Workshop: Smart But Scattered: Helping Students Cope with Executive Function Challenges

Freehold Regional High School District Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) Presents Smart But Scattered: Helping Students Cope with Executive Function Challenges a Workshop by Alison Block, P.h.D. Tuesday, February 18, 2014 Doors Open 6:30/Presentation: 7:00 pm Colts Neck High School 59 Five Points Road Colts Neck, New Jersey 07722 Do any of these describe your child? • Disorganized desk and a messy backpack • Often loses things • Forgets to finish or turn in … [Read more...]

Is Your Child’s Profile Happier than Her Real Life? Social Media Use and Anxiety in Children

If you are on Facebook you already know what a recent study found - it makes you sad. Researchers revealed that the more young people used Facebook, the more they became dissatisfied with their lives. How ironic that the social network we use for fun and connection can lead to sadness and disconnect! From TV to smart phones to social media, the lives of U.S. children and families are dominated 24/7 by media exposure. It’s only now that we are beginning to research and understand its … [Read more...]

Book Review: The Gift of Adversity by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.

You might ask yourself “why would I want to read a book about adversity?” Perhaps, for me, it was because I grew up with a lot of it. My father died when I was seven, and my first stepfather passed away during my sophomore year in college. So the subtitle of Norman Rosenthal’s book, The Unexpected Benefits of Life’s Difficulties, Setbacks, and Imperfections intrigued me enough to crack the cover. Adversity in life is unavoidable, so I wondered what Dr. Rosenthal could teach me that life’s … [Read more...]

Untangling Our Wired Lives: A Plan for Parenting On and Offline

If you find yourself wondering if your time on the Internet and social media is harming your child, then you’ll want to read on. According to recent research, children as young as eight are experiencing a host of problems due to social media use. Even Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, wants to help us untangle our wired lives. She recently started an online community called Dot Complicated and has published a new children’s picture book Dot., about a little girl … [Read more...]

Inspiration: Top 10 Ways to be the Best Person You Can Be

Shortly before leaving Monmouth Medical Center in June of 2013, Dr. Allan R. Tunkel, then Chief of Medicine, gave a talk to the medical honor society at Drexel University College of Medicine.  He delivered a riff on David Letterman’s Top 10 and spoke about the top ten ways to be a successful physician. When I had a chance to look at his speech, I was struck by the fact that it was not only a list of ways to be a great physician but a code of conduct for being a great human being. I found his … [Read more...]