Understanding Your Childs Brain

Understanding Your Child's Brain simplifies the neuroscience behind what is going on in a child’s brain during the first six years of life to help parents develop the full intellectual and emotional potential of their children. The book starts with an accessible explanation of the pillars and principals to understanding the child’s brain. It then provides tools to helps parents communicate more effectively with, nurture empathy in, and enforce rules and positive behaviours for their children. Examining how to develop the emotional intelligence of children as well as their intellect, the chapters examine how to raise children based on trust, assertiveness, and fearlessness, while also providing support and exercises in improving language, memory, creativity, and self-control. This book offers parents and educators practical solutions to parenting problems and realistic advice for ensuring the healthy emotional and intellectual development of their children. It will also be relevant to all mental health professionals who want to be more assertive when talking to parents about their child’s problems and growth.

Increasing numbers of parents grapple with children who are acting out without obvious reason. Revved up and irritable, many of these children are diagnosed with ADHD, bipolar illness, autism, or other disorders but don’t respond well to treatment. They are then medicated, often with poor results and unwanted side effects. Based on emerging scientific research and extensive clinical experience, integrative child psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Dunckley has pioneered a four-week program to treat the frequent underlying cause, Electronic Screen Syndrome (ESS). Dr. Dunckley has found that everyday use of interactive screen devices — such as computers, video games, smartphones, and tablets — can easily overstimulate a child’s nervous system, triggering a variety of stubborn symptoms. In contrast, she’s discovered that a strict, extended electronic fast single-handedly improves mood, focus, sleep, and behavior, regardless of the child’s diagnosis. It also reduces the need for medication and renders other treatments more effective. Offered now in this book, this simple intervention can produce a life-changing shift in brain function and help your child get back on track — all without cost or medication. While no one in today’s connected world can completely shun electronic stimuli, Dr. Dunckley provides hope for parents who feel that their child has been misdiagnosed or inappropriately medicated, by presenting an alternative explanation for their child’s difficulties and a concrete plan for treating them.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than 1 million copies in print! • The authors of No-Drama Discipline and The Yes Brain explain the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures in this pioneering, practical book. “Simple, smart, and effective solutions to your child’s struggles.”—Harvey Karp, M.D. In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids throw tantrums, fight, or sulk in silence. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child’s brain and foster vital growth. Complete with age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child shows you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives. “[A] useful child-rearing resource for the entire family . . . The authors include a fair amount of brain science, but they present it for both adult and child audiences.”—Kirkus Reviews “Strategies for getting a youngster to chill out [with] compassion.”—The Washington Post “This erudite, tender, and funny book is filled with fresh ideas based on the latest neuroscience research. I urge all parents who want kind, happy, and emotionally healthy kids to read The Whole-Brain Child. This is my new baby gift.”—Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia and The Shelter of Each Other “Gives parents and teachers ideas to get all parts of a healthy child’s brain working together.”—Parent to Parent

The first sensible guide to interpret the latest information on brain development in straightforward and practical ways.

Diagnosis is not destiny. Autism. ADHD. Learning difficulties. Epilepsy. Cerebral palsy. Traumatic brain injury. From the moment your child is diagnosed with a special needs condition, you are plunged into a world of doctors, specialists, and therapists. But the most important person on your child's care team is you. In Healing Your Child's Brain, child development experts Matthew and Carol Newell arm parents with the knowledge, confidence, and tools they need to help their special-needs child flourish. The Newells have treated more than 20,000 children and are the parents of two special needs children. They know firsthand, as both parents and practitioners, what works—and what doesn't. Most treatments focus on managing symptoms but don't address underlying neurological issues. This book guides readers through the stages of brain development and how they affect functioning, showing what wellness looks like at each level and how to identify—and tackle—problems. In these pages, parents will learn: • The seven key developmental areas that contribute to how well your child functions in daily life. • How to evaluate your child's capabilities and challenges. • How to create an environment tailored to your unique child, meeting them where they are, rather than where they are "supposed" to be. With insight into how your child's unique brain functions, you can move beyond managing symptoms to establishing a home regimen that fosters neurological growth. It is possible to transform the structure of your child's brain—from the cells themselves to the connections between them. By harnessing the brain's ability to grow and change slowly and steadily over time, your child can and will make progress.

What if, despite the best of intentions, we are raising our children to succeed in a world that no longer exists? The Toddler Brain helps parents recognize the connection that exists between their own parenting behaviors and their child's ability to acquire valuable twenty-first-century skills. Dr. Laura A. Jana draws on studies and stories from pediatrics, neuroscience, social science, and childcare, as well as the world of business and innovation to show parents how to equip their children with seven key skills. Dr. Jana explores the importance of play and curiosity, imagination and empathy, and strategically strengthening children's neural connections in their first five years.

