Do you suspect your child has a special need? Did you read something and recognize your child in the description or do you just have a nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach that there might be a problem? Dr. Pete, a pediatric neuropsychologist with years of experience diagnosing special needs in children, offers up tips for you.

Step One: Talk with your spouse or the child’s other parent. He or she may have noticed other signs, or nothing at all. Respect his or her feelings, but if you think they are in denial, gently remind them that all you want to do is find out one way or another, and that if your child does have a special need, early intervention is nearly always the best course of action. But do not amplify the problem to try to force the other to act. (Unfortunately, special needs diagnoses correlate to a higher divorce rate, so try to get on the same page to head off any marital problems that will only complicate the situation.)

Step Two: See your pediatrician immediately. Describe your concerns and ask for her or his assessment of your child, and/or a referral to a specialist for a diagnosis. Your child’s school is often another fantastic resource for evaluations of special needs.

Step Three: If you are told a “wait and see” approach is best, but you aren’t comfortable with that, make sure you speak up and voice your concerns.

Step Four: Discuss all your questions and concerns with the specialist so you truly understand the situation, it’s implications and the options for your child.

This is an important subject, and Dr. Pete takes us through it all in depth, so don’t miss this podcast!

Download The Real Parenting Show with Dr. Pete & Sara now and remember, even though you may not always feel like it, you are the most influential person in your child’s life! If you have any questions or topics you’d like to suggest for future shows, please comment on this blog or call 877.980.2828. Click below to listen to all of Dr. Pete’s straightforward advice and practical tips for real parents raising real kids in the real world, and we hope you’ll subscribe to get our podcast each week.

Dr. Pete and Sara are also the co-authors of Stress-Free Potty Training, A Commonsense Guide To Finding The Right Approach For Your Child (AMACOM Books, 2008). We include an entire chapter on potty training sensitive children who may exhibit shyness. Check out our website, www.StressFreePottyTraining.com, for more information.

Please note that nothing on The Real Parenting Show should be construed as professional psychological advice specific to you or your child. If you have concerns for anyone in your family, it’s important to make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional in your local area.

Listen Now

Many parents don’t realize the link between their child’s behavior and sleep, but it is most definitely correlated!  On this episode of The Real Parenting Show With Dr. Pete & Sara, we examine the growing body of research indicating a strong link between the quality and amount of children’s sleep and their cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and health outcomes.

A recent study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics suggested that children whose parents do not enforce a regular bedtime are at greater risk for worse health. Another study recently published in the journal Sleep found that families who used a bedtime routine had children who tended to fall asleep faster at bed time. It has been established that not getting enough sleep affects children’s behavior, memory, attention, and emotional functioning. We are sure that those of us who either occasionally or routinely do not get enough sleep can certainly relate to these negative effects!

Dr. Pete takes us through how the outcomes of these studies relate to what we are doing with our own kids in terms of their total hours of sleep, explains how many hours each age child needs, and how to keep bedtime from becoming a battle of wills.

Incidentally, he recommends yanking the TV out of your child’s bedroom cold turkey if they rely on it to fall asleep – listen in to find out why and how to accomplish this!

Download The Real Parenting Show with Dr. Pete & Sara now and remember, even though you may not always feel like it, you are the most influential person in your child’s life! If you have any questions or topics you’d like to suggest for future shows, please comment on this blog or call 877.980.2828. Click below to listen to all of Dr. Pete’s straightforward advice and practical tips for real parents raising real kids in the real world, and we hope you’ll subscribe to get our podcast each week.

Dr. Pete and Sara are also the co-authors of Stress-Free Potty Training, A Commonsense Guide To Finding The Right Approach For Your Child (AMACOM Books, 2008). We include an entire chapter on potty training sensitive children who may exhibit shyness. Check out our website, www.StressFreePottyTraining.com, for more information.

Please note that nothing on The Real Parenting Show should be construed as professional psychological advice specific to you or your child. If you have concerns for anyone in your family, it’s important to make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional in your local area.

Listen Now

Homework is one of those perennial battles with school-age kids. With this podcast of The Real Parenting Show with Dr. Pete & Sara, we examine the reasons behind all the homework tips you read about and hear from experts, hoping to make homework time a little easier for parents and children alike.

For instance, does it really matter where your child does his/her homework – on the kitchen table or at a special desk in their room?  Should they tackle homework as soon as they get home or have a break after school?  What happens when your child’s homework is too hard for you to help with? How can you help if your child’s grades are going down?  These questions, and more, are addressed by Dr. Pete, with specifics for elementary, middle and high-school age kids.

