April 22, 2024 - Child and Family Speech Therapy in Two Languages - Matthew Valleau is a bilingual speech and language pathologist whose career trajectory took him from early intervention, where he worked with families in their homes, finally to working with children in the Boston Public Schools. Matthew brings a special set of talents and perspectives to helping children communicate.
Reference: Valleau M, Arunachalam S (2017). The effects of linguistic context on visual attention while learning novel verbs, Proceedings of the 41st annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, Ed. Maria Lamendola and Jennifer Scott, 691-705. Somerville MA: Cascadilla Press.
April 11, 2024 - Ann Densmore and the Gift of Enabling a Child to Speak - Ann Densmore is a certified speech pathologist and audiologist with a doctorate in education from Clark University (specialty in child discourse) and a master’s in human development and psychology from Harvard University Graduate School of Education.
Resources:
Douglas S, Dunkel-Jackson, Sun T, Owusu P (2022). A review of research related to the POWR intervention: a Communication partner intervention to support children with neurodevelopmental disorders, Current Developmental Disorders Reports, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-022-0244-6.
Vallotton C, Mastergeorge A, Foster T, Decker K, Ayoub C (2017). Parenting supports for early vocabulary development: Specific effects of sensitivity and stimulation through infancy, Infancy, 22(1):78-107. doing: 10.1111/infa.12147.
Knolle F, Vallotton C, Ayoub C (2018). Maltreated children use more grammatical negations, J Fam Child Stud, 27:453-464, dot:10.1007/s10826-017-0905-3.
Olswang L, Prelock P (2015). Bridging the gap between research and practice: Implementation science, Supplement Article, J Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, doi:10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-14-0305.
Densmore A, Helping Children with Autism Become More Social (2007). Greenwood Publishing Company.
April 2, 2024 - Sarah Douglass and Language Disabilities - Sara Douglas, Assoc Prof at Michigan State University in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies talks about her life-long mission to support communication in children with language disabilities.
March 18, 2024 - Patricia Prelock: Kids, Language, and Autism - Dr. Prelock talks about her studies of the nature and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) emphasizing the role of emotion regulation, social communication and perspective taking as important components of social cognition.
March 5, 2024 - Jaclyn Roberto and Speech Therapy for Children - Jaclyn Roberto speaks about her work supporting children with communication problems and their families in weekly out patient sessions.
Jaclyn is a speech-language pathologist who has been in the field for about 13 years. Although she has worked in multiple settings over the course of her career, most of her career has been in a pediatric outpatient setting, where she works closely with families who bring their children for weekly speech therapy sessions. She has a passion for working with early childhood language, children on the autistic spectrum, pediatric feeding disorders, and augmentative-alternative communication.
February 26, 2024 - Communicating with Babies - We have as a guest for this episode, Dr. Claire Vallotton, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Michigan State University. She studies communication between preverbal children and their parents and educators, and develops curricula and workshops to help caregivers understand and respond to young children’s communication cues so that they can respect babies as little individuals with legitimate feelings, wants, and needs.
February 15, 2024 - Speech, Music, and Stories with Carol Krusemark - Carol Krusemark is a speech/language pathologist with over 30 years of clinical experience. While she currently specializes in serving professional voice users, she has also worked in hospitals, schools, and on early intervention teams. Her current areas of interest include teaching, supervision, and incorporation of trauma-informed care principles into clinical care.
February 8, 2024 - Sara MacIntyre on Stuttering - We are delighted to welcome Sara MacIntyre to begin our series on Kids and Language. Sara is a speech and language therapist who specializes in stuttering based in Philadelphia. She owns YouSpeak Stuttering Therapy and hosts a webinar series and a podcast. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Resources:
Sara’s website: YouSpeak Stuttering Therapy: https://www.youspeakstuttering.com/
Stuttering Foundation Podcast: https://stutteringhelp.org/podcast
FRIENDS: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter: https://www.friendswhostutter.org/
Dr. Courtney Byrd's Lecture, 'Dream. Speak. Live: How to Navigate Fluency Conformity and Reduce Stuttering Stigma' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azDrm_NloyE
January 26, 2024 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison talks about “Co-Regulation”.
January 23, 2024 - References for the Autism/Neurodiversity Series
Cheng J, Eskenazi B, Widjaja F, Cordero J, Hendren R L (2019). Improving autism perinatal risk factors: A systematic review, Medical Hypotheses, 127:26-33.
Lord C, Petkova E, Hus V, et al (2012). A multisite study of the clinical diagnosis of different autism spectrum disorders, Arch Gen Psychiatry, 69(3):306-313.
Posner D (2023). Epilogue: The interpersonal world of the autistic infant, Part 2: Modes of Treatment, Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 43(3):247-250.
Sherkow, Susan (2011) The Dyadic Psychoanalytic Treatment of a Toddler With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 31: 252-275.
Rhode, Maria (2011) Asperger’s Syndrome: A Mixed Picture. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 31: 288-302.
Fonseca, Vera Regina J. R. M. (2009) The autistic dialogue style: A case of Asperger’s syndrome. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 35(3): 250-261.
Holloway, Robin (2016) Asperger’s Children: Psychodynamics, Aetiology, Diagnosis and Treatment. London: Karnac.
