Why the overlap between these two conditions leads to missed diagnoses — and how to tell the difference. By Dr. McKinzie Duesenberg-Marshall, PhD, LP, NCSP | Minds in Progress, LLC If you've ever wondered whether your child's struggles with focus, restlessness, or avoidance are "just anxiety" or something more... you're asking exactly the right question. The challenge is that anxiety and ADHD look remarkably similar on the surface. Both can cause inattention, emotional dy

Independent Play, Boredom, and Why “Underparenting” Might Be Exactly What Your Child Needs By Dr. McKinzie Duesenberg-Marshall, PhD, LP, NCSP | Minds in Progress, LLC If you have ever felt guilty for not playing with your child, for letting them sit in their boredom a little too long, or for wishing they could just (for once) entertain themselves for twenty minutes while you finish something: this article is for you. There is a growing movement in child development research a

What the Research Says...and What to Actually Do About It By Dr. McKinzie Duesenberg-Marshall, PhD, LP, NCSP | Minds in Progress, LLC It’s become a familiar summer scene: kids sprawled on the couch, phone in hand, the afternoon disappearing into a scroll. Parents know something is off...but between working, managing the house, and the sheer exhaustion of summer logistics, it’s easy to let screens absorb the hours that feel hardest to fill. You’re not imagining it, and you’re

Understanding Test & End-of-Year Anxiety Across All Ages Something shifts in the air at this time of year. Backpacks get heavier, sleep gets shorter, and the phrase "I have a test" takes on a new weight. Whether your child is in third grade worried about a reading assessment, a tenth grader bracing for some of their first cumulative exams, or a college sophomore facing final exams, the end of the school year brings a particular kind of pressure...one that is very real, very c

Understanding the function of behavior using the SEAT Framework by Dr. Mckinzie Duesenberg-Marshall You’ve been through the homework meltdown. The tantrum in the grocery store. The child who suddenly “can’t” do anything the moment it’s time to leave the playground. You’ve tried calm, you’ve tried firm, you’ve tried ignoring it, you’ve tried everything — and still, the behavior keeps coming back. Here’s what most behavior advice misses: behavior doesn’t happen randomly. Every

If you have more than one child (or have ever watched kids interact on a playground), you’ve heard it. That word, stretched out with total conviction: “THAT’S NOT FAAAIR.” The older one stays up later. One child gets extra help with homework. Someone gets a bigger snack. In your child's mind, anything that looks uneven is automatically unjust. And honestly? It makes sense that they think that way! They just haven't learned one of the most important distinctions of childhood y

If your child has ever cried over a writing assignment, avoided it entirely, or handed in something far below what you know they’re capable of. .. you ’re not alone, and neither are they. Writing is one of the most demanding academic tasks we ask of young learners, and for children with learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, or language differences, it can be a genuine daily struggle. As a researcher who studies early writing intervention, I wanted to share findings from a stud

Emotions don't come with an instruction manual...but the good news is that emotional regulation is a skill , and like any skill, it can be practiced, strengthened, and taught. Whether you're parenting a toddler mid-meltdown or navigating the emotional complexity of your own adult life, there are research-informed strategies that work. At Minds in Progress , we believe that supporting emotional wellness is a whole-family endeavor. This guide breaks down practical activities by

At Minds in Progress, we see firsthand how much happens between sessions and evaluations. Parents come to us with thorough notes, teachers share observations, and children bring everything they’ve been carrying all week — but the window for connection at home can feel narrow. Life is busy. Evenings are rushed. And when we ask families what gets in the way of consistency, the answer is almost always the same: “we just don’t know where to start.” That’s exactly why we created t