Parenting Archives - Family Pathways Coaching

June 24, 2026

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Do We Need the DoE?

A little over a year ago, I wrote about President Donald Trump’s executive order that moved special education services and protections from the Department of Education (DoE) to the Health and Human Services Department (HHS). Last week, on June 16, 2026, the Trump administration began the formal restructuring of the federal DoE, specifically moving civil rights enforcement to the Justice Department and special education oversight to HHS. For families whose children are protected by congressionally mandated civil rights and who rely on special educational services, the question arises: How will these changes affect our children?

June 8, 2026

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Changed Expectations Can Still Be Great Expectations

A few weeks ago we had the distinct pleasure of watching our 28-year-old son receive his master’s degree diploma, mugging happily for the university’s Jumbotron and giving a thumbs up and wide grin as he walked across the stage to shake hands and accept his conferment. This moment was a big one – for him and for my husband and me – and I shed a few tears of pride as I thought of his long journey.

April 15, 2026

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I’m Only as Happy as My Least Happy Child…

“I’m only as happy as my least happy child.” I have heard parents recite this phrase for decades. I know why they say it, I know the pain that elicits this reaction, and I still push back on it every time.

April 8, 2026

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Failure to Launch: Young Adults Who Struggle

I speak with friends, acquaintances, and clients frequently about how painful it is to watch their 20-something children flounder post high school or college. These young adults are capable of living independently but they don’t; they are intelligent but can’t hold a job. Parents wonder and worry if they have enabled this behavior, if their child is lazy or unwilling to work. And most importantly, how they can support their child in a healthy way.

March 25, 2026

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Twice-Exceptional: An Interview with Heather Goldman, PhD.

There is some confusion in the neurodiverse community about the 2e (twice-exceptional) designation. I have heard it incorrectly used to describe co-occurring conditions, and I have seen those who are 2e misunderstood as either geniuses who shouldn’t need any support or learning disabled so unable to handle the rigors of gifted classes.

March 18, 2026

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Does Your Kid Stink? Personal Hygiene and Our Neurodiverse Kids

We have all been there. We have all lost our cool at some time or another. Maybe Mary Poppins doesn’t get flustered, but for the rest of us, parenting – and especially parenting neurodiverse kids – can be frustrating, distressing, even downright infuriating at times. So what do we do when our kids have pushed our very last button? How do we stay calm and parent our kids with confidence and clarity? As with most skills, it takes practice and patience – for ourselves as much as for our kids. Read on for tips for retaining your composure so you can model appropriate behavior for your kids and help them develop skills they will need at home, at school, and beyond.

March 11, 2026

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Staying Calm in the Face of Frustration

We have all been there. We have all lost our cool at some time or another. Maybe Mary Poppins doesn’t get flustered, but for the rest of us, parenting – and especially parenting neurodiverse kids – can be frustrating, distressing, even downright infuriating at times. So what do we do when our kids have pushed our very last button? How do we stay calm and parent our kids with confidence and clarity? As with most skills, it takes practice and patience – for ourselves as much as for our kids. Read on for tips for retaining your composure so you can model appropriate behavior for your kids and help them develop skills they will need at home, at school, and beyond.

February 24, 2026

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Executive Function Skills: Managing and Organizing Life

Years ago, one of my sons complained that he lost points on his math grade not because he provided wrong answers, but because he regularly failed weekly binder checks. His teacher was trying to help her students develop organizational skills by requiring tidy binders, with all assignments, notes and tests kept neatly in date order. But my son was the kid whose backpack, locker, and bedroom were more akin to a trash heap than a well-ordered binder. Sure, his teacher was right to instruct her students on the importance of organization, but she didn’t consider that students with ADHD – and even some who do not have ADHD – struggle mightily with executive function skills like organization. Just asking her students to be neat would not help those whose brains are wired differently. And ADHD brains are wired differently.

February 10, 2026

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Screen Time: How Much is Too Much?

It’s cold in the Northeast right now. Really cold. And when it’s cold out, it’s harder and maybe less pleasant to be outdoors, away from our screens. So what happens to our kids – in particular our neurodiverse children – when they are glued to the couch and even more likely than usual to turn to their screens for entertainment, information, and company? Read on for help discerning between too much and just enough screen time, and how to use technology to support your child’s development, rather than impede it.