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Petrus Psychologyhttp://www.petruspsychology.cominfo@petruspsychology.comWork: (805) 496-6180Fax: (805) 496-6951
Category Archives: Parenting
Parent Tip – Letter to Initiate an Assessment
This is a standard letter to initiate an assessment for an IEP process. Continue reading
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Autism Spectrum Disorders: Navigating through Diagnosis and Intervention
When a parent considers the possibility a child may have a spectrum disorder, coming to a diagnosis and treatment plan takes time and patience. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) share three core features: impaired social interactions, difficulty communicating with others, and [...]
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Teen Driving
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. In 2009, eight teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, [...]
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Teen Binge Drinking
According to studies from the U.S. Department of Justice, binge drinking accounts for 90 percent of all the alcohol consumed by teenagers. These underage drinkers don’t sip a drink slowly, they take it down quickly and the effects can be [...]
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Teenage Narcissism
During their teenage years adolescents are naturally self-involved, putting their own needs before those of anyone close to them and passionately insisting that they are right. However, are our teens more self-involved than we were? Did we spend as much [...]
Teen Anxiety
Anxiety and stress levels in teenagers have drastically increased over the last few decades. As the pressures of the world around adolescents have increased, more and more teens are facing health problems both on the physical and on the emotional [...]
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Temperament is what?
Temperament is an inherent part of a child’s character and can be shaped but not changed. Understanding and learning about different temperaments is important because it affects you as a parent, your child, and the relationship between you. Temperament shapes [...]
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The Adolescent Brain and Substance Use
Adolescence is a time of profound brain growth and change. It has been shown that the brain of an early adolescent compared to that of a late adolescent is different in the areas of anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. As the [...]
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Parenting Tip – Notice the Positives!
How many times a day do you, as a parent, have to correct your teen’s misbehavior with statements such as “Stop that,” “clean up your room,” or “how many times am I going to have to ask you to put [...]
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Video Games and Violence
Video games are becoming more violent and increasingly realistic as technology improves. In 2008 it was reported that 97% of young people ages 12-17 played some type of video game, and that two-thirds of them played games that contained violent [...]