Singletary, William M. (2019) Asperger’s Children: Psychodynamics, Aetiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 88(3): 647-657.
Alvarez, Anne (1993) Making the Thought Thinkable: On Introjection and Projection. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 13: 103-122.
Alvarez, A. (2012) The thinking heart: Three levels of psychoanalytic therapy with disturbed children. London: Routledge.
January 8, 2024 - Sleep Disorders in Autism - Dr. Isabella Caldwell talks about the very common problem of sleep disorders in autistic children on the autistic spectrum.
December 11, 2023 - The SCC Pod: Dr. Catherine Lord’s ADOS and Longitudinal Study - Dr. Catherine Lord talks about the beginning of her research that led to the powerful assessment tool, the ADOS, and then the longitudinal study that has contributed so much to our understanding of autistic individuals and their families. She also talks about her current work developing tools for families to use with their children.
November 15, 2023 - A Task Sharing Approach to Autism - Dr. Gauri Divan, Director of the Child Development Group in the non profit Sangath, focuses on creating innovations that use a task-sharing approach with non-specialist workers.
November 6, 2023 - Neurodiverse Children in the Philippines - Dr. Charlotte Tan talks to us about her clinical work in the evaluation and treatment of neurodiverse children in her practice in the Philippines.
October 26, 2023 - Neurodevelopment Disorders with Dr. Robert Hendron - Dr. Robert Hendren talks to us about the “terroir” in neurodevelopment disorders and his translational interventional outcomes research.
October 5, 2023 - Dr. Susan Sherkow and Autism Spectrum Disorders - Dr. Susan Sherkow will speak about her knowledge and her experience with autism spectrum disorders as an expert psychoanalytic clinician and as the founder and Director of the Sherkow Center for Child Development and Autism Spectrum Disorder in New York City.
September 21, 2023 - Dr. Coughlin and the NDU - Dr. Kevin Coughlin, Medical Director of the new Neurodevelopmental Disorders Unit of Cambridge Health Alliance talks about his experiences setting up this unit to fill a crucial gap in treatment for ASD youth—and talks about the roots of his interest in ASD.
September 12, 2023 - A Scientist's Perspective on Neurodiversity - Lori Hogenkamp, the pioneering mind behind the Evolutionary-Stress Framework draws from her personal journey and extensive research in psychoneuroimmunology to offer her insights into the challenges faced by neurodiverse individuals and ways to help them meet those challenges.
August 28, 2023 - Dr. Rogerio Lerner, Professor of Psychology at the University of Sao Paolo, talks about how he used psychoanalytic knowledge to inform a cost-effective instrument for low resource communities in Brazil and was even able to influence public policy.
August 1, 2023 - Dr. Ann Anne Alvarez and Children on the Austistic Spectrum - Recognized author and psychoanalyst from London, Dr. Anne Alvarez, speaks about her remarkable work with children on the autistic spectrum.
July 24, 2023 - Autism Spectrum Interventions - Dr. Karen Levine, a developmental child psychologist, discusses several helpful interventions for children on the autism spectrum suffering anxiety and fears.
July 6, 2023 - Ruby Salazar’s Experience with Austistic Children and their Families - Ruby Salazar, child and family developmental therapist, talks about her long experience working with children on the autism spectrum and their families and effectively advocating for them.
June 22, 2023 - Developmental Consultation with Ilene Lefcourt - Ilene Lefcourt, author of several parent guidance books, member at Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training, and founder of the Sackler Lefcourt Center for Child Development in 1982, has provided developmental consultation to parents for over 35 years. She will speak about how she reached parents being haunted by “ghosts from the nursery” and helped them correct their misapprehensions of their infants’ behavior in order to respond to them with sensitivity.
June 13, 2023 - Children on the Austistic Spectrum - Robin Holloway, is a psychologist working in Toronto. He has written about and worked with children on the autistic spectrum for decades and he approaches our subject with knowledge and a special sensitivity. He talks to us about his work and tell us some stories about the children who helped grow that knowledge.
June 8, 2023 - Involving Fathers in Their Children’s Lives - Well known pediatrician, Dr. Michael Yogman, talks about his long-term interest in involving fathers in their children’s lives-- how he supported fathers in his pediatric practice, and how he continues to do so in international organizations.
May 25, 2023 - Dr. Connie Keefer on NBOs - Dr. Connie Keefer adds another episode to our series on the NBO. Dr. Keefer, one of the creators of the NBO, talks about experiences she had using the NBO with babies born with problems, and also tells a story about her experience with a tribe of American Indians.
May 9, 2023 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison talks about helping a 3-year-old stop throwing and responds to Dr. Vivek Murthy’s remarks about an “epidemic of loneliness” with thoughts about connectedness.
April 25, 2023 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison responds to a question about a child who is a picky eater.
April 11, 2023 - Two Perspectives on Fatherhood - Dr. Muhammad Zeshan, a child psychiatrist who grew up in Pakistan and now practices in the US, gives parenting advice that benefits from both perspectives.
March 28, 2023 - Fathers and Families in India - Dr. Abishek Bala, who grew up in a warm and connected extended Indian family, talks about that experience and the difference between his childhood and the experience of his young daughter growing up in the U.S.
