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I am devoting these mini Holiday Break episodes of Talking About Kids to poetry about the holiday season and issues related to kids. In this second mini episode, I will read “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In it, Longfellow struggles to reconcile the feelings of peace and goodwill associated with the Holiday season with the American Civil War, which was waging at that time. That struggle seems relevant today. A link to the poem is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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In her 1985 essay, "Poetry Is Not a Luxury," Audre Lorde argues that poetry gives form to ideas that are "formless" but none-the-less "felt," ideas that precede "understanding." I have always believed that Lorde is describing, among other things, historic and childhood trauma. In honor of this, I am devoting these mini Holiday Break episodes of Talking About Kids to poetry about the holiday season and issues related to kids. In this first episode, I will read Edgar Guest's poem, "A Friend's Greeting," which, as the name implies, is about a friendship. A link to the poem is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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This is the second part of my episode on the cognitive health of deaf children. My guest is Donna Jo Napoli, Professor of Linguistics and Social Justice at Swarthmore College, author of fiction and science books, and co-director of Rise Videobooks. The first part focused on early language and cognitive development. This second part focusses on what Donna Jo and her colleagues are doing to improve the reading skills of deaf students. More information about Donna Jo, her books, the research we discussed, and RISE Videobooks is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Tim Cavell approached me at the World Anti-Bullying Forum and claimed that his book on parenting and my book on parenting have some things in common. He was being generous. Tim is the co-author of Good Enough Parenting: A Six-Point Plan for a Stronger Relationship with Your Child published by the American Psychological Association. It is a great book, and I am very happy that he agreed to share some of the insights from it here. More information about Tim and his work is at talkingaboutkids.com. 

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Toilet issues are not uncommon in kids. Despite this, there is a growing body of evidence that these conditions are often misunderstood and mistreated. My guest today, Dr. Steve Hodges, is a Professor of Pediatric Urology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. A leading authority childhood toileting, Steve’s work is debunking many of the myths about it. If a kid in your life has toilet issues, you will want to pay close attention. More information about Steve and his work is at talkingaboutkids.com. 

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Suicides and suicide attempts peak in spring and early summer, but research shows that the ideation and mental health issues that precede the acts are at their worst now, in the winter. My guest to discuss what you can do help kids who may be having suicidal thoughts is Carla Allan. Carla is the Chief of the Division of Psychology at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Her insights on this topic are both professional and deeply personal. This episode was intentionally produced to support the formation and coordination of adolescent-centered care and services, so you also will hear from Beheir Thompson and Vinny Chulani of the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health. It was recorded live using a webinar platform to encourage questions from alliance members and other listeners. More information about Carla and about the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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In this third mini Holiday Break episode, I share David Reidman's (K-12 School Shooting Database) analysis of one of the first school shootings of 2024. Links to the research I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return later in this new year.

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In this second mini Holiday Break episode, I revisit the science of why New Year's resolutions fail or succeed, and why, if your resolution is to improve your mental health, you should keep it for the sake of your kid. Links to the research I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return later in this new year.

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In this first mini Holiday Break episode, I explore A Christmas Carol's central idea, which I argue is empathy. Links to the research I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return in the new year.

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As we navigate the gift giving season and the accompanying onslaught of sales and advertisements, I think it is important to understand the impact that the media and commercials have on the behaviors and, ultimately, the health and well-being of our kids. My guest to discuss this is Susan Linn. Susan is a world-renowned psychologist; the author of Consuming Kids, The Case for Make Believe, and, most recently, Who’s Raising the Kids?; and a ventriloquist who appeared frequently on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. This episode was intentionally produced to support the formation and coordination of adolescent-centered care and services, so you also will hear from Beheir Thompson and Vinny Chulani of the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health. It was recorded live using a webinar platform to encourage questions from alliance members and other listeners. More information about Susan and about the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Kids need sleep. Adequate sleep helps prevent Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, mental health problems, and even injury. My guest today, Blaine Leeds, and his colleagues believe that apnea is to blame for many kids’ sleep issues. Blaine is a dentist, an innovator, the author of What Happens When Your Child Doesn’t Sleep, and a passionate advocate. More information about Blaine, including links to his book as other researchers and practitioners he cites, is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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In this mini Thanksgiving episode, I look at the "Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving" from the National Museum of the American Indian and read from the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. Links to the article and the full address are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return next week (December 4, 2022).

