Wonderful guide to the adolescent mind!  Dog trainers take note, too!
929728
Useful (vital, even) information on how the adolescent mind works.  I read a lot on this topic, yet Steinberg had a lot of new research to report on.  There is so much interesting and useful new information in Age of Opportunity - far more than any parenting book I have encountered.  Steinberg does a great job of explaining not only the "what," but the "why this matters."  As a parent to two teenagers, I found this book offered great insights with practical applications.  Great guidance on what to do and not do, based on how an adolescent's mind is wired and how it is changing.  Excellent information for parents, educators, policy makers, and those in criminal justice.  Also, much of this info applies, to a degree, to animals.  (Some of the research was done with animals.)  As Steinberg says, "The hallmarks of adolescence aren't just evident in humans; we see them in all mammals.  The density of dopamine receptors in the limbic system peeks during puberty in mice, rats, and other primates.  Like human adolescents, adolescents in other species show a sharp increase in the pleasure they get from drugs like alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, and methamphetamine.  Interest in socializing with others the same age, experimenting with the unfamiliar, and taking risks all rise dramatically when mice go through puberty, just as they do in humans."

Chapter 1 - research that has revealed more about the adolescent brain can guide changes in how we raise teenagers
Chapter 2 - details on the new research and it's relevance
Chapter 3 - How and why adolescence lasts longer now than it used to
Chapter 4 - How the adolescent brain influences adolescent behavior
Chapter 5 - Recklessness
Chapter 6 - Why self-control is vital
Chapter 7 - Info for parents
Chapter 8 - Info for educators
Chapter 9 - Societal issues - haves & have-nots; criminal justice
Chapter 10 - Recommendations

The basics of adolescent brain developmental stages presented in the book are:  1 - increased emotionality due to the limbic system becoming more easily aroused; 2 - the brain's executive functioning develops rapidly, becoming much more like an adult brain; and 3 - increased interconnections in the brain lead to better self-regulation.  Much of the book revolves around the effects of this development, especially the fact that "high-school adolescents make better decisions when they're calm, well rested, and aware they'll be rewarded for making good choices.  When they're emotionally or socially aroused, their judgement deteriorates."

The information on dopamine is very interesting and useful for anyone, not just those who love an adolescent.

After explaining how self-control functions, how it develops, and how vital it is, Steinberg tells us "the most promising efforts to improve self-regulation fall into five categories:  exercises designed to improve one or more specific aspects of executive functioning, practices devoted to increasing "mindfullness," aerobic exercise, physical regimes that require intense concentration, and specific strategies designed to boost self-control or strengthen the ability to delay gratification."  He follows up with details on these.

