For the next part in our series, we’ll be looking at a topic relevant to both dyslexic learners and to others - supporting teenagers during lockdown.
Dr Bettina Hohnen spoke at Bell House last year in September on the topic of ‘Neurodiversity and the Incredible Teenage Brain’ and has co-authored with Jane Gilmour and Tara Murphy the popular book combining neuroscience and psychology The Incredible Teenage Brain: Everything you need to know to unlock a teen’s potential.
In a recent article on their blog, Dr Hohnen and Jane Gilmour shared ‘The Corona lockdown will hit your teen hardest – here’s why (and here’s what you can do about it)’ . It is an insightful article about the specific impact of lockdown measures on teenagers to help parents better understand and support their teens. Each point is broken down explains ‘the science’ behind it in a simple and accessible way and follows with an all-important ‘action step’ on what parents can do about the needs and behaviours of their teenage children during this unexpected period of isolation.
Beyond their article, there is a pack of worksheets that are free to download , which focuses on different ways that parents can work on understanding and re-framing behaviours and responses from themselves and their teens.
Finally, we love this easy-to-remember plan that comes with their article’s final point on ‘Empathise, first … Advise, second’. May the force be with you, too!
Figure: A 7-step plan for emotional regulation (from The Incredible Teenage Brain: Everything you need to know to unlock a teen’s potential published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019, posted here.