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More than half of all deaf students who graduate from high school have reading skills at or below fourth grade level. Research indicates that low literacy makes it difficult for individuals to obtain or maintain any employment, let alone the kind of employment that affords independence, a house, and a family. For well over a decade, Donna Jo Napoli – my guest this episode – and her colleagues have been publishing articles on why deaf students seem to have this literacy deficit. As you will learn, Donna Jo places the blame firmly on a care system that emphasizes technology and convenience over techniques that actually support early language acquisition and social and emotional development. Donna Jo is a Professor of Linguistics and Social Justice at Swarthmore College, the author of fiction and science books, and the co-director of RISE Videobooks. In this two-part episode, Donna Jo and I discuss what can be done to improve the cognitive health of deaf children. This first part focuses on early language and cognitive development. The second part focusses more on what Donna Jo and others are doing to improve reading skills. More information about Donna Jo, her books, the research we discussed, and RISE Videobooks is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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This is the second installment in a new segment in which a colleague and I examine classic and obscure books about kids from the past. We will be looking at what has changed and what has stayed the same to try to uncover universal truths and inspiration that you can use as you care for your own kids. This episode focuses on the introductory chapter of book from 1950 called How to Live with Children by Edith Neisser. My guest to help me with this effort is Lori Robinson, a social worker and therapist with years of experience working with children and families. She also is an autodidact with an exceptional capacity for contextualizing and putting into practice research on kids. More information about Lori is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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In this mini Veterans Day episode, I explore some of the reasons why the schools run by the  Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) are outperforming schools in the rest of the United States. Links to some of the materials I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return next week (November 20, 2023).

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If you want the children and youth in your classroom, in your program, or even in your home to succeed, then you need to understand them, but gaining insights or even engaging them as cocreators of their experience is not always easy. Here to discuss what Rising Youth Theatre does to share decision making and activity leadership with the young people in its organization are two of Rising Youth Theatre’s Producing Artistic Collaborators, Ty Muhammad and Sarah Sullivan. This episode was intentionally produced to support the formation and coordination of adolescent-centered care and services, so you also will hear from Vinny Chulani of the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health. The episode was recorded live using a webinar platform to encourage questions from Alliance members and other listeners. If you would like to participate in the webinars, you can join the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health’s mailing list at healthyazyouth.org. More information about Ty, Sarah, Rising Youth Theatre, and the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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My guest this episode to talk about the importance of a developmental-relational perspective in addressing and preventing bullying is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at York University, the recipient of the Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public or Community Service, and my new friend:  Debra Pepler. Our conversation was recorded in front of a live audience the 2023 World Anti-Bullying Forum, in Raleigh, North Carolina. This is the first time that the Forum has been hosted in the U.S., and more than 500 researchers, practitioners, policymakers, educators, young people, and more have gathered for three days of panels, symposia, keynotes, and workshops with the goal of advancing our global understanding of and our work to prevent bullying. 2023 World Anti-Bullying Forum was hosted by the UNC School of Education and was powered by BRP, a global leader in powersports products who, through its Ride Out Intimidation program, takes a firm stand against intimidation. More information about Debra, her work, the UNC School of Education, BRP’s Ride Out Intimidation program, and the World Anti-Bullying Forum is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Lice. We have checked for them, we have been checked for them, and we have worried about the.  But how much do we really know about lice?  In light of some relatively new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, I asked Ilene Steinberg – Founder and CEO of the Center for Lice Control and the so-called “Lice Queen” – to come on the podcast and help me comb through the myths and facts about lice. More information about Ilene and a link to her Professional Lice Treatment kits are at talkingaboutkids.com. Talking About Kids listeners receive 15% off the price the kit when they use the code CLCTAKE15OFF. 

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A couple of weeks ago, the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) held its annual conference. At it, a study from 2015 received some new attention. That study is “Discipline and Participation:  The Long-Term Effects of Suspension and School Security on the Political and Civic Engagement of Youth” from the journal Youth and Society. My guests to talk about the study and its importance, are the study’s authors:  Thomas Catlaw and, long-time friend of Talking About Kids, Aaron Kupchik. More information about Tom and Aaron, including a link to their study, is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Globally, the rights of indigenous kids are protected, in part, by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. For this mini Indigenous People’s Day episode of Talking About Kids, I briefly examine the adversities indigenous kids face, what the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child asserts about the rights of indigenous kids and all kids, and the United States’ position on those rights. Links to the materials I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com.  Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return next week (October 16, 2023).