An excellent resource for parents!  One, of very few, that you really shouldn't miss!
905456
My two-year-old Australian Labradoodle and I just became an official therapy dog team three months ago.  I thought I was doing a good job being supportive and attentive to my partner... until I began reading this book.  I'm not even half way through it but have made important changes in MY behavior in order to effectively support my dog during our visits.  In addition, I'm now incredibly aware of both my dog's and my own behavior in our normal day-to-day routine.  This book is very well written, interesting and easy to read.  Ann R. Howie is obviously very experienced in the therapy dog arena, and with dog behavior in general, and uses lots of examples of therapy dog visits to make her points of what to do and what not to do when interacting with your dog.  While it's written specifically for therapy dog handlers, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their connection to and relationship with their own dog.
4194076
Dr Dan Siegel, once again, offers a thoughtful and positive approach to raising a family. This time it is through adolescence. He helps us to see the purpose and the potential of our teens as they move through this critical period of development. I like the use of ESSENCE to describe the adolescent experience - and he challenges parents to find their own essence in the process of raising teens. Dr Siegel suggests that parents reflect on their own joys and challenges in order to better understand and support adolescents through the transition to adulthood. I suggest this book to anyone who lives with or works with adolescents or young adults. It is a fresh take on adolescent growth. Adolescents need all the support and guidance we can offer as they prepare to lead us into the future.
435116
Wellborn shares his therapeutic expertise combined with common sense to offer helpful and timely advice for parents of teens; read it as soon as your child starts middle school, then keep it as a reference through the coming years!  His guidelines are based on years of working with teens and their families as well as research, which he documents effectively throughout the book.  While he does not espouse a particular system of religious beliefs, Wellborn is unequivocally supportive of being a part of a faith community.  Simultaneously, he is open to the fact that both parents and teens live in the real world and will most likely be exposed to drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, both in the present and as past experiences that might or might not be helpful to communicate.  Wellborn's willingness to take a strong stance on most issues facing teens makes this an especially valuable resource; finding your footing as a parent and setting your policies, especially in today's society, can be difficult, so it helps to read some validation for making your OWN tough choices as your teens are faced with theirs!
1087245
As a former pre-school teacher, I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to spread the message about the consequences of bullying and what everyone can do to be a better person. Hammond does an excellent job of explaining what a Pet Therapy dog does and how they are valuable in our society as companions and helpers to children and adults. The message about being a buddy not a bully is clear for the age group and the solutions and suggestions are realistic and actionable. The illustrations are simple but lovely. The critical thinking questions and maze at the back is great for a classroom setting. As a strange coincidence, the bully dog that Hammond chose was a border collie very much resembling my dog- who happens to be a bit of a bully on occasion. I'd love to get Toby over to my place to teach him some manners too! Pick this one up for a great read!
4126965
If you wonder why your dog is being weird, this is a great place to start figuring it out.  This is not a sit-stay instruction book; it is a book to show you what kinds of signals your dog is sending that you maybe aren't understanding.  Sunny explains how dogs respond when they are fearful and gives plenty of real-life examples.  Sometimes my dog hides behind me; other times she snaps and lunges, but both are fear responses, even though the lunging would appear to be aggression.  Learning what your dog fears, and helping her learn to cope with her accompanying anxiety can pave the way for a very satisfying relationship with your dog.  It might never be that she can go frolic in the dog park or be safe off leash, but she can grow beyond chewing up your socks while you are in the bathroom without her.  She can learn to not be afraid of a new winter coat or a new washing machine.  This book is such an encouragement for those of us who love a non-confident dog, especially after having had confident dogs in the past.  It is also a good read for anyone who currently has a confident dog to enable that owner to understand the signals a fearful dog is sending your way as you approach, perhaps on a walk with your own dog, so you can be a help to both the fearful dog and her owner.  It's a great read for everyone who loves dogs!
3278558
This specific book will be great--very useful, positive, and practical. An excellent opportunity this book to anyone who's going to be thinking about getting a puppy. As an experienced canine handler, I think that this book is a superb guide for the beginner and experienced alike. Among what I discover particularly useful are the careful, step-by-step directions, specific cases from pups that Millan brought up while taking care of this book, discussions by experienced breeders and dog trainers, and a wide-ranging appendix of strategies for further examining. The only thing not in the book i would get loved would have been a more detailed discussion associated with integrating the newest puppy right home which includes older pet dogs already. While there's some discussion of the, it is not enough to offer the guidance I really would like.
Look this book also....&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Puppy-Training-All-You-Just-Behave-Like-This/dp/B008H7XG4U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Puppy Training - All You Just Behave Like This!!!</a>...rally...

While some dog trainers will denounce Millan's strategies as archaic and harsh, I might encourage readers to keep an start mind. While Millan does not employ a new positive-reinforcement-only approach--which will be what the majority of his detractors prefer--his strategies are mild and involved only while using well-being from the dog. His strategies have made an enormous difference in my life and in my dog's life. She will be happier and even more balanced while i follow Millan's system. Everyone which meets her comments on how well-behaved she actually is and usually takes great pleasure in petting and messing around with her--even those who find themselves typically nervous of dogs or just uncomfortable about them. To be a high-energy, alpha-type pet, I don't believe that you will find the case basically had not really followed Millan's strategies; for my own strong-willed pet, positive reinforcement should be only sometimes a robust enough determination to encourage the behaviors I'd prefer, but discipline as well as positive reinforcement is exactly what she needs.
633502
Several years ago, friends of ours raised and taught a dog to become a companion for a disabled person, assisting with such tasks as flipping a light switch or tugging over a drawer. I was very impressed. Now, through this book we learn how it was done, and more importantly, how to help our own dogs become great companions.

