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Bridging Research & Practice in Child Psychology
Explore insights from parenting challenges to cutting-edge research... making psychology accessible, practical, and evidence-based.
The Screen-Free Summer Guide
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
13 min read
Before You Can Change the Behavior, You Have to Understand It
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
6 min read
Making the Most of Summer
A Parent’s Guide to Structure, Sleep, and Staying Sane By Dr. McKinzie Duesenberg-Marshall, PhD, LP, NCSP | Minds in Progress, LLC Summer sounds like freedom....no alarms, no homework, no rigid schedules. And in many ways, it is. But for a lot of kids (and their parents), the weeks that stretch out after that last school bell can feel surprisingly hard to navigate. Too much unstructured time can lead to boredom, meltdowns, sleep chaos, and by mid-July, a household that feels
10 min read
“That’s Not Fair!” — Teaching Kids the Difference Between Equal and Fair
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
5 min read
When Your Child Struggles to Write: What a New Study Tells Us About Early Writing Support
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
4 min read
Family Activities for Emotional Regulation: A Guide for Every Age
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
6 min read
The 10-Minute Family Check-In: A Simple Routine That Supports Your Child’s Progress
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
4 min read
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