In Part 1, I shared with you my thoughts about how a child with multiple communication and emotional impairments could truly be “stuck” emotionally as a toddler and pondered how difficult that must be for them not being able to figure out a way out of the tantrumming.

Make no mistake, it is difficult for us parents as well. A screaming toddler is hard enough, but a screaming 8, 9, 10-year-old. Not only is that physically challenging and emotionally... more

One of my listserve buddies (and a truly awesome mom) has been reading this book, The Emotional Life of the Toddler by Alicia F. Lieberman, Ph.D. and posted some information about it to the list yesterday. She is reading it, not because she has a toddler, but because she has an older child with attachment disorder and other emotional, psychological and neurological complications and her daughter appears to be stuck at the emotional age of a toddler.

Her... more

I've been reading with great interest posts by my fellow blogger, Angela, on the Ukraine Adoption Blog. She is currently talking about ADHD, its causes and the likelihood of occurence in adoptive children.

Adrienne, over on the Russia Adoption Blog has also covered this subject, specifically how malnutrition may increase the likelihood of ADHD.

Well, I just had to chime in. Current professional wisdom is that ADHD has both genetic and environmental components at the root of its "cause".

The other... more

Ever see the movie The Out-of-Towners? There are two versions. The original, made in 1970, stars Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. The 1999 remake was Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn, and it just doesn't have the same impact.

The plot line is that this couple from middle America comes to New York for a job interview and if it can go wrong for them it will! It was written by Neil Simon and is very funny as you watch this poor couple deal with every sort of indignity imaginable. What makes it so... more

Ok, to truly understand how a simple even can classify as trauma, you have to understand enough about the person's background and life experiences.

A small rear-end tap of a car, even a new car with less than 2000 miles on it, isn't a traumatic event in most circumstances. A reason to be ticked off, yes, but not trauma...unless...

For several years (8 to be exact), I have driven around this congested city with a very unpredictable child strapped into the backseat. In her early days, her ability to rage in the car was legendary. Trips to therapists and doctors required... more

For years (8 to be exact), I've lived with a traumatized child. And she has been in the perpetual state of being "ticked off" at the world. (That's the G-rated language for how she really feels.) Trauma can do that to a person. Well...I'm joining her.

Like taking an ice cold shower to sober up, yesterday startled me back into the reality of how much my life stinks with shocking alarm. After spending a truly relaxing "lost" weekend in the mountains with Super Dad, yesterday was a bit like descending straight to H - E - double toothpicks!

It started off innocently... more

Ok, by now you understand that I think Bruce Perry's article: "Applying Principles of Neurodevelopment to Clinical Work with Maltreated and Traumatized Children." really "rocks" (as my teen would say).

The final point I want to share from this article is his fifth principle:

Neural systems can be changed, but some systems are easier to change than others.

Only a few years ago neurologists didn't believe in brain plasticity. I remember hearing in college that you... more

How well would the logic part of your brain be able to calm you down when the fear part of your brain(which is at a lower level than your reasoning) is pumping out the chemicals of fight, flight or freeze 24/7?

This brings us to the second of Perry's principles in this article:

Neurons and neural systems are designed to change in a "use-dependent" fashion.

What I think this means in mom-language is that whatever... more

As I worked on my presentation this weekend, I re-read this Bruce Perry article: "Applying Principles of Neurodevelopment to Clinical Work with Maltreated and Traumatized Children." This is an awesome article that confirms much of what I've come to believe about parenting a traumatized child, even though I had never read it explained so clearly in one place.

His first principle in the article is that

"The brain is organized in a hierarchical fashion, such that all incoming sensory... more

I'm totally blown away by the "light reading" I did at the pool earlier this week. It is a chapter out of Working with Traumatized Youth in Child Welfare entitled "Applying Principles of Neurodevelopment to Clinical Work with Maltreated and Traumatized Children" by Bruce Perry, MD, Ph.D.

If you're not familiar with Dr. Perry and the Child Trauma Academy, you should be, especially if you are parenting a traumatized child (one who has been abused or neglected,... more