Aristotle's Child

Risk, resiliency and the parent/child relationship

by Ira J. Chasnoff, M.D.

The Truth about Marijuana and Pregnancy

Few if any states that have legislated the availability of medical marijuana have included guidelines for prescribing marijuana to pregnant women. Read More

Moving from Blame to Diagnosis

A recurring question that continues to arrive in my email in-box has been whether families should seek a diagnosis for their child if they think she has fetal alcohol syndrome. There is an underlying fear of labeling vs. diagnosing the child. Read More

To sleep...a parent's dream

A child with sleep problems may be suffering from one of two different types of sensory processing dysfunction, or a combination of both. Sensory avoidant children are overly sensitive to sounds, sights, smell, touch or movement; sensory seeking children need strong sensory input. In either case, the child will have difficulty relaxing into sleep. Read More

Sleep Problems in the Alcohol- or Drug-exposed Child

In the first year, the most important lesson you can teach your child is that you always will be there for her. This is a key time for your child's developing a sense of trust in a trusting world. Read More

A Rose by Any Other Diagnostic Name...

The current guidelines for diagnosis of children who suffer from prenatal exposure to alcohol often impede access to intervention services and treatment. Read More

Executive functioning and the troubled brain

Many young people who find themselves in trouble have had psychological exams, and almost all have scored well within the normal range on IQ tests. But it is when these young people are asked to connect the dots, to put everything together, to use the information embedded in the deep recesses of their brains, that everything seems to fall apart. Read More

Is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders a Mitigating Factor in Criminal Litigation and Sentencing?

Children, youth, and young adults with FASD are more likely than not to end up before the court on criminal or civil charges, but the legal system has not come close to resolving how their cases should be treated. Read More

Decision-making and Cybertraps

There are two kinds of consequences: immediate and distant. Distant consequences are the most common strategy parents use to try to control their children’s actions: “If you post inappropriate pictures on the Internet, you will have trouble getting into college.” But distant consequences have little to no impact on controlling behavior. Read More

When Love and Church Aren't Enough

One of the most common refrains I hear from adoptive parents is, "We thought with enough church and enough love, everything would be fine." The look on their faces is one of shock and bewilderment. Read More

Catch 'em being good: Redux

Children’s self-control is achieved over the long term by empowering them through respect, listening, collaboration and problem-solving approaches. Read More

Catch 'em being good!

There are four basic forms of discipline; however, the only one that works is positive reinforcement. Read More

The Common Sense

I received a call from an adoptive parent this week. "Nick's nineteen years old," said the frustrated father. "And he doesn't have an ounce of sense!" Read More

A Mother Knows

True story. Read More

FAS: Is it a government plot?

"How much alcohol can a woman safely drink during pregnancy?" The answer is we don't know. But if it's your daughter, your granddaughter, or friend, or patient, the most caring answer is, "No amount is safe." Read More

The Dance of Attunement

My grandmother was thirty-seven years old when she became pregnant with what was to be her seventh child. She had no medical care during pregnancy, and when the time came she called the local midwife who attended the delivery at home. Without much fanfare, my uncle was born, though what followed was something no one had expected. Read More

Risk Is Not Destiny

When I was first contacted by Psychology Today to develop a blog for its online rendition, my first response was, "What's a blog?" As a member of the sixty-something generation, I read hardbound printed books, get my news from a paper, pay my bills by writing checks each month, and communicate with friends by telephone. Read More

Ira J. Chasnoff, M.D., is among the nation's leading researchers and authors addressing the needs of high-risk children. His most recent work is the award-winning The Mystery of Risk.

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