The Hurried Child, Revisited

About 20 years ago, my supervisor suggested that I pick up the book The Hurried Child by David Elkind. This was shortly after I had finished graduate school and was just starting out in my first professional job. He suggested I read the book in order to give myself some context around the lives that many of the children in my caseload […]

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The Lure of the Console (Part I) – Quirky Kids and Video Games

“TV is just like video games. But without all the work!”– 15 year old Academy MetroWest participant During the summer, Academy MetroWest runs a small day camp.  Since we started the camp, I’ve worked not only as a co-director, but also as the counselor for the oldest boys’ group. Every Friday, we go on a field trip or run some type […]

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Outgrowing Autism?

The authors of a recent study published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry have created a buzz in the human service community. Deborah Fein, a researcher at University of Connecticut, and her colleagues studied a group of children and adolescents who had been diagnosed with Autism by the time they were 5 years old. The authors found that in […]

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On New Year’s Resolutions, Bill Gates, and Self-Esteem

I’m not optimistic that my new year’s resolution will be achieved this year. It’s a noble, worthwhile goal but it requires more self-discipline than I can probably muster. My resolution is to cut back on the amount of time I spend on Facebook. One reason for the resolution leads me to the focus of this piece. Through Facebook, I’m back […]

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It Will Never Stop Being a Struggle – But It Will Get Better

Back in December, Academy MetroWest hosted a parent workshop called Young Adulthood – Looking Forward, Looking Back. It featured 3 Academy MetroWest alumni, now in their early or mid 20’s, reflecting on the struggles they faced during their school years and the challenges they face now. This is our 3rd year of presenting parent workshops and we’ve had some good ones. […]

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The Welcome Back Kotter School of Limit Setting

On the morning of September 10, 1975, as my fellow classmates and I streamed in to Iroquois Middle School for another enthralling day of 6th grade, we found ourselves enthusiastically comparing our favorite moments from a sitcom that had premiered the evening before. At least 12 hours after we had all feasted our eyes and ears on it for the […]

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