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For as long as there have been kids, people have offered advice on how to care for them. Talking About Kids is introducing a new segment in which a colleague and I examine classic and obscure books about kids from the distant and not-so-distant past. We will be looking at what has changed and what has stayed the same to try to uncover universal truths and inspiration that you can use as you care for your own kids.  In this episode, we analyze a chapter called, “The Bad Child,” from the 1920 book series, The Kindergarten Children’s Hour by Lucy Wheelock.  My guest to help me with this effort is KellyAnn Bonnell, the Early Childhood and Elementary Education Coordinator at Feather River College. KellyAnn has an encyclopedic knowledge of early childhood education theory, but she also is a skilled practitioner whom I have seen transform classrooms. More information about KellyAnn is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Incorporating the arts into education helps students succeed academically and socially. Despite this, art programs continue to face cuts and even elimination. To help counter this, I enlisted the help of Art Roche. If you have been a fan of animation in the last 20 years, it is likely that you have seen Art’s work or work that he supervised. Art created the Cartoon Network series, Nacho Bear, and he continues to consult on Apple TV+’s Peanuts series, Camp Snoopy. But I asked Art on because of his two wonderful instructional children’s books, Art for Kids: Cartooning and Art for Kids: Comic Strips. If your kids are not getting enough opportunities to be creative, Art can help you get them drawing. More information about Art and his books is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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The rising cost of college is in the news once again, as are 529 plans and student loan repayment. As a result, I wanted to revisit the topic of paying for college and how to balance saving for college with saving for retirement. My guest to help unpack these issues is Brad Baldridge. Brad is a College Funding Specialist and the host of the Taming the High Cost of College podcast. Brad has helped thousands of families plan for the expenses of college, and I am grateful that he agreed to share some of his insights here. More information about Brad is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Recently, Lucy Foulkes, a Research Fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian newspaper titled, “Mental-health lessons in schools sound a like a great idea. The trouble is, they don’t work,” in which she asserts, “the only information we should teach en masse is where a young person should get help.” My guest today to discuss this article and get beyond its provocative title is Kevin Runions. In addition to being a friend of Talking About Kids, Kevin is an academic researcher, an independent consultant, and a globally-recognized expert on the important components of school climate, like bullying initiatives and mental-health lessons. Spoiler alert: Keven and I do not believe that the research Lucy cites supports her conclusion. More information about Kevin, including how you can engage him to improve school climates where you live, is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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The transition from high school to college can be difficult for some students. Here to talk about that is Amy McGrath. Amy is the Vice President of Educational Outreach and Student Services for Arizona State University and the Managing Director the ASU Preparatory Academy, which is a network of public charter schools sponsored by ASU. Starting now, Talking About Kids will be dedicating one episode a month to supporting the formation and coordination of adolescent-centered care and services. We will be using Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health as a model, so, once a month you will also hear Vinny Chulani and Beheir Thompson participate in the discussion and share information about Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health’s activities and resources. These episodes are recorded live using a webinar platform to encourage questions from alliance members and other listeners. If you would like to participate in the webinars, you can register here. I hope that these episodes will inspire you to join the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health or whatever alliance exists in your community or, if none exists, to form your own. More information about Amy, Vinny, Beheir, and the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Millions of kids in the U.S. have jobs. For this mini Labor Day Episode of Talking About Kids, I want to examine what we know about the benefits and risks of juvenile employment. Links to some of the research I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com.  Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return next week (September 11, 2023).

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Not long ago, Rebecca Sugar, creator of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe, and I were discussing things that undermine the health and wellbeing of kids. I must have been painting a bleak picture because she suggested that I read Living in a World That Can’t Be Fixed: Reimagining Counterculture Today by Curtis White. I did, and then I immediately delved into his other writings, including The Science Delusion:  Asking the Big Questions in a Culture of Easy Answers and the brand new Transcendent:  Art and Dharma in a Time of Collapse. In these and other works, I think Curtis makes a strong case for the importance of arts education. Given the increased emphasis on STEM in schools at the expense of the humanities, I thought it was important to have Curtis on the podcast to share his perspective. More information about Curtis, including links to his books, is talkingaboutkids.com.

