Speaking Engagements

Ever wish your child could handle frustration without melting down—or be okay with struggle as part of learning? This hands-on parent workshop turns Carol Dweck’s “growth mindset” research into everyday tools you can actually use. Discover how to turn “I can’t do it” into “I can’t do it—yet,” and learn how to coach your child through frustration, setbacks, and success.

 The universal parenting struggle! And this hits parents of kids with disabilities and learning differences even harder.  I would work with parents to talk about practical, realistic strategies to set boundaries, reduce power struggles, and create screen habits that stick. No guilt, no perfection required.

I walk parents through the very basics of the IEP - the goals, the evaluations, the data. I explain how important it is for families to keep data and what data looks like (spoiler:  it can be simply a box of schoolwork and some handwritten notes). I also show families how AI is a valuable tool for helping write letters, brainstorm new goals, and check out grade level standards - within reason and with a certain amount of fact checking on our end.    

Geared towards Early Intervention, IEP, 504s, or just parents who are floating around and not sure what is up:  I focus on strategies to pull back and think big picture - 6 months, 12 months ahead max. It is a VERY mini version of parent coaching.  I take some time to talk about how parents can collaborate with therapists, school staff and teachers, as well as best practices for keeping records and tracking progress.  And naturally, I work with parents on strategies to notice their child's growth and progress without getting stuck in the comparison trap. 

This workshop explores what the nervous system actually is and how it shapes behavior, including the states of fight, flight, freeze, and the calmer state of flow. When a child’s system is in alarm mode, their brain is focused on survival, which is why you can’t reason a child out of overwhelm in the middle of it. We’ll talk about the difference between regulation and compliance, because a regulated child can learn and problem-solve, while a dysregulated child simply cannot access those skills. We’ll also look at how these nervous-system responses show up differently across ages. A preschooler and a sixth grader may behave very differently on the surface, but the behavior can come from the same underlying state. Finally, we’ll discuss how parents can act as their child’s external nervous system and learn practical regulation tools that actually help, along with a reframing of meltdowns as signals of overwhelm rather than willful misbehavior.