At What Cost? Striving for Balance as we Enrich and Educate our Overscheduled Kids

Our guest Dr. David Gleason is a neuropsychologist and author of the book "At What Cost?: Defending Adolescent Development in Fiercely Competitive Schools." Students with dyslexia, ADHD, and reading difficulties are often at risk of feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Dr. Gleason walks parents through striving for balance as we raise children and through increasing resiliency of children and adolescents.

Anxiety, depression, and their dangerous manifestations-substance abuse, eating disorders, self-injury and suicide- are increasing student conditions at many competitive high schools. Paradoxically, most of these schools promote themselves as being committed to students' holistic development in academics, athletics and the arts, and in their personal, social, and emotional growth. So why are so many students struggling? Dr. Gleason has investigated these concerns in competitive high schools throughout the United States and around the world, and has found almost complete unanimity in how educators and parents have responded to his interviews. In sum, these caring and dedicated adults fully admit to overscheduling, overworking and, at times, overwhelming their students and teenaged children. This conflict - adults wanting to educate and parent adolescents in healthy and balanced ways, but simultaneously, overscheduling, overworking and, at times, overwhelming them - is at the heart of this book.

Dr. David Gleason is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Concord, Massachusetts.  For thirty years, Dr. Gleason has worked with children and adolescents in many public and independent schools, providing assessments as well as clinical and educational consultations to faculty members, school administrators and parents.

Join us for this amazing episode!