Are your requests to get ready for school, wash up for dinner or start the bedtime routine ignored? Do you need to scream at the top of your lungs before your kids will listen? Join Rachel Torrance, M.Ed, BCBA, COBA, and Jennifer Pearson, M.Ed, BCBA, COBA, of Accessing Abilities, as they provide families with the top 10 tips and tricks of the trade used by behavior analysts and educators. From grandma’s rule to breaking into song and dance, they will share proven strategies to help increase desirable behaviors and set your child up for success. Learn skills that will make both your life and your child’s life easier. This program is designed for both typically developing children as well as children with special needs.

Connecting for Kids

How to Get Your Preschooler to Listen

Does your child struggle with self-doubt? Is motivation an issue? Is schoolwork completed to the best of his or her abilities? Join Heather Dukes-Murray, Ph.D., licensed independent clinical psychologist, as she discusses how encouraging a growth mindset for your child, and developing a growth mindset in parenting, can help your child develop resilience in thinking and actions. She will provide growth mindset exercises to incorporate into daily activities that can be used to combat common struggles with homework, motivation and self-doubt. In addition, Dr. Dukes-Murray will provide you with ways to help your child identify, express, and regulate emotions as well as ideas for changing negative thinking patterns. Growth mindset exercises geared towards parenting will also be discussed.

Enhancing Growth Mindset

Does your child struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? What does science tell us about how to treat OCD and other anxiety disorders, and what strategies can you use to help your child meet their goals and enjoy their childhood? Join Jonah Lakin, Psy.D., of the OCD & Anxiety Center of Cleveland, as he discusses these questions, as well as the difficulties families face when a child has OCD. Attendees will learn about evidence-based strategies they can use to support, encourage and help their children.

Overcoming OCD

Gary Tonks, CEO, of The Arc of Ohio, discusses changes at the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, including: - Home and Community-Based Services Waivers - Fix the List and what to expect during your assessment - Navigating the waiver funding approval process - Additional funding sources Co-sponsored by Lorain County Family Forum, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Family 2 Family and The Arc of Ohio.

Changes to Ohio Waivers

Does your child struggle with impulsive behaviors? Does he or she act without thinking? Do impulsivity and hyperactivity negatively impact your child’s relationships and academics? Join Dr. Kimberly Burkhart of Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital to learn five behavior management strategies you can use to modify your child’s behaviors at home. She will also teach you strategies that your child can use to manage his or her own behaviors. In addition, Dr. Burkhart will identify five classroom strategies that you can request to help minimize the impact of ADHD on academic performance.

Strategies for Managing Hyperactivity/Impulsivity in Children with ADHD

Are you dealing with temper tantrums and aggressive behavior? Does your child have difficulty sleeping or complain of nightmares? Is he or she frequently worried or afraid? Join Tierney Payne, LPCC, of The Nord Center, as she models how families can use play therapy to help a child work through meltdowns, behavior problems, sleeplessness, anxiety and other issues. Not only can play therapy help improve these concerns, it can also strengthen the relationship between a parent and child. This session includes examples for both preschool and elementary-aged children.

How Play Therapy Helps Anxiety and Behavior

What is the best way to equip your child to stay in control of his or her emotions and behaviors through the ups and downs of daily life? Are you interested in finding ways to coach your child rather than having to referee an outburst? Join Meghan Barlow, PhD, of Meghan Barlow and Associates, and Christine Chambers, OTR/L, MEd, of Abilities First, LLC, as they provide practical tips that families can implement immediately to help children successfully navigate through their daily activities. Learn ‘pregame’ sensory strategies and activities for waking up and getting ready, handling unexpected situations, staying calm at social gatherings, completing work, and learning to play and have fun in a variety of environments. This program is for typically developing children as well as children with developmental delays.

Sensory Strategies to Build Every Child's Self Control and Competence

Are you concerned because your child is not potty trained? Are you frustrated and could use some potty training tips from professionals? Are you wondering whether your child's inability to be trained could indicate a physical or emotional issue? Join Nikki Jaras, MS, BCBA, COBA, of A+ Solutions, to discuss how and when to potty train. This podcast is geared toward families with an preschooler who has a developmental delay.

Potty Training the Challenging Child

Join Courtney Evenchik, MA, NCSP of A+ Solutions for an overview of potty training basics. This presentation is intended for typically developing children aged 2 years to 3 years of age.

Potty Training for Typically Developing Children

Did you know that the World Health Organization recently announced gaming addiction as a real diagnosis which should be recognized? Were you aware that games are specifically designed to be addictive? Join Dr. Jay Berk, of Jay Berk, PhD & Associates and author of "A Parent's Quick Guide to Electronic Addiction," for a lively and informative discussion about the new emerging crisis of electronic and gaming addiction. Dr. Berk will identify the signs of electronic addiction and how to manage behaviors associated with it, such as rage, refusal to give up electronics, loss of friends, social isolation and inappropriate activities on electronics.

Electronic Addiction: The New Epidemic

Does your gifted child have trouble connecting with peers? Does your child have trouble working or playing with peers? Is he or she emotionally sensitive and more easily hurt by what peers say and do? Join Dr. Meghan Barlow of Meghan Barlow and Associates as she explores the factors that interfere with the social relationships of gifted kids. She discusses such topics as trouble connecting with peers, cognitive rigidity (a child’s difficulty in changing his or her thinking) and uneven intellectual, physical and emotional development. Dr. Barlow also provides recommendations for how parents and caregivers can best support their gifted child's social development.

Supporting the Social Development of Gifted Kids

Whether you’re worried about a child who won’t eat vegetables or a child diagnosed with a feeding disorder, this solutions-based discussion by Stefanie Peck, MA, CCC-SLP, and Brenda Richards, OTR/L, of The Center for LifeSkills will give you tips you can put to use during your next meal at home.

Solutions for Picky Eaters and Problem Feeders

Does your child have challenges playing nicely with others? Are sharing, communicating, and expressing emotions difficult tasks? Does your child tend to play by him or herself and not interact with other children? Join Rec2Connect as they discuss common challenges with preschoolers (both typically-developing children and those with special needs). They will provide simple strategies to encourage children to develop their social skills and stop behaviors such as hitting, being a sore loser when playing games, whining and playing solo while ignoring those around him or her.

Positive Play with Preschoolers

Is your child prone to aggression and frequent outbursts? Does he or she have a tendency to argue and ignore requests? Are you looking for evidence-based answers for these disruptive behaviors? This program, for families of elementary-aged children, will explore the reasons behind your child’s anger and defiance and discuss ways to create a calmer home through Dr. Ross Greene's Collaborative & Proactive Solutions Model (CPS). Join Dr. Nora McNamara and Dr. Solomon Zaraa of University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center as they answer questions from the audience about diagnoses, medications and CPS. This program is co-sponsored by National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Cleveland (NAMI GC).

Solutions to Anger and Defiance

Does your child’s behavior test your patience? How can you set appropriate limits based on your child’s stage of development? Are you concerned about your child’s lying or inability to maintain friendships? Is your home always a battleground between siblings? Join Rebecca Boyle, PhD, of Albert Einstein Academy, as she provides practical strategies for handling behaviors such as whining and talking back as well as ways you can set limits to decrease these behaviors. In addition, they will discuss creative ideas to promote positive friendships, honesty and sibling harmony in your child.

Setting Appropriate Limits for your Child

Connecting for Kids educates and supports families with questions or concerns about their child.

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Connecting for Kids

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