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Hello Dr. Dave, My 9-year-old daughter suffers from anger overload and her episodes have gotten more frequent and pretty scary. My husband    and I are wondering if we should follow the course you recommend in your book on our own, or seek professional help. Some background� We can trace E�s angry outbursts back to when she was a newborn and would get so mad when we would put her in her carseat that she would hold her breath and turn purple. As a toddler, she was more volatile than my older daughter, but we figured her behavior was in the range of normal for her age. Between the ages of 5 and 7, she had several over-the-top reactions to seemingly small disappointments or when she would not get her way. The summer after she turned 7, things got worse. Practically every day, something would set her off and she would scream at the top of her lungs, cry, say nasty things to her parents and sister, and throw stuff around. Once she pulled out a clump of hair and once she banged her ...

This is a post that I�ve been meaning to write for a long time - probably for four years or more � and it�s about computer use, particular when homeschooling boys. We all recognize there�s a problem. It may not be your child, but you know that Facebook is full of moms (and it�s almost always moms) who write SOS messages about their child�s obsessive focus on some kind of screen, be it tv, computer, laptop, tablet, or gaming device. I know all about this. I�ve been there � in spades! When my eldest son, who is now 14, was about ten years old, we went through a period where he was exhausted all the time. We soon learned that it was because he was setting his alarm for 2 am so he could sneak down and play Minecraft all night. Little Boys and their Games Ever since then, I have been a loud voice on the internet for vigilance and caution when it comes to screens. I have read just about every book there is on the subject. Some titles that come to mind are Boys Adrift, Wired Child, several ti...

Dear Dr Dave I came across your article on anger overload after desperately in tears reviewing the internet.  It is the first time I have actually read something that sounds like what my just turned 5 year old has! We are waiting for proper Assessments to be carried out at the moment but first discussion with Pediatrics & we were asked to complete Conners 3 & the social communication checklist. Neither myself or or the teachers at my sons school think he has ADHD or Autism. He is a very intelligent little boy & is extremely loving especially to animals & younger children & his no problem with attention. They have witnessed his sweetness & had great conversations with him over lunch. From an early age he has what we call a flip switch, where he just  loses his temper. It's usually linked to frustration, what he thinks is unfairness or just not getting his own way. Sometimes we can distract him out of it, normally with something that requires thinking ...

Thank you all for joining me and home educated families like us in the #100WaystoHomeEd challenge started by Jax Blunt at the Making It Up blog. Previous to this blog post here was Kelly Allen's about lifestyle education: pop on over to later to see what she has to say here:  https://kellyallenwriter.com/2017/03/02/100-ways-to-home-educate-learning-through-life/ I've been allowed to blog about my favorite topic - homeschooling teens  (forgive my American spelling and terminology: I moved from the UK to Texas last year and am trying to "go native"). A lot of people seem to hit those secondary years with their children and just lose the plot. It's all "exams, exams, exams," or, in the US, collect those dual-credit hours (for getting the jump on university), and SATs (to nab some scholarship money), but the atmosphere is the same -- time to knuckle down and work, work, work. All work and no play can give teens a very dull life! I think it's sad when I l...