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Participation in sports declines during adolescence. There are many reasons for this, and I want to address all them because, when kids stop playing sports, they miss out on the mental and physical benefits that sports afford. My guest today is Pam Luk. Pam believes that one of the reasons adolescents quit sports is that athletic wear for kids does a poor job of accommodating different body types. Pam share her story and what she did to address the problem next. More information about Pam and Ember & Ace is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Adolescence is a time of experimenting, and that experimenting sometimes involves trying illicit drugs. Unfortunately, dealers are adding fentanyl to illicit drugs, like cocaine and methamphetamine, to make them cheaper and more potent, but fentanyl also makes them more deadly. Every day in the U.S., over 150 people die from overdoses related to fentanyl. To explain what fentanyl is and what you, as people who care about kids, can to do prevent overdoses from happening, I reached out to my friend Haley Coles. Haley is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sonoran Prevention Works and a pioneer in harm reduction. More information about Haley, Sonoran Prevention Works, and harm reduction is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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News about increases in adolescent suicide can seem overwhelming, so in this second mini summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids, I want to share a newly published paper on the care of kids with suicide-related symptoms that I think it suggests something constructive that we, as people who care about kids, can do to help reverse the trend. Links to some of the research I cite are talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes return in mid-August with an important examination of fentanyl.

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Back-to-school sales are underway, so in this a mini summer episode of Talking About Kids I decided to address the “back” in “back-to-school.” That is to say, I examine lower back pain in students, its prevalence, its causes, and how to prevent it. Links to some of the resources I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes return in mid-August with an important examination of fentanyl.

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This episode was recorded in front of a live audience on July 19th, 2023, at the Adloscent Health Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. My guests are Veenod Chulani, Section Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and Beheir Thompson, Adolescent Health Program Coordinator for Affirm. Along with their colleagues, Vinny and Beheir are working to bring professionals together to advance health equity for youth. Their insights on what adolescent-centered care entails, why it is important, and what steps you can take to become more effective when working with youth are addressed. More information about Vinny, Beheir, and the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health is talkingaboutkids.com.

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My guest for this episode is Stephanie Young Moss. Dr. Stephanie, as she is known professionally, approached me with a unique thesis:  pharmacists can help reduce healthcare disparities among families. Her education and decades of experience as a pharmacist and an activist convinced me, and I am eager for you to hear her insights as well as the advice that she, and every pharmacist, has for parents. More information about Dr. Stephanie is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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All kids are unique, but some do better in typical classroom settings than others. The process of recognizing that a kid has special academic needs can be frustrating and stressful for parents, educators, professionals, and the student. Unfortunately, recognition is often just the beginning. The meetings and myriad terms, initials, and acronyms that follow a diagnosis can be confusing and intimidating. In this episode, I am going to address one of the more common ones:  the IEP, or the Individualized Education Program. To help explain the IEP, I have enlisted the help of Kimberly Robinson. Kim came highly recommended to me because of her over 20 years of experience working as a Speech Language Pathologist and her expertise formulating and monitoring IEPs. More information about Kim is talkingaboutkids.com.

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Do you know where the substitute teachers for your child’s preschool come from? If you are like me, you might imagine that potential substitutes and administrators sit down and get to know each other, possibly over tea and finger sandwiches. My guest this episode, Paul Buckley, will tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Paul explains that current staffing practices afford preschools and substitutes very little, if any, say in the match process and offer few opportunities to build relationships and provide consistency. In the end, Paul believes that it is the children’s development that suffers, so he used his experience as a preschool instructor and as a leader in a large tech firm to develop a different staffing process, which he named Ratio Staffing. Paul and I discuss the problem, how Ratio Staffing corrects it, and his tips for discerning whether a preschool is supporting its teachers and substitutes. More information about Paul – including a link to Ratio Staffing, where, for a limited time, the code “aboutkids” gets preschools an extended 60 day free trial – is talkingaboutkids.com.

