Child Development Central

Practical, evidence-based information for parents and professionals.

Mark Bertin M.D.

The Power of Nonviolent Communication

Will we revert to stone-age methods of dominance, even in personal interactions, or can we recognize and embody our potential for compassion and cooperation?

Communicating with Your Health Care Provider

Communication can be a challenge in any human interaction, but particularly when discussing stressful topics in a health care visit.

Understanding Updated Developmental Milestones

New developmental milestones promote and enable a child and their family to develop stronger relationships around both development and learning. 

Why Is Adult ADHD So Often Unrecognized?

Just the act of getting diagnosed can be a game-changer with ADHD. It's like reading the last chapter of a mystery novel, where suddenly you look back and everything makes sense.

Living With Both ADHD and OCD

Having either ADHD or OCD can be challenging in itself. But having both is greater than the sum of its parts.  

Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and ADHD

Your habitual nasty voice is not based in reality. Most people feel better and work harder when they let go of self-criticism.

Your ADHD Plan: A Recipe for Better Focus

An effective and compassionate path of trial and error around ADHD relies on a clear-sighted exploration of what’s possible without self-criticism or blame.

The Reality of Auditory Processing and Our Online World

A crisis of misinformation escalates parents’ stress while often providing misguided direction.  There is no straightforward way to sort out what is valid around childrenn today.

Coming to Attention: Mindfulness, Crisis, and Resilience

Mindfulness arises from a core premise. Ask yourself, is it true? Does paying attention matter? Nothing anyone says changes your life unless you try it yourself.

ADHD at a Distance

Understanding what is needed and possible in any situation means framing ADHD as a disorder of self-management.

Steadying Our Communal Raft During Uncertain Times

How can we each continue to act with compassion and generosity if the anxiety and uncertainty persist?

Home Learning During the Crisis

Create structure, monitor work time as well as you can—and trust that we’ll figure out how to catch our kids up when it’s time for that.

Resilience and Routines for Families During the Pandemic

How can we best keep ourselves and our children strong and healthy while housebound and living in a time of pandemic?

Teen Phone Use 101

Caring, supportive parents assume their teen will sort out how to use their new phone well—and then that phone seems to consume everything.

Joy and Gratitude in Difficult Times

A clear-sighted sense of appreciation and joy is not treacle; it’s part of staying strong and resilient.

Mindfulness, ADHD, and Emotion: A Natural and Practical Fit

A new study shows benefit to children as young as 7 years old with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when they practice mindfulness, but not around attention.

Attention Deficit/“Goal-Getting” Disorder

By high school, the core impairments caused by ADHD often impact not only goal setting but “goal-getting” behaviors—including persistence, planning, and foresight.

The Gifted Child with ADHD

ADHD affects the ability to manage life – particularly when situations require sustained effort, consistency and planning. Because of that fact, grades are not the bottom line.

ADHD and Its Impact on Longevity

In a stunning keynote address at the 2018 International ADHD conference, Dr. Russell Barkley reframed ADHD as an under-acknowledged disorder of public health.

The Pivotal Role of Adults in Teen ADHD Care

Too often, 504 plans (academic supports) look good on paper, but don't take into account the fact that many teens with ADHD don't fully see how ADHD is impacting them.

See a Habit to Break a Habit

Simply paying attention, without expecting perfection, creates new options for parents. Without self-judgment, we can explore our tendencies and create opportunities for change.

All of Mindfulness in One Breath

Mindfulness is a marathon. The more we sit in meditation, the more we experience the benefits, which start to unfold with our first mindful breath.

Legal Rights of Students with ADHD

The best approach is to accommodations for ADHD is to support them in the moment, while teaching student skills to be more independent and successful in the future.

Talking Back to ADHD

Pause and realize the difference between a person and their ADHD, then begin to identify where ADHD affects life.

Turning the Page on ADHD

Naturally, change is hard for all kids, and can be harder for those with ADHD. A new school year is the perfect time to pause, reconsider, and set up new routines.

Collaboration When a Family Has ADHD: Like Parent Like Child

Finding an empathetic, mutual path around ADHD aims families towards a shared goal instead of a battle, while adults build the same skills they’re aiming for in their children.

ADHD Summer Reading Challenge

Reading is one of the most crucial activities for children, promoting language development, building knowledge, and setting up academic success, but ADHD can make it hard.

ADHD and Self Compassion

What’s the impact of living life with ADHD, seeing exactly what ‘should’ be done and often not getting there anyway.

Give Technology — and Yourself — a Rest

The brain needs a break to recover from activity just like our bodies do.

Building Resilience: How to Shift Mental Gears

Stress itself can be defined as the perception something is more than we can handle. That may sound like the most clichéd advice ever – but is a foundation of resilience research.

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