I was recommended this book when my daughter was diagnosed with ASD. It was really helpful for me to consider the world in another way and it provided me with a different lens to consider the world from.

This book is great at explaining things in a simple way. It isn't onerous to read and really helpful with seeing how your interactions with your child may be seen from their perspective. I really enjoyed it. ( )

Cool! As a preschool teacher, this book has enlightened me a bit on how a kid's brain works and how to deal with the different issues that appear as a result of their brain not being fully developed yet. ( )

I will be returning to this again and again as my child gets further into toddlerhood. The brain development stuff is so fascinating, and the strategies are really helpful! ( )

Fantastic parenting resource that I will return to often. ( )

A revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. Selected Reading Questionnaire.

One of the most important skills a person can learn -- at any age -- is balanced emotional regulation, and emotional regulation comes down to a person's ability to integrate the many different function of their brain.

This is hard enough to do at any age but in the developing brain of a child, this integration requires guidance. This book provides scientific background and practical tips for helping parents turn everyday moments of frustration into opportunities to make family life a little bit less chaotic and help develop a child's mind at the same time.

One of the key themes of the book is balance. E.g., it's not about getting your child's reasonable left brain to overcome their emotional right brain. It's about integrating the big-picture emotional perspective of the right brain with the linear expression capabilities of the left to help a child handle and communicate their feelings.

Of course, with any book that gives advice on how to raise children, there is going to be a large gap between theory and practice. But, as a soon to be parent, my hope is that by understanding the principles of how a child's brain develops, I'll be better able to respond to reality, whatever it may bring. ( )

Some great practical tips on how to redirect or reinforce behaviours in a caring, strengthening way. And a lot of concepts pitched directly to engage with children, so be prepared to read it once for yourself then talk through the relevant sections with your child as they encounter them. ( )

A very down-to-earth and easy to follow parenting guide. ( )

This book has both a theory of how to help children manage their emotions and concrete suggestions for how to put it into practice. My only hesitation is that it's not clear which pieces of cited research from 2011 have survived the replication crisis. ( )

I don't see it as a "must read" as a parent. The advice is on par with the other parenting books out there and it will probably help a bit to read it if only to make sure the concepts get cemented into the back of your mind.

I hate how it drags a lot, repeats the same points & takes the already flawed "divided brain" metaphor and beats it into the ground. You won't go 3 sentences without seeing the words "left brain, right brain, up brain, down brain, completeness etc". It's tiring, annoying and doesn't do nearly as much to "simplify things" for the reader as the authors hoped. It gets confusing quick and you end up ignoring the metaphor altogether. ( )

Assigned reading. Somewhat gimmicky but had a few useful things to say. ( )

written as parenting instruction but insightful about how the brain works in childhood ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I'm looking forward to using these strategies with my own children especially after learning how I could be handling arguments and emotions in a better way. It's written well and includes many charts and illustrations. My favorite is the summary chart at the end to help you learn how to respond to different age groups. Glad to have read it... ( )

By Dan Siegel, one of my favorite parenting books, as of 2015. Strategies are based on neuroscience, attachment, and childhood development. The 12 strategies are everyday ideas and the book is easy to read. A good book to use with your parent coach. If kids came with a manual, this would be a good one. Designed for kids of any age (see the appendix in the back).

skimmed it; liked the approach which is not so "revolutionary" if you have read and used the strategies of Adele Faber in How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, How to Talk to Teens..., How To Talk so Kids Can Learn ( )

Substance: Uses brain research to help adults deal with children, and children to help themselves, by understanding what the child's brain is doing (or not doing) at different stages of development.
NOTE: Originally read a copy borrowed from local library in 2011. ( )