Executive Functioning and Learning
Our brains are not fully developed until the mid-20s, so it’s no wonder that our adolescents still need help with the all important executive functioning skills. In this episode, we talk about the often underestimated yet pivotal aspect of cognitive growth: executive functioning in teens. Tune in as our guest host, Natalie Tamburello, discusses executive […]
The Problem with Overcoming: Learning to Value Your Differences
People with learning disabilities and mental health challenges are often implicitly or explicitly taught to overcome their differences. Try harder, push through, fix and succeed. These messages of normalization can lead to shame, a desire to hide our true selves, decreased likelihood of success and increased mental health challenges. Today’s podcast episode was first aired […]
ADHD Treatment for Kids
ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder among U.S. children and adolescents, leading to differences in attention, impulsivity, energy and behavior. All of this can be disruptive to a child’s school and learning experience as well as their social-emotional wellbeing. There is no cure for ADHD, but there are treatments available to reduce the impact […]
DBT: Acceptance & Change
Studies indicate that Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is “the best tool we have” for self-harming and suicidal adolescents. So what is it and why is it so effective? DBT teaches important social-emotional and resilience skills for life enhancement. Based on the dialectic of acceptance and change, skills include mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, communication, emotion regulation and […]
Building Resilience
One of the most important things we can do for our children is to help them develop resilience. A common misconception is that people are either resilient or not; that we’re born one way or the other. In fact, the process of building resilience is a lifelong journey of learning to cope with challenging experiences […]
Join Us Today: The Problem with Overcoming: Learning to Value Your Differences
Join us today for our first ever LIVE Voices of Compassion Podcast episode where we speak with alumni of the National Center for Learning Disabilities Young Adult Leadership Council, Misha Nicholas, Rachelle Johnson and Stevie Mays about how they have learned to embrace their learning disabilities as a proud part of their identity instead of a […]
Parenting a Young Child with Autism
Autism can present in many different ways, but at its core it’s about social communication. Autism is usually suspected at a young age because children aren’t developing language or social skills at the same rate as their peers. Sometimes parents don’t want to have their child screened for autism because they are afraid of labels, […]
Processing with Our Senses
When you hear a sound, how do you respond? You might choose to ignore it or investigate its source. This process of using our senses to interpret a situation and respond in a purposeful way is called sensory integration. When these systems don’t synthesize, whether due to a diagnosis like autism or ADHD or to […]
Social Media & Mental Health
A 2022 Pew Research Center study revealed that nearly 80% of 13-17 year-olds check at least one social media feed at least hourly, and over a third said they did so “almost constantly.” How can we develop healthy social media practices that support, not hinder, our mental health? In today’s podcast episode, CHC’s Catherine T. […]
Managing Mental Health & Behavior in the K-8 Classroom
Today’s episode was developed in response to a request from our partners at Palo Alto Unified School District…and while it’s great for all listeners, is intended especially for teachers! Increasingly, educators are being asked to manage not just the academic and social-emotional wellbeing of their students, but also address mental health challenges and learning differences […]