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For this final episode honoring Pride Month, I attended four NYC Pride events and interviewed speakers, dignitaries, and leaders. I asked them all one question:  What words of advice or encouragement do you have for kids who are not feeling valued and supported as they realize their orientation, identity, and identity expression? 

In this episode you will hear:

-Gabrielle Souza, Executive Director of The Okra Project, a mutual aid collective that supports Black Trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people;

-Sage Dolan-Sandrino, queer trans activist, journalist, and the inaugural Monica Roberts Fellow at the National Black Justice Coalition;

-Melissa D’Andrea, Executive Director of PFLAG NYC, a family-based organization committed to celebrating LGBTQ+ young people and creating a better future for all;

-NYC Pride March Grand Marshal Yasmin Benoit, award-winning British asexual activist, creator of the popular #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike movement, and co-founder International Asexuality Day;

-NYC Pride March Grand Marshal Hope Giselle, organizer, trans activist, and best-selling author of Becoming Hope: Removing the Disguise;

-NYC Pride March Grand Marshal Randy Wicker, legendary, trailblazing LGBTQ+ activist; 

-NYC Pride March Grand Marshal AC Dumlao, Chief of Staff at Athlete Ally, a nonprofit working to educate and activate athletic communities to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in sports, and creator of the popular Facebook page “Call Me They”; and

-Sandra Pérez, Executive Director for NYC Pride.

I recommend sharing the powerful advice and encouragement they offered with the kids in your life.

More information about these activists, including links to their organizations, is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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For this fourth episode of Pride Month, Talking About Kids was granted media access to The Rally, NYC Pride’s annual protest and activism event that takes place just a few blocks away from the location of the Stonewall Riots, the 1969 protests that sparked the gay rights movement. I asked three of the speakers for advice for caregivers on how to support kids as those kids realize their orientations, identities, and identity expressions.  In this episode you will hear:

• Gabrielle Souza, Executive Director of The Okra Project, a mutual aid collective that supports Black Trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people;
• Sage Dolan-Sandrino, queer trans activist, journalist, and the inaugural Monica Roberts Fellow at the National Black Justice Coalition; and
• Melissa D’Andrea, Executive Director of PFLAG NYC, a family-based organization committed to celebrating LGBTQ+ young people and creating a better future for all.

 More information about these activists, including links to their organizations, is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Lane Kantor is my guest for this third episode of Pride Month.  Lane is an MD with a Masters degree in Public Health. Recently, Lane and their colleagues conducted a study of the knowledge gaps and educational needs of the parents of transgender and nonbinary kids. Lane shares what they learned and recommendations for supporting kids as they realize their identities and how they want to express them. More information about Lane, including links to the research they cite, is talkingaboutkids.com.

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For the second episode of Pride Month, I asked Stephen Russell to describe what we know from research about supporting kids as they realize their orientations and identities. Stephen is the Director of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Texas at Austin. He also is the author of the award-winning book, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Schooling. I am honored that he found time in his busy schedule to share his insights here on the Talking About Kids podcast. More information about Stephen, including links to his research, is www.TalkingAboutKids.com.

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In honor of Pride Month, I wanted to look at sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in kids. In particular, I wanted a better understanding of the terms that are used to describe gender identity and gender expression. I also wanted to get an overview of what happens when we fail to support kids who are perceived as not conforming to prevailing sexual and gender norms. To help with this, I reached out to Madelaine Adelman. Maddie is a Professor of Justice Studies in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University, an author, and, for over two decades, one of the driving forces in GLSEN, a national organization that was founded by teachers to promote safe, supportive, and LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 education. More information about Maddie and links to resources for parents and educators are at www.TalkingAboutKids.com.

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School shootings are all-too-frequently in the news. When they are, there is a good chance that my guest’s work will be cited. David Riedman is the co-founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, which contains detailed information on all school shootings in the United States from 1970 to present. David, an expert on security and crisis management, has spent a lot of time with this information, and his conclusions about our society’s response to school shootings might surprise you. More information about David, including a link to the K-12 School Shooting Database is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Aaron Kupchik returns to Talking About Kids to discuss his new research on the origins of contemporary school discipline practices. Aaron is a Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware and the author of numerous articles and books, including the award-winning Judging Juveniles: Prosecuting Adolescents in Adult and Juvenile Courts and Homeroom Security: School Discipline in an Age of Fear. When I initially invited Aaron back to provide an update on school violence, Aaron replied, “I don’t study school violence. I look at the crappy things adults do because of an irrational fear of school violence,” which is why we like him. More information about Aaron, including links to his books, is at www.talkingaboutkids.com.

