREWORD INTRODUCTION A NOTE ABOUT TERMINOLOGY Part I: THE PATH TO SUCCESS STARTS HERE: RESTORING HOPE Chapter 1: Real Stories, Real Successes: 8 Inspiring Profiles Chapter 2 The Three Necessary Components of Your Child’s Success Chapter 3: How to Break Your Child’s Bad Habits - A Necessary Step So Your Child Keeps Moving Forward Part II: STRETCHING YOUR CHILD Chapter 4: Stretching Your Child Just Outside Their Comfort Zone Chapter 5: What to Do When Your Kid Doesn't Seem to Care or Is Chronically Anxious Chapter 6: DANGER AHEAD: Compulsive Gaming and Media Recluses PART III: PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR ADULTHOOD Chapter 7: Teaching Vital Life Skills Needed for Success FINAL THOUGHTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REFERENCES

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Book SynopsisIn 2015, social justice educator and activist Angela Berkfield held her first Parenting for Social Justice workshop. Now it is time to share those tools and inspiration. This book discusses race, class, gender, disability, healing justice, and collective liberation, initiating age-appropriate and engaging conversations with kids about social justice issues. Included are ideas for taking action as families, from making protest signs and attending a local march, to trying healing meditations and consciously connecting with people from different backgrounds. Resources for further learning and activities that readers can engage in on their own or as part of a group.

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Book SynopsisThis guide can't provide all the answers, but it can help resolve some of the biggest issues facing parents, from coping with the sniffles to navigating social media.

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Book Synopsis“When a teacher gives anything other than glowing feedback, it's tough to keep from slipping into a defensive stance. Enter The Overly Honest Teacher...written by seasoned educator and administrator Meredith Essalat, M.Ed. The Overly Honest Teacher is filled with tangible advice from how to best communicate with your children's teachers to how to start your kids' school day off on the right foot.”–Amy Lupold Bair, Founder of Resourceful Mommy Media, LLCAll parents want their children to have the tools to vocalize their emotions—to own their opinions, their fears, and their views of the world. But parents don’t always feel prepared to take on the role of model adult. As both a teacher and a school principal, Meredith Essalat has lived the daily challenges of helping children navigate through their young lives. She has seen the struggles that parents have as they balance long working hours with the demands of home life. She sees that it’s the teachers who are often caught in the middle. In an effort to stop pointing out each other's flaws—and instead letting kids know they are supported—Essalat offers hard-won pointers that enable parents, teachers, and students alike to encourage one another with accountability. Combining humor with straightforward, practical advice, The Overly Honest Teacher educates parents on how to embrace everyday parenting gracefully. The results will be well-adjusted, positive, enthusiastic young adults ready to work hard and learn vastly.Trade Review"If you're like me, you were dying to be a fly on the wall in your little kid's classroom, and with this book you kind of get to be. Meredith Essalat, a veteran of the classroom, gives us a brave and tender sneak peek into our children's little world, serving as a much needed bridge between parents and educators." Jill Kargman is the writer and star of the television show Odd Mom Out , based on her novel Momzillas. She is a New York Times bestselling author and has written for Vogue , Elle , Harper's Bazaar , GQ , and many other magazines as well as television shows."As a single father to ten-year-old twin girls, I have always relied on my 'little village' in helping rear and care for my daughters. Meredith's honesty, passion, integrity, and love for what she does and for our children ring true in every chapter of this book. I am a huge fan of this book and its heartfelt message." David Kirsch, wellness visionary and founder of the award-winning Madison Square Club in New York City. He is the father of twin 10-year old daughters."The parent/teacher relationship needs to be one of mutual respect and transparency. Meredith has approached the subject with honesty, optimism and concrete strategies that can set up all families, and their children, for success." Liz Vaccariello, Editor-In-Chief of Real Simple and former Editor of Parents Magazine" The Overly Honest Teacher , by former teacher and administrator Meredith Essalat, M.Ed., is an urgent, intelligent book about forging sound parent-teacher relationships. Aiming to "strengthen and improve advocacy" for today's children, Essalat tackles the tough stuff, almost as Judge Judy cuts through the chaff to get straight to the points that matter." Shawn LaTorre, Shawn LaTorre"This witty, honest and wise book, The Overly Honest Teacher shows parents and teachers how to have a healthy, working relationship that benefits their classroom kids or children. It is filled with quick antidotes and advice for the busy, modern-day parent." Shay, Outnumbered 3 to 1"Combining humor with straightforward, practical advice, the Overly Honest Teacher shows parents how to welcome everyday parenting gracefully. The results will be well-adjusted, positive, enthusiastic young adults ready to work hard and take on the world." Gina Rae Mitchell Blog"In this book the author gives parenting advice from a teacher's perspective. She clearly knows children. She wants us to filter what we say and how we act in front of our kids." Kathleen, SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews" The Overly Honest Teacher is filled with tangible advice from how to best communicate with your children's teachers to how to start your kids' school day off on the right foot." Amy Lupold Bair, Resourceful Mommy