March 21, 2023 - Fathers in El Salvador - Dr. Henry Marquez talks to us about fathers in El Salvador—the positives and the negatives-- and his experience bringing up a little daughter in the U.S. after having grown up in El Salvador.
March 14, 2023 - Fatherhood in Korea - Dr. Jooyoung Lee will talks about fatherhood in Korea-- his experience growing up in Korea with his father and his experience bringing up his two young boys in the U.S.
March 7, 2023 - Contemporary Fathers in the UK - Adrienne Burgess, the Joint CEO and Head of Research of the Fatherhood Institute talks and trains fathers throughout the world. She tells us what we know about contemporary fathers in the UK and what do we need to know.
February 28, 2023 - Introduction to the Fathers Series - Dr. Kyle Pruett, an international expert on the subject of fathers and their importance in child development discusses the history of his study of fathers, his research, and a powerful intervention using fathers to strengthen families.
Supporting Father Involvement
February 21, 2023 - The NBO in Rural USA - Claudia Gold, author of the “Hello It’s Me” project, talks about using the NBO in her work with families in rural America and tells wonderful stories about her experiences.
References for the NBO Series:
Nugent TJ, Bartlett J, Vonende A, Valim C (2017). The effects of the Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system on sensitivity in mother-infant interactions, Infants & Young Children, 30(4):257-208.
Kristensen I, Juul S, Kronborg H (2020). What are the effects of supporting early parenting by newborn behavioral observations (NBO)? A cluster randomized trial, BMC Psychology, 8, Open Access 752.
Nicolson S, Carron S, Paul C (2022). Supporting early relationships and reducing maternal distress with the Newborn Behavioral Observations: A randomized controlled effectiveness trial, Infant Mental Health Journal, 43(3):455-473.
February 16, 2023 - Supporting the Families of Vulnerable Infants - Dr. Campbell Paul, a real NBO expert, from Melbourne, also current President of the World Association of Infant Mental Health, talks to us about using the NBO with vulnerable infants and their families and tell us some of their stories.
February 6, 2023 - NBO Australia - Dr. Susan Nicolson talks to us about her experiences using the NBO with babies and their families in Melbourne. She also talks about her research demonstrating the effectiveness of the NBO in supporting the infant-parent relationship.
January 31, 2023 - Connecting with Families through a Focus on the Baby - Dr. Jayne Singer is a neurodevelopment specialist and Director of Developmental and Relational Health as well as Clinical Training at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center. She is a practitioner and mentor of the Brazelton Touchpoints Approach, and of the Newborn Behavioral Observations. She shares some of her insights about using the NBO to support families—including families of vulnerable infants—and tells a touching story about one of her encounters with a parent.
January 23, 2023 - The NBO in South Africa - Nicki Dawson, a psychologist with a specialty in infant parent psychotherapy talks about her work with the NBO in South Africa and how it can offer caregivers a special opportunity to see their baby as a unique little person with special strengths, This can be especially important in high-risk families when caregivers are haunted by “ghosts in the nursery” (Selma Fraiberg).
January 20, 2023 - The NBO in Manchester UK - Anulika Ifezue, a specialist health visitor and lead for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health in Health Visiting Manchester Foundation Trust, speaks with sensitivity, warmth, and clarity about what using the NBO in her practice, including in families from other cultures.
January 1, 2022 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison will respond to parents’ questions about their children’s out-of-control and defiant behavior and how to get children out of their rooms.
December 21, 2022 - Openness to a Family - Dr. Lise Johnson, Director of Brazelton Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital, will talk to us about her history with the NBO and the meaning the NBO has for her. Inspired by Dr. Brazelton, Lise changed the focus of her career from general pediatrician to specialist in newborns and now to leading the Brazelton Institute, the home of the NBO.
December 1, 2022 - The NBO in County Cork, Ireland - In the third episode of our series on the NBO, Trish Hurley, the Infant Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator of Let’s Grow Together in Cork Ireland, talks about her experience with the NBO and how it allows her to enter families at a transformational moment to share their joy as well as their concerns.
November 22, 2022 - Perspectives on the NBO from a Master Trainer and a Physical Therapist - Yvette Blanchard shares her experiences— as a co-author of the Newborn Behavior Observation (NBO), using the NBO in Early Intervention as a physical therapist, and as a professor and expert NBO and NBAS trainer. She brings it all to life with some stories about her work.
November 15, 2022 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison responds to questions about how parents can spend time with their children when they have to work two jobs, and the problem of being seen as the “bad guy” parent, and what it really means to be a “strength-based” method. Finally, does one ever get rid of one’s ghosts?
November 8, 2022 - Introducing the Newborn Behavior Observation (NBO) - A Strength-Based Method for Supporting Your Relationship with Your Child from Newborn to Adolescence
Dr. Kevin Nugent begins a new series on the NBO, which teaches the clinician, the parent, and all caregivers to read the language of the child’s behavior in order to recognize the child as a unique person-- their strengths and, without judgment, their vulnerabilities.
October 31, 2022 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison responds to questions about helping children who do not comply with parents’ requests and who can lose control.
