The K5 - elementary education for parents

Discipline, Consistency and Realistic Expectations: An Interview with J. David Carr

Discipline is a sensitive subject in any household and parents struggle with what to do.  What is a good boundary to set?  Am I being too strict?  Where can I get help? In this interview, School Psychologist J. David Carr provides tips that will help any parent with discipline and setting realistic expectations for their [...]

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What if my child is the annoying child? She is 7 1/2 and finds obnoxious boys to hang out with. The girls usually grow weary of her aggressive and rough play. She doesn’t respect personal space and often neglects feelings of others. On the other hand, she can be quite sweet when someone is hurting and wants to care for and cater to them. We’re working to teach her more respectful ways of being around others, but not much seems to be getting through. We’re losing sitters and she’s losing girlfriends.

Anonymous Mom, Denver, Colorado

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Our 6-year-old has always enjoyed school. Lately, though, she’s been talking about “hating” school and that she’s bored. What can we do?

Michael, New York, New York

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“My four and a half year old keeps asking me about death. He is really worried about it and my husband and I don’t know whether to ignore it or address it, and if we do, what should we say?”

Erika, New York, New York

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We have a preschooler who has already been through some educational testing, and diagnosed as “mild Aspergers”. What is the process if your child has already been through testing? Does the school typically do the testing again once they enter kindergarten?

Jamie, Amarillo, Texas

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Learning Disabilities, Educational Testing & Other Concerns: An Interview with School Psychologist J. David Carr

NYC School Psychologist J. David Carr explains the ins and outs of what happens if parents think their child has a learning disability, how to make sense of educational testing and other important information.

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J. David Speaks: Are You Perfect? Neither Is Your Child

Perfectionism – How do you escape it?
I recently evaluated a student. I’ll call him “Charlie”.  Now Charlie had problems finishing things and often became frustrated and was avoiding his classroom activities.
Frequently parents and teachers might conclude that “Charlie” might be inattentive, have academic or learning difficulties or just might be lazy.  But, in fact, many [...]

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J. David Speaks: Allowance – Is It Worth The Price?

In general we encourage parents to pay outright for things that are either necessary (food, clothing, books, crayons, etc), but extra things (toys, gadgets, etc) are a different story.  These things can be earned.  The child’s understanding of the difference between necessary things and luxuries is an important lesson.  Creating a system where the child [...]

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J. David Speaks: Children and Cursing

What is your definition of cursing?
 
 
J. David Carr is a school psychologist in New York City and a regular contributor on The K5. To read more about J. David, please click here.   
I often hear parents and teachers reprimand children for using the 4 letter “common” curse words. In fact, there is a general [...]

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J. David Speaks: Is Your Child “Acting Out”?

J. David Carr is a school psychologist in New York City and a regular contributor to The K5. To read more about J. David, please click here.
Problem: My child is acting out, not listening…
One typical complaint from parents is that their children don’t listen, they “act out”, or are non-compliant.

Reason: There can be a few [...]

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