Does your child have difficulty following directions? Do they seem to forget daily routines, chores, or expectations? Do they appear to just not pay attention to instructions or to the details of a task? Or, do they forget steps to a task you have taught over and over again? Visual schedules and aids may be [...]
Parenting is a never ending adventure that goes through numerous twist and turns; just when you think you have it down pat some monkey wrench comes flying your way. There is no one size fits all for parenting but the idea of purposeful parenting simplifies it for us. Purposeful parenting goes beyond giving your children [...]
Let Ice Cream Work Its Magic By Jerilyn Swalve-Wasson July is National Ice Cream month. Can you think of a better dessert for Arkansas in July then ice cream?! Ice cream has always been extra special to me and not just because I could eat it by the gallons. Growing up, my dad and I would [...]
Making the Most of Summer Part 1 - Strategies for Parents! Children cherish the summer time. They wait all year for the season when they can stay home and play with their friends. For them, summer is a time of exploring, swimming pools, sports, video games, bike riding and no home work! But for parents, [...]
Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant If you're looking for a great book to further your understanding of Autism, look no further than Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, by Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D. This book is an excellent read and equally as informative for those new to autism as though who’ve worked [...]
Talking to Children About Sexual Abuse By Adam Benton, PhD Sexual abuse is something that every parent fears for their children, yet most struggles to talk about it. The truth is, as much as we hate to think about it, child sexual abuse happens far more often than most realize. In fact, sexual abuse occurs [...]
Parent Tips for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse From the American Academy of Pediatrics A Dreamstime.com Photo Sexual abuse is a difficult subject for most people to discuss, and especially difficult for parents to discuss with their children. But as frightening as the topic may be, sexual abuse is a serious and, unfortunately, common [...]
Social Media, Internet and Youth: Tips for Parents As mental health professionals, we’ve come to view social media use as a modern developmental task in which all youth should become proficient. Most teens can be taught to use social media responsibly just like most learn to drive responsibly. As with driving, it takes education, supervised [...]
National Safety Month Guest Contributor: Gerald New Husband, Father, & Textbook Seller © Johnkasawa | Dreamstime.com - Bicycle Mountain Bike Safety Helmet Photo June is National Safety Month and when the good people at the Arkansas Families First asked me to write a column on the subject, I jumped at the chance to [...]
Is Your Cell Phone Coming Between You and Your Children? by Adam Benton, Ph.D. and Mary Ekdahl, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologists at Arkansas Families First, LLC. Children, smartphones, and social media have made the news again, but not in the way you might think! This time it is not about the risk of online predators, too [...]