What's most interesting to me is how closely the advice for teaching a companion dog matches the advice we use for teaching small children - catch them doing well and praise them, and redirect or ignore when they are not doing well, as opposed to criticizing or punishing misbehavior. (The author is very much opposed to the idea of intimidating a dog, or training it with a choke collar or shock collar.)

The idea of first making sure the dog understands what we want, and then rewarding them for a good choice was new to me. The benefit is that by understanding, the dog becomes able to apply the learning to new situations better than if we'd simply trained them to obey a command. That has obvious parallels for helping young children learn too.

Anyone interested in better understanding a dog, or in teaching it to become a helpful companion can hardly do better than by starting by reading this book, preferably even before getting a dog. (The book includes tips for selecting a dog for companionship.)

I can confirm a lot of the advice works, having used the same ideas with dogs I know in our neighborhood.

Highly recommended!
3661092
LOVED THE BOOK!!!  Great,easy,understandable guide for navigating through the teenage years.  As a mother of two teenagers, it has provided great insight into their "unspoken" language.  The layout of the book is great and provides straigthforward and practical advice.  I recommend to anyone who has teens!
1885896
I read Keezy's 10 Awesome Rules for Teenage Dating to my mentally challenged, twenty-one-year old daughter. She absolutely loved it! She laughed and enjoyed all of Keezy's zany antics! It's hard to find a book these days that contains down to earth, moral advice written in a very stylist and contemporary voice. You love Keezy immediately, and you care about what she has to say. I had no reservations about reading this to my daughter since Keezy's advice was tastefully delivered. She covers a plethora of subjects important to today's teenager. No rocks left unturned, so to speak. I would recommend this to anyone with a teenage daughter! This book would be great for book clubs, church youth groups, or any venue where teenage girls congregate. Keezy's 10 Awesome Rules for Teenage Dating is a "10" all around!
1037675
In our facility/therapy work I am constantly looking for ways to can get my dog closer to our students, because I know that closeness time and time again will pay off in independence for the child. The better I can facilitate that close relationship/position between the dog and child, the more the child seems to accomplish. This means I need to know how to get the dog to perform a behavior in the most efficient manner. In addition, it is important that the dog enjoys what he is doing. As we all know, it isn't much fun being around a person or dog who is doing something because they have too.
 Enter Clicker Training! I am awed at how much fun clicker training is for both my dog and I and how quickly we can get a useful behavior for a special child. However, I have struggled. Clicker training has called for me to make a mind shift-one where I ask what do I want the dog to do rather than what don't I want him to do. I have taken classes and read books but until now haven't found a really good daily resource.
 Enter Quick Clicks! This book is SUPERIOR! I highly recommend it for beginners and for those of us who are "in process" clicker training. I even think seasoned clicker trainers would find this book valuable.
 The organization of the book is probably its number one value. The authors have made it easy to use and find things. One of the important lessons I've learned in clicker training is the need to break down a behavior into small little steps. This book does a wonderful job of breaking down the 40 behaviors into simple, bite-sized steps. All I have to do is follow along. This not only saves brain time but aides in that shift in thinking that needs to occur-what do I want my dog to do. Another plus is the Index of Behaviors which gives a description of the behavior and points  to the Chapter where it is outlined enabling me to find a behavior quickly. Included as well is a great list of websites, supplies and recommended reading.
 The 40 behaviors presented include clicker fundamentals, basic obedience, tricks, games and even some exercises that make it easier to clip toenails and visit the vet, for example. I consider all the behaviors of value and worth to us as a working facility/therapy dog team.
 And, the best part-No Jargon-just clear, forthright, everyday language!
Editors of The Healing Paw
A newsletter for everyone interested in using trained dogs to enhance the therapeutic and rehabilitation process
3719416