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In honor of Mother’s Day, I wanted to examine the evolving demands of motherhood, and I could think of no better person to help me do that than Nicole Feliciano. For nearly two decades, Nicole has convened and supported mothers, initially through her wildly successful blog, MomTrends, then with her book Mom Boss: Balancing Entrepreneurship, Kids & Success, and most recently with Ski Moms Fun, which is a podcast and social media focusing on winter sports and motherhood. She and I discuss the changes she has seen and her advice for staying balanced. More information about Nicole, including links to her projects, is at TalkingAboutKids.com.

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My guest this episode is Sheryl Cababa. Sheryl is the Chief Design Officer at Substantial, an insights, design, and development firm based in Seattle, WA. Sheryl and her colleagues are working with amazing partners – like The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – and using equity-centered research to improve education technology. Sheryl and I discuss what “equity-centered research” is and how it might benefit the kids in your life. More information about Sheryl and her new book, Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers, can be found at TalkingAboutKids.com.

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Public opinion of school boards is low, and that is understandable. When school boards are not making headlines for banning books, enacting discriminatory policies, or arming teachers, videos of brawls erupting at school board meetings are blowing up social media. So when the award winning educator, AJ Crabill, comes out with a brand new book that proports to outline how school boards can improve so that student outcomes can improve, I jumped at the chance to talk with him. The book is called, Great on Their Behalf:  Why School Boards Fail, How Yours Can Become Effective. I think it is smart, accessible, and right. More information about AJ and his new book can be found at www.TalkingAboutKids.com.

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Piper Gibson is a Doctor of Functional Medicine; the Founder of the Tic Disorder Institute: Regenerating Health; and the author of Tic Talk: Common Misconceptions, Natural Approaches, and Real Conversations about Tic Disorders. Piper is on a mission to counter the narrative that we should ignore kids’ motor or vocal tics and hope that they grow out them. Instead, as she and I discuss, Piper argues – and has the research to back it up – that the experiences of kids with tics can be vastly improved by addressing how they are affected by biological factors, environmental conditions, emotions, and physical fitness. More information about Piper, the Tic Disorder Institute, and her book is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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When Bessel van der Kolk – famed researcher and author of The New York Times best seller, The Body Keeps the Score – says that neurofeedback has the potential to help kids reshape their brains to be more regulated and more open to new experiences, one takes notice. After all, helping kids stay regulated is the first thing that we, as people who care about kids, need to do to ensure their success. Consequently, I was excited to talk with Dianne Kosto, the CEO and Founder of SYMMETRY Neuro-Pathway Training because she is a self-described “mom on a mission” to bring neurofeedback services to everyone. The story of Dianne’s passion, what neurofeedback did for her kid, and what it potentially can do for the kids in your life, are the topics of this episode. More information about Dianne and SYMMETRY Neuro-Pathway Training can be at TalkingAboutKids.com.

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The introduction of the U.S. Department of Education’s webpage on STEM states, “In an ever-changing, increasingly complex world, it's more important than ever that our nation's youth are prepared to bring knowledge and skills to solve problems, make sense of information, and know how to gather and evaluate evidence to make decisions. These are the kinds of skills that students develop in science, technology, engineering, and math, including computer science—disciplines collectively known as STEM/CS.” While this is an excellent summary of the need, getting kids interested in STEM can be tricky, especially when they are very young.  To help explain early childhood STEM, I reached out to Karen Martinson.  Karen is the founder of Early STEM Ed, an organization that supports parents, teachers, and out of school time professionals in establishing and maintaining early STEM education programs. She also happens to be the teacher that turned my kid into a chemistry junkie. More information about Karen can be found at www.TalkingAboutKids.com.

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In this Spring Holiday episode, I discuss the ways that expectations affect kids and how we, as adults who care about them, can adjust our expectations to help them succeed. Links to the research I cite are at www.TalkingAboutKids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return next week.