The Brain First Parenting podcast supports parents who are raising children, teens or young adults with brain-based differences and challenging behavioral sympt...
SUMMARY - In this episode, Eileen speaks to the experience of parenting a child who is often times seen as the kid who "ruins everything". She breaks down what is actually happening when a child's behavior appears to be intentional and willful, how to shift to seeing them through a Brain First Parenting lens, and steps parents can take to proactively prevent the same outcome in the future.TAKEAWAYS:Having a child who is seen as "ruining everything" is unfortunately a common experience for parents of kids with brain-based differences and challenging behavioral symptoms.In these hard moments, the task for parents is to shift from a behavioral lens to a Brain First lens. Eileen provides some ideas on how to do this.What parents can focus and reflect on after the difficult experience has passed, to deepen their understanding of their child and proactively build in more accommodations for future events to prevent the same negative outcome.What a child begins to believe about themselves when they are seen as "ruining everything" and how parents can buffer against these negative outcomes.Related Blog Posts:"You Ruin Everything."Looking for individualized parent support? Eileen offers parent coaching to parents across the globe. You can learn more about her one-to-one support services HERE. =======================If you appreciated this episode, and would like to receive a weekly note from Eileen about the Brain First Parenting journey every Monday, you can subscribe to her free newsletter HERE!You can also check out all the FREE resources Eileen offers for parents, and learn more about all things Brain First at her website: eileendevine.comAnd of course, find and follow Eileen on social media:FacebookInstagramPinterest
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Ep. 10 | The Unspoken Part: Acknowledging the Parent Experience
SUMMARY - When you are the parent of a child or teen with brain-based differences and challenging behavioral symptoms, it is a common experience to not have your experience, as the parent, acknowledged or supported. This is the other side of the "coin" when parenting from a Brain First lens, and deserves (and requires) as much attention and support as the other side of the "coin", which is the child and their needs. In this episode, Eileen reflects on her own experience, as well as those of parents she has worked with, highlighting the importance of attending to your well-being as a parent of a complex child with intense needs.TAKEAWAYS:Understanding both sides of the Brain First Parenting "coin" is essential to being able to thrive in the experience of parenting a child with brain-based differences and challenging behavioral symptoms.The first side is understanding your child's unique neurobiology and parenting them in alignment with how their brain and nervous system works. The other side, which is largely ignored or unacknowledged, is the lived experience of the parent.Why it is essential to acknowledge the unique (and often hard) aspects of parenting a child or teen with intense needs, and why this is where healing can take place.If you feel like you would benefit from one-to-one, individualized support, you can checkout the parent coaching support Eileen offers parents just like you.RELATED BLOG POSTS:Tending Both Sides of the Parenting CoinReconsidering What It Means to Be Resilient=======================If you appreciated this episode, and would like to receive a weekly note from Eileen about the Brain First Parenting journey every Monday, you can subscribe to her free newsletter HERE!You can also check out all the FREE resources Eileen offers for parents, and learn more about all things Brain First at her website: eileendevine.comAnd of course, find and follow Eileen on social media:FacebookInstagramPinterest
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Ep. 9 | Let Go of the Fear That You're Over-Accommodating
SUMMARY - In this episode, Eileen walks through a common fear that many parents hold, which is that if they fully accommodate their child or teen, that they will prevent their child from growing, developing and maturing.TAKEAWAYSWhy, exactly, we provide accommodations to kids, teens, and young adults who have brain-based differencesWhy accommodations are the path towards less challenging behavioral symptomsIt is a normal part of learning to parent from a Brain First lens to have a concern that you (the parent) are over-accommodating your child or teenWe all need adequate support in our various environments to be able to keep our thinking brain on-line, stay in our window of tolerance and grow in our skillsWhen kids live with brain-based differences and a fragile nervous system, they need even greater accommodations to experience felt-safety and navigate their world successfully, due to their unique neurobiologyAccommodations do not stunt growth, they are the very thing that promotes growth and helps our kids matureRELATED BLOG POSTS:6 Key Questions that Lead to Effective AccommodationsUnderstanding the Window of Tolerance - Pt. 1The Brain First approach will change how you parent=======================If you appreciated this episode, and would like to receive a weekly note from Eileen about the Brain First Parenting journey every Monday, you can subscribe to her free newsletter HERE!You can also check out all the FREE resources Eileen offers for parents, and learn more about all things Brain First at her website: eileendevine.comAnd of course, find and follow Eileen on social media:FacebookInstagramPinterest
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Ep. 8 | Help Your Child Break the Perseveration Loop
SUMMARY -In this episode, Eileen will break down the common and often exhausting behavioral symptom called perseveration. She takes the listeners through what perseveration looks like behaviorally, so parents can identify it in their child or teen; how it is connected to the brain; and how parents can help their child when they get stuck in perseveration loops.TAKEAWAYSThe definition of perseverationThe difference between perseveration and OCDHow to see this behavioral symptom through a Brain First lensWhat cognitive skills are connected to perseverationHow you can identify preservation in your child or teenWhat you can do as a parent to help break the perseveration loop your child or teen is stuck inCommon experiences for a parent who has a child or teen experiencing perseverationRELATED BLOG POSTS:Getting Unstuck: 4 Ways to Help Your Child Break the Perseveration Loop=======================If you appreciated this episode, and would like to receive a weekly note from Eileen about the Brain First Parenting journey every Monday, you can subscribe to her free newsletter HERE!You can also check out all the FREE resources Eileen offers for parents, and learn more about all things Brain First at her website: eileendevine.comAnd of course, find and follow Eileen on social media:FacebookInstagramPinterest
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Ep. 7 | Understanding the Difficult Maturity Gap
SUMMARY -In this episode, Eileen takes you, step-by-step, through a universal and highly misunderstood characteristic seen in kids and teens with brain-based differences, which is a maturity gap in comparison to same-aged peers. She explains how this gap is connected to the brain, how to identify it for what it is (as a lagging cognitive skill set), and how to more successfully support a child or teen who experiences this gap.TAKEAWAYSWhy kids with brain-based differences so often behave in ways that are seen as "immature"How this "immaturity" is connected to their unique brainHow this behavioral symptom is typically viewed (through a behavioral lens), and how to shift our understanding of it to a Brain First lensDysmaturity: what it is and how to identify it in your child or teenHow to respond to dysmaturity from a Brain First lens, allowing you to help your child or teen grow in their cognitive skillsCommon experiences for a parent who has a child or teen experiencing dysmaturityRELATED BLOG POSTS:Helping Our Children Navigate FriendshipsDysmaturity and the Challenges of Friendship=======================If you appreciated this episode, and would like to receive a weekly note from Eileen about the Brain First Parenting journey every Monday, you can subscribe to her free newsletter HERE!You can also check out all the FREE resources Eileen offers for parents, and learn more about all things Brain First at her website: eileendevine.comAnd of course, find and follow Eileen on social media:FacebookInstagramPinterest
The Brain First Parenting podcast supports parents who are raising children, teens or young adults with brain-based differences and challenging behavioral symptoms. We are a safe space for parents who have historically felt like there isn't a place for them in the parenting advice world. At Brain First Parenting, we see each child as a unique individual with a unique brain, who deserves accommodations to thrive in a world that is frequently not set up for people with neurobehavioral challenges. We prioritize supporting the parents of these kids and teens so that they can, in turn, feel hope and confidence and joy in their parenting experience.
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