October 26, 2022 - Kids and Books 4 - An Immigration Story - Silvia Juarez Marazzo, a licensed clinical social worker and Adlerian psychoanalyst has authored internationally recognized picture books for immigrant children. Originally from Buenos Aires, she fell in love with young children and their inner worlds when working in the slums and peasant communities in Argentina. Her own childhood was enriched by her family’s tradition of reading and her grandfather’s storytelling.
October 18, 2022 - Scaffolding Growth: Reading Books to Your Children and Grandchildren - Anne Berenberg talks to us about the insights her experiences evaluating and treating children with learning differences and how reading books to children can scaffold their psychological as well as cognitive growth.
October 11, 2022 - Living the Experience of Children’s Books - In the 3rd episode in our series, "Kids and Books," Kathryn Lasky Knight, the celebrated author of children’s books—and now an adult novel—talks about her experience reading and writing children’s books and how she began to write.
October 4, 2022 - Coming of Age Books - In our second installment of our Kids and Books series, Dr. Patty Potter talks about books that help teenagers find themselves in a world of adults that do not seem to understand them.
September 26, 2022 - The Magic of Children’s Literature at All Ages - Dr. Jane Hanenberg will begin our series on Kids and Books. We are a little behind on publishing her topic of Summer Reading, but Jane talks more generally about children’s literature and its place in their lives, and summer reading is also fall and winter reading after all.
September 19, 2022 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison responds to questions from parents of infants that also bring up important general questions about child care. For example, when and what should you begin to teach children, and what can teeth brushing tell you about setting good limits for your child?
September 13, 2022 - Creating Day Care in Hong Kong—Different and the Same - Kate McAlister, an early childhood educator and advocate, committed to fostering respectful and nurturing relationships, discusses the lessons she learned cultivating learning communities for children, parents, and teachers in Hong Kong—lessons that we can all relate to and grow from.
September 6, 2022 - True or False: Long days in Daycare is Harmful to Young Children - Professor Henrik Zachrisson talks to us about his important research studying the outcome of children who spend long days in daycare.
References: Dearing E & Zachrisson H (2017). Concerns over internal, external, and incidence validity i studies of child-care quantity and externalizing behavior problems, Child Developmental Perspectives, 11(2):133-138.
Dearing E, Zachrisson H et al (2018). Estimating the consequences of Norway’s national scale-up of childhood education and care (beginning in infancy) for early language skills, AERA Open, 18(1):1-16.
Ribiero L & Zachrisson H (2019). Peer effects on aggressive behavior in Norwegian child care centers, Child Development, 90(3):876-893.
Zachrisson et al (2013). Little evidence that time in child care causes externalizing problems during early childhood in Norway, Child Development, 84(4):1152-1170.
August 31, 2022 - Thomas the Tank Engine - Part 5 of our Children and Daycare series: Alayne Stieglitz, an infant and early childhood specialist, and the co-founder of SCC, talks about some of her many experiences as an early childhood educator, including one of my favorite stories about a little boy named “Thomas”.
August 17, 2022 - 5 Essentials for Successful Daycare - Patricia Ryan, a consultant and trainer for group care programs, talks to us about evidence-based practices that support relational health among young children, parents, and providers and tells us her 5 essentials for successful daycare.
August 9, 2022 - Supporting Children’s Natural Desire to Learn - A Montessori trained educator and infant parent mental health therapist, Tracy Epps, will talk about her experience with children and parents, emphasizing what she calls “conscious, gentle parenting”.
August 1, 2022 - Daycare, Ep 2: Framework for Understanding Day Care Issues - Dr. Dorothy Richardson speaks about her experiences as a consultant to daycare providers and her experiences as a psychotherapist for very young children and their families. She gives her “framework” for supporting children in daycare.
July 25, 2022 - Daycare, Episode 1 - Dr. Judith Yanof speaks about her experiences consulting to daycare providers and early educators and about the Boston Psychoanalytic Society’s conference on early childhood. This is a wonderful introduction to this series on the important work child caregivers do to create a safe world in which children can grow and learn outside the family home.
July, 19, 2022 - More About Family Vacations - Alexandra Harrison continues her discussion of family vacations with another Ask Me Anything episode, demonstrating that 1) Be prepared; 2) Be flexible; and 3) Lower expectations are good guidelines to follow …as much as possible.
July 13, 2022 - A Successful Family Summer Vacation in 3 Steps - Alexandra Harrison discusses how to have a happy and relatively stress-free summer vacation in an Ask Me Anything episode.
July 5, 2022 - Vacations to Remember - Alexandra Harrison recalls her family vacations in the Dordogne and lessons to be learned, memories to be cherished.
June 28, 2022 - Preview - Alexandra Harrison previews next week’s podcast episode: “My Family Vacations in France: What I Have Learned about Family Vacations-- What Works and What Doesn’t”
June 21, 2022 - Kids and Transitions Part 6 - The Rhythms of the Day - The Loss of A Family Dog - Alexandra Harrison shares her reflections on the recent death of her family dog and what it can help us understand about how humans maintain their sense of comfort and safety through patterns of engagement with loving partners that occur in the small details of daily life.
Reference:
Hofer, M (1984). Relationships as regulators: A psychobiological perspective on bereavement, Psychosomatic Medicine, 46 (3):183-197.