This book was recommended by my dog trainer. I have an almost three year old dog that needs some help to relax around strangers. He's just not a fan of having them in his home. This book is helping me better understand what is motivating his behavior, how my actions influence it and healthy ways for us to co-exist. My trainer recommended the puppy version because she said it was written second and includes everything in the first book, plus additional information on raising your puppy. Between using the knowledge from this book, the expert help from my trainer and some additional resources she recommended, in a few short weeks, I see huge improvement in my dogs level of calmness. We have a long road ahead of us to let him mix with company,  but I am seeing positive results already. I wish veterinarians would know about this book and recommend it!
2994184
After completing this book, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time", by Mark Haddon, I realized fiction books can teach you more about reality then non-fiction books. Mark Haddon wrote this book from a point of view of a autistic teenager. This book did not have a lot of big words and sentences put together but simple sentences for the reader to understand better. Also, the author wrote simple idea's was because that was how the autistic character expressed him self. I enjoyed reading every page of this book. I recommend "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," not only to high school students but to adults as well. This book gave me an idea of the hardships that autistic children must go through because it really puts you in the mind of an autistic child. It also showed me that if you really believe in yourself, that you can conquer your fears and achieve your goals without having to lie to get there. I have not read any other Mark Haddon's books, but I just might have to check them out after reading this one.
The book starts off with the death of Wellington, a poodle that was stabbed with a garden fork. The victim of this murder (the dog) is soon found by Christopher John Francis Boone, a fifteen year old boy that is autistic and has Asperger's Syndrome. The world around Christopher is everything but easy. He does not like being touched or talking to people who he is not familiar with. Christopher does not understand jokes nor does he like the colors yellow or green but he can tell you "all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057." One thing that I thought was really creative about this book was that the chapters were all listed according to prime numbers! Christopher enjoys spending a lot more time with dogs, then humans because to him, you always know what a dog is thinking. Another good thing about dogs according to Christopher is that they can not talk; therefore dogs can not lie to him or be unfaithful to him, like humans can. He is very intelligent in math and uses his mathematical abilities to escape the harsh world. However, the murder of this poodle has brought Christopher more than just a name of the murderer, but gave him strength and courage to face obstacles he was never able to do before. For example, a problem that Christopher overcame was talking with strangers about the dog to get closer a suspect for the murder of Wellington. I felt that this book gave good messages and was extremely touching. If you pick up this book, you will not regret it but learn from it, like I did.
Christopher is living with only his father because of his mother's "death."  As you read further into the book Christopher discovers family secrets that will change his life, the way he looks at his father and sets him on another journey he will never forget.
2857441
I did not know what to expect from this book, but was pleasantly surprised! Treating an animal like we treat a young child is logical, but not something that I had ever even considered! I love the simplicity of thinking from the dog's perspective (!!) -- and taking away the things s/he wants (attention, food, a walk) until they "say please" with their good behavior (sitting quietly), just makes good sense. I was surprised at the end of the book when Mike discusses the amount of exercise a dog requires.... so many people are falling short. I would highly recommend this book. I love that it is short, to the point, and focuses on the BIG stuff -- the things that matter most when introducing a new family member with 4 legs into your home.
673868
Until now, there has never been a book about Asperger's Syndrome by a teenage with AS specifically FOR teens with AS.  But Luke Jackson, a thirteen-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome from England, comes to the rescue with his cool new book, Freaks, Geeks and Asperger's Syndrome:  A User Guide to Adolescence.  Like a breath of fresh air, he writes in a breezy, witty, easy-to-understand style, to reassure teenagers that having AS (or High-Functioning autism).