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Book SynopsisIn the United States, a majority of students graduate below proficiency in all academic subjects. Parents of struggling students feel overwhelmed and confused about how to help their children simply survive school, let alone succeed. Various school reform efforts have been tried and all have failed. But all hope is not lost. A science exists that allows children to learn as individuals even though at school they are educated in groups. One that avoids senseless labels that sentence children to lifetimes of failure and mediocrity.Dr. Kimberly Berens and a team of scientists have spent the last 20 years perfecting a powerful system of instruction based on the learning, behavioral, and cognitive sciences that they call Fit Learning. This method of teaching has been proven to markedly improve how students understand and achieve, even for children who have been told they have learning disabilities or other disorders that interfere with their ability to learn.Blind Spots reveals the history of our broken education system and shows that by using this teaching system in the classroom, we can unlock the vast potential hidden within every child.Trade Review"Kimberly Berens has written a book about education that every teacher, every policymaker, and every parent should read. In a warm and engaging way, she shows us how much more effectively we could be teaching our children. She addresses common myths that have been standing in the way of effective teaching. Then she describes a set of carefully researched approaches to teaching that can help every child learn. If you are a teacher that is not satisfied with how much your students are learning, this book could change your life. If you are a policymaker who is dedicated to seeing that every child succeeds, this book has the information you need to advance learning. If you are a parent, this book will tell you what to look for in your children's schools and how to advocate for the teaching practices that Dr. Berens describes." Dr. Anthony Biglan, Author of The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior can Improve Our Lives & Our World"[Dr. Berens] debunks many popular myths that pervade current educational practices. This is a book that should be read by every parent, school board member, administrator, and teacher." Matt Circoria, Host of The Behavioral Observations Podcast"This book is marvelously written but it is not easy to read. It's infuriating how much our educational, governmental, and medical establishments have failed our children. Fortunately, Kim Berens also shows how we can correct that dismal situation once we focus on the behavioral science of learning. The problem is not the kids, nor their brains, personalities, or learning styles. The problem is the teaching. I've sent three of my kids, all "gifted," to Fit Learning and if you read this book you'll know why. Highly recommended." Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada"Kimberly Nix Berens has written a straightforward and highly readable book about the failure of our education system and what it is possible to achieve when science is at the heart of instruction. If it's true that knowledge is power, then all stakeholders in American education would do well to arm themselves with the information imparted in Blind Spots ." Cathy L. Watkins, Ph.D., Professor Emerita at California State University, Stanislaus"Video games are very difficult to master, much more so than the typical classes taken by children in school. So why are so many children facile at video games and failures at school? This book sheds light on questions like this by exposing the mythologies that contaminate classroom teaching across the country. The makers of video games are not influenced by these mythologies; they use only what works. Dr. Berens position is that educators should do something similar: use only what works and let science lead the way." Patrick C. Friman, Ph.D., ABPP, Vice President of Behavioral Health at Boys Town and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at University of Nebraska Medical Center"Dr. Berens helps translate the roots of the educational crisis in the United States and the world at large into an easy-to-read and evidenced-based book meant for anyone providing or receiving education. Blind Spots is a must-read for any teacher, policymaker, school administrator, or parent that wants to properly educate generations to come." Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA, Creator and Host of The Daily BA; The Controversial Exchange; and CHATTcon"In this debut education book, Berens challenges pedagogical orthodoxy and argues that all children, including those with neurological differences, can acquire fundamental skills if teachers understand how learning happens and how to measure it." Kirkus Reviews"I think it's a great read for anyone - teacher, school administrator, or parent - who wants to examine approaches to education and refine their school to better fit the needs of more students." Motherhood Momemts

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Book SynopsisEncourage speech development with fun games and activities from veteran speech pathologist Francine Davids. From babbling babies to young elementary schoolers, this fun, engaging collection of educational games and activities can jump-start language development at any stage. Whether your child has a developmental delay or you just want to set them up for success, The Gift of Gab provides all the tools you need to practice language in a low-pressure way. With the calm reassurance of a lifelong educator, author Francine Davids also offers background on the basics of language development, a range of milestones, and some easy ways to tell if your child is on the right track. Organized by game type, so parents can easily find the most age-appropriate material, The Gift of Gab covers a range of fun approaches, including: -Singing and clapping games -Games that use toys you already have in the house -Games using homemade materials like cootie catchers and paper dice -Imaginative card games -Games to play on the go, in the car, or at the grocery store -Games for larger groups -And even games to teach social skills like taking turns! With a range of printable materials available online for free download, The Gift of Gab not only takes the stress out of language development, it also offers an accessible, play-based way to connect with your child every day.

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Book SynopsisHelp your children develop moral character with this updated, 30th anniversary edition of the perennial classic The Book of Virtues.Almost 3 million copies of the Book of Virtues have been sold since it was published in 1993. It is one of the most popular moral primers ever written, an inspiring anthology that helps children understand and develop character—and helps parents teach it to them. Thirty years ago, readers thought that the times were right for a book about moral literacy. Back then, Americans worried that schools were no longer parents’ allies in teaching good character. As the book’s original introduction noted, “moral anchors and moorings have never been more necessary.” If that was true in the 1990s, it is even more true today. The explosion of information with the Internet has left many unsure of what is valuable and what is not. Responsibility. Courage. Compassion. Loyalty. Honesty. Friendship. Persistence. Hard work. Self-discipline. Faith. These remain the essentials of good character. The Book of Virtues contains hundreds of exemplary stories offering children examples of good and bad, right and wrong. Drawing on the Bible, American history, Greek mythology, English poetry, fairy tales, and modern fiction, William J. and Elayne Bennett show children the many virtuous paths they can follow—and the ones they ought to avoid. For the 30th anniversary edition, the Bennetts have slimmed down the book’s contents, while also finding room to introduce such figures as Mother Teresa, Colin Powell, and heroes of 9/11 and the War in Afghanistan. Here is a rich mine of moral literacy to teach a new generation of children about American culture, history, and traditions—ultimately, the ideals by which we wish to live our lives. The updated edition of The Book of Virtues will continue a legacy of raising moral children far into a new century.Trade Review“The Book of Virtues touches the heart—and thereby helps shape the mind. It contains many of the heroic and moral tales that over the years I have grown to love, as well as a great many more that I was delighted to discover for the first time. This is an uplifting and diverting book. Parents will buy it to read to their children and find themselves dipping into it out of pure pleasure.” —Margaret Thatcher

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