June 14, 2022 - Kids and Transitions Part 5 - Transition to a New Sibling - Preschool teachers, Maura Walsh and Dee Lyle, speak about the transition from being the only child to being a big sister or brother. It has its pluses and minuses!
June 6, 2022 - Kids and Transitions Part 4 - The Transitions of Divorce - The Couples and Family Therapist in Newton and a specialist on divorce and parenting issues, Dr. Robin Deutsch, speaks about the “good enough divorce” and how to help children make the transition from their original family to a new family.
May 30, 2022 - Kids and Transitions Part 3 - The Transition to Preschool - LisaBeth Calvo and Christina Isidoro, two talented and experienced teachers in the toddler room, talk about how they support children make the transition to preschool, typically their first “home away from home”. They help the child and parents feel psychologically safe so that they can take this step forward in development and help the child explore the world beyond the walls of their family home. In doing this, they support the development of the core competency of making transitions flexibly, a competency used throughout life.
May 23, 2022 - Kids and Transitions Part 2 - Tess Guttadauro, an occupational therapist at OTA Kumar Center specializing in sensory processing, talks to us about the challenges that children with sensory sensitivities face when they attempt transitions.
May 16, 2022 - Kids and Transitions Part 1 - Elizabeth Tedesco, a teacher at the Cambridge Ellis Preschool in Cambridge, MA, talks about the transition from preschool to elementary school.
May 9, 2022 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison continues the discussion from the last episode regarding the question of what to do when your child says he is a bad kid and will extend this discussion to include Family Values, “parents’ best friend”.
May 2, 2022 - Ask Me Anything - Alexandra Harrison talks about the painful and difficult question, “What should parents do when they discover their child thinks he is a bad kid?”
April 25, 2022 - Kids and Food: Nutritious and Delicious Food for Children with Dietary Requirements - Today we will have our fifth episode in our Kids and Food series. I am delighted to welcome Dr. Alka Bagri to our program. Dr. Bagri is an art historian by training with a doctorate from Oxford University. She also has a passion for cooking and has turned that passion into a mission to help families with children who have dietary needs because of metabolic conditions. Dr. Bagri—with her daughter—runs @LoProFam: an open access platform on instagram to help families with toddlers who have dietary requirement eat nutritious tasty meals. Dr. Bagri is also the aunt of our amazing intern, Gaya.
April 18, 2022 - Kids and Food from Australia - In this episode of the Food and Kids series, Natalie Beaumont-Smith recalls her childhood breakfasts in Australia and the joys of vegemite.
Natalie Beaumont-Smith, is a Work/Life Analyst and Program Manager at Harvard University, and Treasurer of SCC. She grew up and was educated in Australia, where she got her PhD in Human Nutrition and did research in Social Nutrition and Public Health.
April 12, 2022 - Kids and Food from Turkey - Dr. Hanife Akal, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow at the Hartford Health Care Institute of Living will talk to us about her experience with food growing up in Turkey. Hanife’s descriptions of breakfast in her Turkish family—from fresh bread to the special way of brewing tea—captivated me. Hanife tries to reproduce some of this wonderful breakfast tradition for Sunday breakfast during her busy life as a young doctor in the U.S.
April 4, 2022 - Kids and Food from India - Prajna Neelgund and Rohan Abhijith Ramanuja from Deenabandhu Trust will speak to us about the food of their childhood in South India. This interview brings back wonderful memories of my visits to Deenabandhu and the simple but delicious vegetarian meals cooked in the ashram from fresh vegetables flavored with many newly chopped spices.
March 27, 2022 - Kids and Food from China - Lily, a Boston College student who grew up in China, starts us out in this new series of Kids and Food. Lily discusses her experiences with family mealtimes as a child—menus, nutrition, cooking, and family conversations—including her mother’s response to having a child who was a picky eater. The international perspective, of this podcast series will offer us an opportunity to reflect on our own attitudes towards food, mealtime, and nutrition.
References:
Wright CM, Parkinson KN, Shipton D, Drewett RF (2007). How do toddlers’ eating problems relate to their eating behavior, food preferences, and growth, Pediatrics, 120(4):e1069-e1075, doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-2961
Caruth B, Ziegler P, Gordon A, Barr S (2004). Prevalence of picky eaters among infants and toddlers and their caregivers’ decisions about offering a new food, J Amer Dietetic Assoc, 104 Supplement:57-64.
Putnik D, Bell E, Ghassabian A, Polinski K, Robinson S, Sundaram R, Yeung E (2022). Associations of toddler mechanical/distress feeding problems with psychopathology five years later, The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13567.
March 21, 2022 - Ask Me Anything - We are fitting in another “ Ask Me Anything” before beginning a series on Kids and Food. Today Alex responds to questions about how to teach our kids empathy, and how to explain adoption to a biological sibling.
References:
Adoption:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804559/
Community Paediatrics Committee (2001). Paediatr Child Health, 6(5):281-283.
https://www.hopespromise.com/2020/10/21/the-effects-of-adoption-on-biological-siblings/
Hunsley Jana (2020). The effects of adoption on biological siblings, National Council for Adoption, Hope’s Promise blog.