Download The Real Parenting Show with Dr. Pete & Sara now and remember, even though you may not always feel like it, you are the most influential person in your child’s life! If you have any questions or topics you’d like to suggest for future shows, please comment on this blog or call 877.980.2828. Click below to listen to all of Dr. Pete’s straightforward advice and practical tips for real parents raising real kids in the real world, and we hope you’ll subscribe to get our podcast each week.

Dr. Pete and Sara are also the co-authors of Stress-Free Potty Training, A Commonsense Guide To Finding The Right Approach For Your Child (AMACOM Books, 2008). We include an entire chapter on potty training sensitive children who may exhibit shyness. Check out our website, www.StressFreePottyTraining.com, for more information.

Please note that nothing on The Real Parenting Show should be construed as professional psychological advice specific to you or your child. If you have concerns for anyone in your family, it’s important to make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional in your local area.

Listen Now

It can be one of the most frustrating parts of potty-training: just when you think you have it all under control and moving along, your child starts to regress, has accidents or even starts to demand a diaper again! This episode of The Real Parenting Show with Dr. Pete & Sara takes you through the entire process to help you understand regression, deal with it and start moving forward again.

Regression is often a completely normal reaction by your child. Some of the causes of regression are:

• Stressful events (might create general fear, anxiety and/or opens back up some older fears specific to potty)
• Losing focus after mastering a skill (no longer a priority – too involved in new things)
• Physical issue (UTI, bout of diarrhea, constipation or other things – check with doctor)
• Experience of shame or humiliation (perhaps secondary to an accident)
• Skill not yet really mastered – parent loses focus, assumes too much skill

So what’s a parent to do about it? First, says Dr. Pete, is to refocus on the tried and true strategies you’d used when first potty training your son or daughter – positive attention and prompting. You can start incorporate some relaxation methods into your routine, like reading a book or listening to music in the bathroom, and make sure your child experiences the natural consequences of an accident (having to clean up) without punishment. You may think it’s all about your child having a stubborn streak, but getting into a power struggle with your child about going on the potty is a battle you will not win.

Lastly, says Dr. Pete, don’t go back to diapers! Why? Download the show now and find out!

Remember, even though you may not always feel like it, you are the most influential person in your child’s life! If you have any questions or topics you’d like to suggest for future shows, please comment on this blog or call 877.980.2828. Click below to listen to all of Dr. Pete’s straightforward advice and practical tips for real parents raising real kids in the real world, and we hope you’ll subscribe to get our podcast each week.

Dr. Pete and Sara are also the co-authors of Stress-Free Potty Training, A Commonsense Guide To Finding The Right Approach For Your Child (AMACOM Books, 2008). We include an entire chapter on potty training sensitive children who may be regressing.

Please note that nothing on The Real Parenting Show should be construed as professional psychological advice specific to you or your child. If you have concerns for anyone in your family, it’s important to make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional in your local area.

Listen Now

This week on The Real Parenting Show With Dr. Pete & Sara, whether it’s trick-or-treating by themselves or going to the mall or movies with friends the day after Thanksgiving, the holidays always seem to be the time of year when kids want to start doing things more independently. But how can a parent decide if their child is ready for this?

Dr. Pete weighs in with his always insightful tips to help you make that decision, and he says it’s not all based on their age.  Whether they are ten or 15, you must first consider what kind of child yours is and what his or her track record is for responsible behavior.  Dr. Pete goes over the various kinds of temperaments and has some specific tips for parents of those risk-taker type of kid. He also offers up ways to deal with the situation when you trust your child and he or she does not live up to the responsibility.

Download The Real Parenting Show with Dr. Pete & Sara now and remember, even though you may not always feel like it, you are the most influential person in your child’s life! If you have any questions or topics you’d like to suggest for future shows, please comment on this blog or call 877.980.2828. Click below to listen to all of Dr. Pete’s straightforward advice and practical tips for real parents raising real kids in the real world, and we hope you’ll subscribe to get our podcast each week.

Dr. Pete and Sara are also the co-authors of Stress-Free Potty Training, A Commonsense Guide To Finding The Right Approach For Your Child (AMACOM Books, 2008). We include an entire chapter on potty training sensitive children who may exhibit shyness. Check out our website, www.StressFreePottyTraining.com, for more information.

Please note that nothing on The Real Parenting Show should be construed as professional psychological advice specific to you or your child. If you have concerns for anyone in your family, it’s important to make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional in your local area.

Listen Now