First, he introduces the reader to his family, then goes on to introduce himself, including his obsessions (the big one being computers, of course!), the things that he has collected, such as pencils and then he talks about the ways he accommodates his sensory problems.  One of the most ingenious is to use a balaclava, to provide the deep pressure that he needs to shut out extraneous noise and other stimuli.  He goes into the minutest detail about the difficulties he experiences in school, including the literal interpretation of what he hears from the teacher, bullying, the problems involved with homework.
One of the minefields that is socializing and figuring out the subtle nuances in Freaks, Geeks and Asperger's Syndrome is the one on dating.  In this chapter, Luke gives important tips on attracting kids of the opposite sex and on dating itself, including looking as clean ad attractive as possible, being tactful, and giving that person a compliment, such as, "I like your tie!"  The overall theme of this little gem is that having AS and High-Functioning autism is a POSITIVE thing.  "Different is cool!" To Luker Jackson, AS has more good than bed-creative, original thinking, a tendency to follow the law to the letter, and a real desire to learn and discover things about a specific interest-the makings of a future Einstein or Picasso.
When I read this book, I got the wonderful feeling that we are more "normal" than not, and that "normal" is really an arbitrary standard, set by each society and not a hard and fast rule.  Three cheer to Luke Jackson and his nifty book for teens with AS!!  This should be in every school library and in every home of a teen with AS.  Need I say more?  Oh, and one more thing . . . this book has a glossary of idioms, to help teens with Asperger's Syndrome understand the English language a little better.
3963609
This is a great book for any youth leader.  It provides sensative and thoughtful insight into how hard it is for teenagers growing up in today's world.  All too often, adults forget that they, too, were once teenagers.
This book uses sound Biblical references in trying to show teenagers  that they are:  1) not alone, 2) their parents DO love them and 3) their  parents are not out to get them!
I am using this book for an 8-week Bible  study with 9-12 graders at my church for Sunday School.  They found the 2nd  chapter about the inside of your parents' minds hilarious and helpful.  Yes, they DO believe there is a microchip in their parents' brains that is  programmed to ruin their lives and their fun!  The chapter on sibling  relationships is equally well-done.
I think this book is providing good  food for thought for my kids about how to survive in their families and  make a difference, not only in their families, but in the world as young  disciples of the Risen Lord.
2625872
As a parent of a 12 year old, I was looking for a book with which to help transition her to middle school and all that it entails as she enters puberty. How to Connect With Your iTeen is well written, easy to follow, and very informative. Points are discussed in the beginning and then summarized at the end for quick reference by parents. Although the book sounds like it mostly deals with internet/social media/electronic devices, what we have is a comprehensive guide for raising a teen - including being better parents, how teen bodies and brains are changing, and intelligent ways to deal with the age.

Topics include: entitlement and helicopter parenting, psychology of a teen and how they are changing, media and its terrible influence, teen friendships (friends, frenemies, etc.), school issues, 'screenagers', parenting road map to communication and connection (how to), why they take so many risks, and getting them ready for adulthood. At the back of the book are fact sheets to help parents determine if their teen has more serious problems, from depression to suicide, violence to eating disorders, and drug usage.

The emphasis of the book is helping a teen to become a productive and resilient adult. To do so, the book focuses on six behavioral characteristics: 1) persistence and grit; 2) self management and impulse control; 3) personal responsibility and self reliance; 4) empathy and self awareness; 5) boundaries and setting limits; 6) cultural competence/accepting differences. Addressing those character traits and developing them is the heart of How to Connect With Your iTeen.

The authors give many examples of actual teen and parent experiences and how they handled (or didn't handle) difficult situations involving school, parents, friends, and more. But what I found most useful is that each chapter not only discusses but provides clear solutions and recommendations. The emphasis is not on the teens but on the parent-teen relationship, especially communication.

I found this to be extremely well written - and something I could share with my daughter to help her navigate the coming difficult middle school years. Highly recommended. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.