Raising Resilient Children

Maximizing their strengths, coping with adversity and developing a social mindset.

by Sam Goldstein Ph.D. and Robert Brooks, Ph.D.

Appreciating the Acts of Courage of Children with Special Needs

In a number of workshops as well as writings, I have highlighted a concept that is closely aligned with that of resilience and one that I believe deserves our focus when raising or working with children with special needs, including those on the autism spectrum. That concept is "courage." Read More

The Tale of the Tortoise and the Hare

In the news the past two weeks were two important stories concerning the treatment and long term outcome of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. These reports have wide ramifications for children with all types of developmental disorders including Autism. Read More

A Good Day Is When Bad Things Don't Happen

Michael is an 11-year-old fifth grader with Autism Spectrum Disorder I have worked with for the past year. At the time of my assessment a year ago, despite receiving special services at school, Michael had made minimal progress. Read More

CDC Releases Flawed Study on ASD Incidence

Two weeks ago the Center for Disease Control published what I know to be an extremely flawed survey suggesting that Utah has the highest incidence of childhood Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the country. No explanation was provided for this incidence report. Read More

A Mother and Son's Perspective of His Autism

Being empathic, which is not always easy to achieve for parents and other caregivers, is rendered even more difficult when a child or adolescent is on the autism spectrum. Read More

Understanding the Difference Between Ability and Knowledge

How do children learn and why do some struggle? Read More

Providing Contributory Activities for Children with ASD

Many years ago while gathering information for my book The Self-Esteem Teacher I asked approximately 1,500 educators to answer a brief questionnaire anonymously. The first question asked, "Please describe briefly one experience that you had with an educator when you were a student that reinforced your self-esteem. Read More

Identifying and Reinforcing "Islands of Competence" in Children with ASD

In the beginning of our careers my colleague Dr. Sam Goldstein and I, similar to many psychologists trained in the late 1960s and 1970s, focused on fixing deficits rather than building on strengths. Read More

Teaching and Conveying Empathy to Children with ASD

Imagine for a moment what your relationships with others would be like if you constantly struggled to understand their perspective. Imagine not being able to decipher accurately what others are feeling or communicating. Think about a time you were in a situation in which you felt you could not "read" the other person, could not sense their intentions nor what they were experiencing. Read More

What Exactly Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Is it a single condition? Is it many conditions with similar symptoms? We are slowly beginning to understand that while there may be differences between children with ASD, this condition represents significant social, communication and behavioral challenges for children. Read More