Empathy:
Warneken F, Tomasello M (2006). Altruistic helping in human infants and young chimpanzees, Science, 311(5765). 1301-1303. DOI: 10.1126/science.11211448.
Svetlove M, Nichols S, Brownell C (2010). Toddlers’ prosocial behavior: From instrumental to empathic to altruistic helping, Child Dev, 81(6):1814-1827, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01512.x (open access)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfGAen6QiUE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHY3m4c8aWE
Talking To Kids about Difficult Subjects:
https://supportingchildcaregivers.org/videos--May 20, 2020, “Talking to Kids about COVID-19 and Other Difficult Subjects"
March 14, 2022 - In this Ask Me Anything episode, Alexandra Harrison responds to questions about when babies start to sleep through the night, whether you should let your baby put her hands in her mouth, whether you should continue breastfeeding even after starting solid food, how to stimulate your 6 month old baby, and what to do about an 18-month old biting his big sister.
References:
Sleep:
Douglas P, Hill P (2013), J Dev Behav Ped, Behavioral sleep interventions in the first six months of life do not improve outcomes for mothers or infants: A systematic review, 34(7). 497-507. Doi: 10.1097/DBP.0b013e31829cafa6.
Hall W, Hutton E, Brant R et al (2015). A randomized control trial of an intervention for infant sleep problems, BMC Pediatr 15, 181, doi.org/10.1186/s12887-015-0492-7.
Sadeh , Tikotzky L, Scher A (2009). Parenting and infant sleep, Sleep Medicine Reviews, doi:10.1016/jsmrv.2009.05.003
Combining Solid Foods with Breastfeeding:
https://www.medela.us/breastfeeding/articles/balancing-breastfeeding-and-solid-foods-for-baby
March 7, 2022 - Dance and Culture - Ashley Smith-Wallace began to study Irish dance with her parents, owners of an Irish Dance Academy, when she was 3-yo. After years of training and competitions, including honors such as being crowned the World Irish Step Dancing Champion in Belfast, in 2004, Ashley has become a choreographer and teacher herself. Ashley and I talk about her childhood with dance, how she thinks dance supports healthy physical and socio-emotional development in children, and how traditional dance can connect us with our roots.
February 28, 2022 - Dance and Movement as Healing for Children and for All of Us - Suzi Tortora, an accomplished dance and movement therapist and author talks to us about how dance can help children heal and grow stronger and come to know and love their bodies and their selves.
February 22, 2022 - Life as a Dancer - Nicole Berger De Francesco will talk to us about her life as a dancer, from her childhood studying Indian traditional dance, to her extraordinary career as a dancer and choreographer. Nicole will also offer some thoughts about how introducing a young child to dance can help guide an active little one into finding beauty and creativity in movement.
February 14, 2022 - Aditi on Dance - An accomplished dance therapist as well as infant parent mental health clinician, Aditi Subramaniam will talk to us about her personal and professional relationship with dance from childhood until the present, and how she has used dance to bring joy and healing to her life and to the lives of the children she has treated.
February 7, 2022 - Rainbow Dance - Dicki Johnson Macy, Director of the Boston Children’s Foundation and creator of Rainbow Dance will begin our series on Kids and Dance by telling us the fascinating story of Rainbow Dance, an activity of movement and music that captures the imagination of children and their caregivers while also bringing calm and comfort.
January 31, 2022 - Ask Me Anything - Dr. Alexandra Harrison will respond to questions from parents about when to pick up a crying baby, what to do about a 4-yo lying, how to respond to a child cheating in a game, and how to take a child’s learning difficulties into consideration when the child does not do “what he is supposed to do”.
January 24, 2022 - Monty Stambler - Kids and Games 2 - Dr. Monty Stambler will speak again about kids' games—the advantages of children playing together using their bodies in rhythmic, repetitive physical activity. Dr. Stambler will also discuss the meaning of kids cheating in games.
January 20, 20922 - Ken Barranger - Kids and Games - Ken Barranger, the Director of the Academy of Physical and Social Development, a wonderful activity program for all kinds of kids that I have considered a valuable resource in the community for decades, will speak about kids’ games that build community while also supporting an individual child’s development.
January 10, 2022 - Games For Early Child Development - In the second installment of our Kids and Games series, Katie Clark, Arts Educator and Program Director of the Cambridge-Ellis School talks about games for preschool children that support their cognitive and social and emotional development while they are having fun.
January 7, 2022 - Monty Stambler: Kids and Games 1 - Dr. Monty Stambler, child and adult psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, and also co-founder with his wife of a children’s game company, Gamrwright, will introduce our new series of “Kids and Games” with a discussion about how children’s games support their psychosocial development.
Show notes:
Winnicott DW (1971). Playing and Reality, London, Routledge Press.
Butler, & Weatherall, A. (2006). "No, We're Not Playing Families": Membership Categorization in Children's Play. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 39(4), 441–470.
Ramani, Daubert, E. N., & Scalise, N. R. (2019). Role of Play and Games in Building Children's Foundational Numerical Knowledge. In Mathematical Cognition and Learning (Print) (Vol. 5, pp. 69–90).
December 29, 2021 - Ask Me Anything 2 - The second episode in a series in which the host of this podcast, Alexandra Harrison, child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, will respond to questions sent in by listeners. In this our second “Ask Me Anything” episode, Dr. Harrison will respond to additional questions from listeners . These questions touch on the subjects of sensory processing and Temperament, and also how to encourage your child to love books and reading.
