Exploring How to Understand and Help Children with Challenges
Deborah is the author of two books that take a close look at how to understand and support young children who are struggling to learn, to make friends, and/or to manage their feelings and behaviors: When Young Children Need Help: Understanding and Addressing Emotional, Behavioral, and Developmental Challenges (Redleaf Press, 2015) and Collaborative Intervention in Early Childhood: Consulting with Parents and Teachers of 3- to 7-Year-Olds (Oxford University Press, 2008). Both books are available through Amazon and other websites - click on book covers for links.
“A much-needed resource for teachers who are looking for guidance in their struggle to help difficult children in the early childhood classroom, When Young Children Need Help goes beyond star charts to help staff really look at kids in need, and to build bridges between understanding and intervention that are strong enough to support their development, learning, and emotional well-being.” - Lesley Koplow, LCSW, Director of the Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street; Editor, Unsmiling Faces: How Preschools Can Heal
"In this book, Deborah Hirschland shares her considerable experience, compassion, and wisdom so that teachers of young children might better support those many children who need special help. The book provides practical advice on how to observe so as to understand, how to assess so as to plan, and how to help so as to support a child's developing in ways that ensure that he or she will thrive. Rejecting easy answers having to do with diagnostic labels as well as abstract discussions of theory, Hirschland explains in clear and interesting prose the meaning and practical value of key concepts, the host of strategies that are worth considering, and the process that we all need to go through in order to be of help. I recommend this wise and accessible book to anyone who teaches young children and especially to those who feel frustrated or unsatisfied in their work with young children who are in particular need of our help" - W. George Scarlett, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Chair, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Written for early childhood educators, but also of great value to parents and mental health practitioners, When Young Children Need Help explores the important work of understanding and supporting three- to six-year-olds with emotional, behavioral, and developmental difficulties. Filled with engaging stories, accessible explanations, and practical strategies, this book:
"In this book, Deborah Hirschland shares her considerable experience, compassion, and wisdom so that teachers of young children might better support those many children who need special help. The book provides practical advice on how to observe so as to understand, how to assess so as to plan, and how to help so as to support a child's developing in ways that ensure that he or she will thrive. Rejecting easy answers having to do with diagnostic labels as well as abstract discussions of theory, Hirschland explains in clear and interesting prose the meaning and practical value of key concepts, the host of strategies that are worth considering, and the process that we all need to go through in order to be of help. I recommend this wise and accessible book to anyone who teaches young children and especially to those who feel frustrated or unsatisfied in their work with young children who are in particular need of our help" - W. George Scarlett, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Chair, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Written for early childhood educators, but also of great value to parents and mental health practitioners, When Young Children Need Help explores the important work of understanding and supporting three- to six-year-olds with emotional, behavioral, and developmental difficulties. Filled with engaging stories, accessible explanations, and practical strategies, this book:
- Provides frameworks to guide observation and reflection
- Explores the process of creating child-specific action plans
- Offers approaches to intervention that can be easily used in a busy classroom
- Looks at how teachers can help parents support their kids more successfully at home
- Includes information on working with children who have complex developmental profiles and/or histories of trauma or neglect
"Collaborative Intervention in Early Childhood is a wonderful and much-needed resource providing practical strategies to help parents, educators, and clinicians intervene successfully in response to young children's difficulties. Hirschland makes an accessible link between research, theory, and practice through the use of compelling stories that all of us can relate to." -Roxane Kaufmann, Director, Early Childhood Policy, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
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"This book skillfully and creatively conveys some very complex information about working with challenging young children in language that will be easily understood and welcomed by parents and teachers. Full of detailed case examples, it is solidly grounded in child development, and will be an important resource for social workers, early childhood educators, and school counselors for years to come." -Nancy Boyd Webb, DSW, Distinguished Professor of Social Work, Fordham University, Editor, Play Therapy with Children in Crisis,, Guilford Press
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“This is an incredibly helpful book – informed by research in infant/early childhood mental health, insights from the neurosciences, and the latest findings on sensory-regulatory processing difficulties. With its use of plain language and empathic stance, it both demystifies the complex processes underlying young children's development and offers ways to understand and respond to a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues. Collaborative Intervention in Early Childhood is an outstanding resource that early childhood specialists will embrace.” -Gerard Costa, Ph.D., Founding Director, YCS Institute for Infant and Preschool Mental Health; Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMDNJ-NJMS
When young children are showing signs of difficulty, parents, childcare providers, and teachers often seek guidance on how to best support healthy development. Collaborative Intervention in Early Childhood
offers a sophisticated understanding of early childhood issues combined with down-to-earth approaches to intervention. Written for mental health practitioners - but also an important resource for parents, early childhood educators, and specialists in a range of disciplines - this practical yet comprehensive guide:
When young children are showing signs of difficulty, parents, childcare providers, and teachers often seek guidance on how to best support healthy development. Collaborative Intervention in Early Childhood
offers a sophisticated understanding of early childhood issues combined with down-to-earth approaches to intervention. Written for mental health practitioners - but also an important resource for parents, early childhood educators, and specialists in a range of disciplines - this practical yet comprehensive guide:
- Reviews the multidisciplinary knowledge needed to understand young children’s social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties
- Outlines step-by-step approaches to intervention for a wide range of issues
- Zeros in on common problems in relating trustingly and responsively, communicating effectively, sustaining attention, and handling frustration and anxiety
- Offers accessible ways to describe principles and strategies to parents and teachers
- Illustrates the consultative process through richly detailed and engaging case material