Daniel J. Siegel goes beyond the nature and nurture divisions that traditionally have constrained much of our thinking about development, exploring the role of interpersonal relationships in forging key connections in the brain. He presents a groundbreaking new way of thinking about the emergence of the human mind and the process by which each of us becomes a feeling, thinking, remembering individual. Illuminating how and why neurobiology matters. New to This Edition *Incorporates significant scientific and technical advances. *Expanded discussions of cutting-edge topics, including neuroplasticity, epigenetics, mindfulness, and the neural correlates of consciousness. *Useful pedagogical features: pull-outs, diagrams, and a glossary. *Epilogue on domains of integration--specific pathways to well-being and therapeutic change.

From the authors of The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline, an indispensable guide to unlocking your child’s innate capacity for resilience, compassion, and creativity. When facing contentious issues such as screen time, food choices, and bedtime, children often act out or shut down, responding with reactivity instead of receptivity. This is what New York Times bestselling authors Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson call a No Brain response. But our kids can be taught to approach life with openness and curiosity. When kids work from a Yes Brain, they’re more willing to take chances and explore. They’re more curious and imaginative. They’re better at relationships and handling adversity. In The Yes Brain, the authors give parents skills, scripts, and activities to bring kids of all ages into the beneficial “yes” state. You’ll learn • the four fundamentals of the Yes Brain—balance, resilience, insight, and empathy—and how to strengthen them • the key to knowing when kids need a gentle push out of a comfort zone vs. needing the “cushion” of safety and familiarity • strategies for navigating away from negative behavioral and emotional states (aggression and withdrawal) and expanding your child’s capacity for positivity The Yes Brain is an essential tool for nurturing positive potential and keeping your child’s inner spark glowing and growing strong. Praise for The Yes Brain “This unique and exciting book shows us how to help children embrace life with all of its challenges and thrive in the modern world. Integrating research from social development, clinical psychology, and neuroscience, it’s a veritable treasure chest of parenting insights and techniques.”—Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., author of Mindset “I have never read a better, clearer explanation of the impact parenting can have on a child’s brain and personality.”—Michael Thompson, Ph.D. “Easily assimilated and informative, the book will help adults enable children to lead physically and emotionally satisfying and well-rounded lives filled with purpose and meaningful relationships. Edifying, easy-to-understand scientific research that shows the benefits that accrue when a child is encouraged to be inquisitive, spirited, and intrepid.”—Kirkus Reviews

Neuroscientists Aamodt and Wang illuminate how children's brains grow - and how they can be nurtured, scientifically, to reach their full potential. The authors investigate common child-rearing wisdom, exposing bad brain trainingA" products and the ways parents most influence a child's personality. They explain why playing outside improves vision, why teenagers stay up late, and why learning a second language increases empathy. And they share amusing experiments that will let every parent watch a child's grey matter at work. Filled with myth-busting facts and clever advice, this is an indispensable, entertaining guide to your child's brain.

When children learn about how their brain works, it enables better decision making and choices to help them feel safe, find calm and to build social-emotional skills. Tips for Adults Using This Book with Their Children: Think of this as a science book for children ages 5-10, made fun through the lens of four animals. Lizzie the Lizard Plays the Hindbrain, Malcolm the Meerkat Plays the Amygdala, Elsie the Elephant Plays the Limbic Brain and Ozzie the Owl Plays the Prefrontal Cortex! Complex topics are broken down to help your child understand the science behind their brain and their behavior. Through learning and exploring, they will have increased self-awareness and the tools to stay healthy, safe and calm - socially and emotionally. What better way to help children learn to identify their emotions and sensations, the size of their emotions/sensations and to promote practices for self-regulation. This book is designed to be read with your child/children over time. Depending on your child's developmental age, some may grasp the concepts faster while others may need more time. The most important thing is to create an enjoyable learning experience for you and your child together. Take their lead! If they continue to be interested, then keep reading. If they show signs they are finished for now, listen to those cues and transition to another activity. Offer moments of pause and reflection throughout the book where you can each talk about how you have experienced the part of the brain you are learning about. Remember when you "teach children" (lecture), they may remember but when you "involve them and have fun" (engage them in a two-way interactive conversation building on their interests) they will learn. (Quote adapted by Benjamin Franklin) About the Author: Julie Kurtz is an author, national speaker and parent coach consulting and training on trauma, social-emotional skills and resilience. She promotes the concept of optimal brain integration to maximize the human growth potential. Julie is the Founder and CEO for the Center for Optimal Brain Integration(R). Julie Kurtz is the creator of the phone/tablet Application Trigger Stop: Sensory and Emotional Check-in designed specifically for children (ages 3-8) to promote sensory and emotional literacy in support of self-regulation. Learn more at www.optimalbrainintegration.com.