Bio
- @BabyShrink
Specialties:
- Psychology
- View Credentials
Links:
Group Memberships
Credentials
- Education
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Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, Alliant/CSPP-LA, Los Angeles, CA, 1994MA, Clinical Psychology, Alliant/CSPP-LA, Los Angeles, CA, 1992BA, Psychology, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA, 1990
- Internship
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Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, Wright Institute Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 1993 -- 1995Disaster Response/Critical Incident Debriefing/Forensics, Ventura County Department of Mental Health, Ventura, CA, 1994 -- 1996
- Additional Certifications of Specialty Qualifications
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1997 -- present1996 -- present1994 -- 199619951996
- Professional Membership or Societies
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American Psychological Association, 1994 -- currentHawaii Psychological Association, 2001 -- current
Activity
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What disorders are sometimes misdiagnosed as autism in children?
I am worried that there are several other distinct disorders being thrown together inappropriately with autism. Children with these disorders deserve to have them studied and understood uniquely, and not just lumped together with other disorders. In particular, there is a large group of childre
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What are the warning signs for autism in young children?
Here are the main things I look for when evaluating a baby or toddler. (Remember: each child needs to be seen and thoroughly evaluated in person, preferably in your home, by an experienced professional.) These are some things that should trigger an evaluation, often to simultaneously include the...
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How can I handle a young child who lies?
Make your decisions based on what you know to be the truth of your child’s behavior, not what he “admits” to. If he protests that “it’s not true,” you can say, “Well, I know you wish it wasn’t true, but it was, so here’s the consequence.” Or one I used tonight, when my daughter said she already
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Is it okay to let my kids watch TV?
“Do you let your kids watch TV?” is one of the most loaded questions we, as parents, ask each other. We hear snippets in the news about TV making kids turn into zombies with no ability to concentrate in school, socialize, or entertain themselves. We hear parents swearing they will not expose their..
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What are sensory integration issues?
Sensory issues in your child’s development affect many families around the world. Young children are a work in progress, neurologically. New connections are made every day, connecting the body and bodily sensations with the brain. Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, the vestibular sense (the sensatio
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Why should I teach my baby the difference between night and day?
Your baby's internal clock isn't completely "set" at birth. That's why many newborn babies wake so often at night -- and sleep through the day. After the first few months (the exact time varies), babies will tend to sleep more at night, and stay awake longer during the day. After 3-4 month
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How can I stop my child's thumb sucking?
My advice is this: Pick your battles. And only pick the ones you can win. This one, you won’t win. I mean, is there any strategy or technique that actually works to make a kid stop sucking their thumb or fingers? And more importantly, is that technique worth the price you will pay, psychologica
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Why do young children suck their thumbs?
Young children have such little control in their worlds. They’re physically small. They aren’t very coordinated. They’re not allowed to do a ton of cool-looking stuff. Their bodies and minds develop so quickly from day to day, they have no idea what they can (or can’t) accomplish at any particu
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How do I handle a child who is playing favorites with relatives?
In every family, there are differences in the way one set of relatives relates to the kids, versus the other set. Differing cultural traditions and values can play a role. Sometimes, one family has tons of grandkids (and therefore less time and money to spend) and the other side has few, so therefor
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How can I help a child who has sensory integration issues?
I don’t know about you, but I certainly have my own sensory preferences. If there’s a lot of background noise, I find myself extra-tired at the end of the day. Conversely, my husband likes background noise and is calmed by having the TV on while we sleep. (I hate it!) These are normal variations...
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Why am I having weird pregnancy dreams?
Our dreams are our way of sorting through the events of the day and pulling out important issues we still need to understand. It’s our way of communicating with ourselves; it’s our unconscious, giving us hints about things that need further thought or action. It’s really common to have particularly
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How can I help my young child who is afraid of bath time?
Pediatricians say that we Americans bathe our babies way too much anyway; it’s not necessarily good for young skin. So you can back off the nightly baths. Don’t feel temped to force the issue; I promise, it will only make things worse. But of course, smashed banana needs to be cleaned out of hair,..
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How do I get my child to stop picking at her nails?
In a situation like this, the rule is: Don’t pay attention to it. If you do, you risk turning a harmless self-soothing strategy into a power struggle and a nasty habit. Self-soothing strategies are very personal little "quirks" that we all have. Other kids suck their thumbs or pick th
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When should I move my child to a big kid bed?
This is an easy one. Wait as long as possible. That crib feels awfully cozy and comfy to a toddler who is trying out new (and sometimes scary) things every day. Some of you have little monkeys who manage to escape the crib. Don’t be fooled; they might be trying to see if they can get out, but that
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Is it normal for my toddler to be scared of taking a bath?
We went through it will all of our kids. Each of them previously had loved their bath. Suddenly, it was “Bathing Terror.”There are major cognitive changes that take place, along with the development of walking. All of a sudden, your toddler can purposely move -- away from you, and known safety, into
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