Show notes:
Blanche E, Gunter J (2020). Sensory processing disorders, Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Development, 2nd edition, Eds. M Haith, J Benson, Volume 2, https://doi.org/10.1016/B8978-0-12-809324-5.23602-X.
May-Benson T, Koomar J (2010). Systematic review of the research evidence of the effectiveness of interventions using a sensory integrative approach for children, Amer J of Occupational Therapy, 64(3):403-414.
December 22, 2021 - Ask Me Anything - The first episode in a series in which child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Alexandra Harrison, the host of this podcast, will respond to questions sent in by listeners. In this our first “Ask Me Anything” episode, Dr. Harrison will respond to questions about the stress of COVID on children and their caregivers, how to manage childhood tantrums, and how long to let babies cry before picking them up.
Show Notes:
Garner A, Yogman M (2021). Preventing childhood toxic stress: partnering with families and communities to promote relational health, Pediatrics, 148(2), August 2021, e2021052582. www.aappublications.org/news.
Porges S (2015). Making the world safe for our children: Down-regulating defense and up-regulating social engagement to ‘optimise’ the human experience, Children Australia, 40(2):114-123. Doi: 10.1017/cha.2015.12.
December 13, 2021 - Advice from an Expert Dog Trainer - Dr. Amy Koel, a developmental psychologist and expert dog trainer, who has been working with adults, children and families and their companion dogs for more than 20 years, will talk to us about ways to enhance communication and understanding between dogs and humans, in order to nurture the development and happiness of both species in their lives together.
December 6, 2021 - A Dog as a Family Member - Monique Udell, animal behavior researcher, talks about human-dog bonding, evolutionary factors influencing the social wellbeing of dogs, and intervention programs aimed at improving the lives of dogs and the humans they live with.
December 1, 2021 - Dog is Love - Speaking about his book, Dog is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You, Professor Clive Wynne introduces our series of “Dogs and Kids” with a discussion of the amazing capacity of dogs to love us, recalling his certainty that his boyhood dog, Benji, loved him unconditionally. As an adult animal behavior scientist, Prof Wynne studied dogs' amazing capacity to make emotional bonds with humans, and in our discussion he describes experiments demonstrating this bond.
November 29, 2021 - A special announcement about the format of upcoming episodes of The SCC Pod.
November 16, 2021 - Temperament - Nancy Snidman, Director of the Child Development Unit of the University of Massachusetts Boston, was Research Director of the Infant Study at Harvard, where she studied infant temperament with Professor Jerome Kagan. In this episode Nancy talks about the highly sensitive child in terms of temperament, revealing the large overlap of sensory processing problems and high reactive temperament. Professor Snidman also has some important tips for parents of children with high reactive temperament.
November 8, 2021 - Selective Mutism - Katherine Schwab will discuss the interesting phenomenon of children who do not speak a word at school but are chatterboxes at home. Katherine is a therapist who works with these children and has some creative ideas about how to help them come out of their shells outside of their safety zone.
November 2, 2021 - Do Infants React to Mothers Wearing Masks? - Renowned infant researcher Ed Tronick discusses a recent study of infants' responses to their mothers wearing masks. Tronick created the famous still face experiment that demonstrated the sensitivity of infants to their mother’s contingent responses, primarily communicated by facial expression. In this study, he wanted to know whether mothers’ masking during the pandemic had an effect on their infants’ responses to their mothers when the mothers were masked.
October 25, 2021 - Your Highly Sensitive Child, Part 2 - We will continue with Part II of Jessica Merle’s discussion about her experience as the mother of a highly sensitive child. In this episode, Jessica will give us thoughts about how to manage the reactions of other adults, including teachers, health professionals, extended family, and friends. Jessica has come up with some creative and highly effective methods of introducing her unique child to the world.
October 11, 2021 - Your Highly Sensitive Child, Part 1 -An accomplished professional woman and the mother of a highly sensitive child describes mothering her wonderful yet challenging child and what she has learned from this experience.
July 5, 2021 - Spanish Conversation about Teen Parents - Spanish Language Conversation about Teen Parents - Diego Quiros interviews Malu Jimenez about a study of teen parents in Peru, in particular discussing teen fathers.
June 1, 2021 - Dr. Paola Contreras on Trauma - Dr. Paola Contreras speaks about her work with victims of trauma in Latin America and in the U.S.
May 2, 2021 - Lullabies - Alexandra Harrison will discuss the universal and culture specific qualities of lullabies and why it is so good to sing to your baby.
April 29, 2021 - Gil Noam Speaks about Hope for Education after COVID - Gil Noam discusses his new book, Ten Big Bets: Transforming Education During the Pandemic and Beyond, explaining that there is hope in new flexibility and inspiration for our children's education after the pandemic.
April 5, 2021 - Your Child with ADHD - Dr. Shawn Yehudian discusses ADHD--how to understand it and how you can support your child with ADHD
March 8, 2021 - Nancy Rappaport talks about "Dancing with COVID" - Nancy Rappaport talks about ways of living with and coping with the stresses of COVID in schools, and at home with family and friends.
February 8, 2021 - Remote Learning with Your Teenaged Child - In the third of 3 episodes about remote learning, Eileen Berger gives tips about how to help your teenager with remote learning and preparation for the future.
February 1, 2021 - Remote Learning with Elementary School Aged Children - Eileen Berger discusses remote learning with elementary school aged children and gives helpful tips about how parents can support their children with resources on the web and by collaborating with teachers.
January 25, 2021 - Remote Learning with Preschool Children - An expert educator, Eileen Berger, will discuss how to support your preschool child in remote learning.
January 11, 2021 - Meg Casano and Good Sleep Habits for Your Child - Meg Casano, a sleep consultant, discusses how to help your child develop good sleep habits and how to help you deal with wakefulness.
Visit Baby Sleep Science.
December 17, 2020 - Breastfeeding Made Easier - An interview with the lactation consultant Lauryl Ramakrishnan, who discusses the value of breastfeeding and how to troubleshoot difficulties in initiating and establishing breastfeeding.
November 25, 2020 - Peripartum Mental Health - A conversation between women's mental health expert, Dr. Marcela Almeida, and child psychiatrist, Dr. Mamatha Challa, on women's mental health during pregnancy and the post partum period.
November 16, 2020 - How to Manage Your Out of Control Child - Tal Baz discusses ways to manage your out of control child and methods of helping your child self-regulate in a variety of common situations.
October 30, 2020 - Interview with Dr. Andrew Skoirchet--Effect of Stressk - Dr. Andrew Skoirchet will discuss the effects of various early stressors on the brain, sensitive periods of development, and how these stressors affect different regions of the brain.
October 9, 2020 - Polyvagal Theory and ASD - Alexandra Harrison discusses how the PVT can be used to understand creating safe psychological environments for ASD individuals and how that understanding applies to all of us.
September 29, 2020 - More About PVT - Alexandra Harrison discusses Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory in greater depth and gives a clinical example.
September 22, 2020 - RBG--Inspiration for Parents - Alexandra Harrison explains how Ruth Bader Ginsburg can be an inspiration to parents and to all of us.
September 10, 2020 - Creating Psychological Safety - Alexandra Harrison discusses how parents, teachers, and therapists can create psychological safety for children and adults using two tools for understanding behavioral cues and stress regulation.
September 3, 2020 - Nonverbal Cues in Systemic Racism - Alexandra Harrison describes how nonverbal behavioral cues may be an important factor in system racism.
August 27, 2020 - Nonverbal Cues - Alexandra Harrison describes how nonverbal cues can aid parents, teachers, and therapists in managing their interactions with children and adults.
August 11, 2020 - Good Discipline in Teaching - Alexandra Harrison discusses how teachers can use "good discipline" in the classroom.
July 31, 2020 - Good Discipline in Sibling Conflict - Alexandra Harrison discusses how to use "good discipline" in sibling conflict.
July 31, 2020 - Good Discipline with a Special Needs Child - Alexandra Harrison discusses how to use "good discipline" with your special needs child.
July 6, 2020 - Good Discipline in Co-Parenting - Alexandra Harrison discussing "good discipline" in co-parenting, referring to the general guidelines for setting limits and with reference to negotiation between the parents as well as negotiation with the child.
June 29, 2020 - 010 The SCC Pod: Good Discipline with Teenagers - Alexandra Harrison discusses "good discipline" with teenagers, including insights into adolescent brain development, friendships, and homework.
June 21, 2020 - 009 The SCC Pod: Good Discipline with Your School-Aged Child - Alexandra Harrison discusses "good discipline" or limit setting with your teenage child, including homework.
June 12, 2020 - EP 008: Good Discipline with Preschool - Alexandra Harrison discusses the fundamentals of "good discipline" with preschool children and how to "grow their brains".
June 12, 2020 - EP 007: Screen Time in COVID - Alexandra Harrison discusses screen time in the time of social isolation and the methods and challenges of setting limits on your child's use of screens during the pandemic.
May 22, 2020 - EP 006: Magic Moments - This episode of the SCC podcast discusses how to find "magic moments" in the experience of being cooped up with children during the pandemic.
May 15, 2020 - EP 005: Talking to Your Child - This podcast discusses how parents can talk to their child about the pandemic and other difficult subjects such as divorce, illness or death of a family member, or a family move.
May 11, 2020 - EP 004: Post Partum Depression - A discussion of Post Partum Depression in the Time of COVID-19 and how stressful life experiences accumulate to cause an illness.
May 1, 2020 - EP 003: Family Projects in the Time of COVID-19 - A description of how family projects can be used to teach family values experientially and help children identify with family members who have demonstrated resiliency and heroism in times of hardship.
April 27, 2020 - EP 002: Racial Disparity in COVID - This episode discusses the racial disparity in COVID-19 illness from multiple points of view, including epigenetics. It uses this exploration to gain insight into disadvantaged people throughout the world.
April 27, 2020 - EP 001: Pregnancy in the Time of COVID-19 - The premier episode of The SCC Pod discusses pregnancy and childbirth in the time of COVID-19--concerns and solutions.
Claudia Gold
Margaret Mahler
NBO - Newborn Behavioral Observation