A BRAINFUTURES’ CONVERSATION SERIES
Meltdowns, screen battles, homework struggles – sound familiar? Step Inside Your Child’s Mind is a series from BrainFutures where child development experts tackle real parenting challenges. You’ll unlock the brain skills behind your child‘s learning, behavior, and emotions. Blending expert insight with real-life experiences and a dose of humor, you’ll get practical strategies you can use right away to support your child‘s success every day.
For grown-ups, it’s easy to feel like something isn’t working with a child in your life, but hard to know what to do next. And what may appear to be a behavior challenge could be a skill that’s still developing.
This conversation series is part of our youth executive function program, using the ACTIVATE™ program, in Baltimore County Title I Schools. This computer-based cognitive training program strengthens working memory, attention, and self-control. They’re the brain skills behind improved learning, behavior, and overall well-being, and all elementary-age children need support to develop them.
As a national mental health nonprofit, BrainFutures is committed to advancing evidence-based programs, such as ACTIVATE™, that support executive function, strengthen mental health, and improve treatment effectiveness.
This 3-part conversation series is for ALL parents and our partners in Baltimore County Public Schools. We asked parents what questions they had, and asked our panel of experts to find meaningful ways to respond to these everyday challenges.
No jargon. No judgment. Just strategies you can use immediately.
We refer to executive function skills as “hidden” because most adults can’t name or define them. As the grown-up you may see a child struggling to focus or unable to follow directions. But behind the scenes a deficit in these brain skills may be driving the behavior. This conversation explores how to identify a skill that’s still developing, and how to engage the child in strengthening their brain.
Learn about these hidden skills and get practical strategies for strengthening them in part one of our conversation series, Step Inside Your Child’s Mind.
Activities Guide: Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence | Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Emotional regulation is a skill that children develop over time, and they take cues from the adults in their lives. From the way you handle stress and frustration to big emotions, children are watching, learning, and modeling what they see. That means everyday moments – especially the hard ones – become powerful teaching opportunities.
Hear from a mom and mental health expert on identifying triggers and staying grounded. This episode explores how to guide children through big feelings in real time. You’ll learn and practice a simple technique that can help adults and children reset. Because when adults regulate, children learn how to follow.
Watch part two of Step Inside Your Child’s Mind on May 6th.
Read Dr. Keder’s bio.
Screen time battles are exhausting. The pleas for five more minutes. The meltdowns. And of course, the requests for a phone as early as elementary school. Gain an understanding of why children react this way, and how you can better manage and model healthy screen use.
Watch part three of our conversation series, Step Inside Your Child’s Mind, on May 20th.
Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health | | American Academy of Pediatrics
Conversation Starters for Children 10 and Younger
Conversation Starters for Teens
Common Sense Media | Common Sense Media
A Guide to Executive Function | Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Heather Dupre, LCPC, is a licensed mental health clinician in Maryland and Kansas with over a decade of experience supporting children, teens, and families. She has worked across the full continuum of mental health care and held leadership roles in healthcare management. Most recently, she transitioned from corporate healthcare to open a private practice and serves as adjunct faculty at Frostburg State University, where she teaches graduate-level school counseling students.
Heather believes that strong families are the foundation for healthy child development, and she considers it a privilege to support both individuals and families in her work. Outside of her professional life, she is a wife, a mom to two young children, an outdoor enthusiast, and an avid reader.
Joyce King is a dedicated wife and mother of two young adults. With over 27 years of professional experience, she is a seasoned mental health therapist and substance abuse counselor whose career spans mental health, addictions, and social services.
She is also a proud 16-year decorated United States Air Force veteran, having served with distinction during both peacetime and wartime. Her military experience shaped her resilience, discipline, and unwavering dedication to the well-being of others—qualities that continue to define her professional and personal mission.
Currently, she serves as the Clinical Director of iMind Behavioral Health, where she provides strategic leadership, clinical oversight, and program development. In addition, she has successfully operated a private mental health practice for the past eight years, offering individualized care and support to diverse populations.
Her expertise extends into academia, where she has contributed as an Adjunct Professor, teaching both undergraduate and graduate students and helping to shape the next generation of behavioral health professionals. She is also recognized as a national voice in mental health and suicide prevention.
Demonstrating her commitment to advocacy, she testified before Congress in support of veteran suicide prevention programming and services through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her leadership and influence continue through her role as a facilitator of national Grand Rounds seminars, where she provides continuing medical education to behavioral health professionals across the country. She has collaborated with local Maryland county councils to address the needs of veterans and improve community-based services. Additionally, she facilitated a seminar sponsored by a local Historically Black College and University (HBCU), focused on empowering women entrepreneurs through training and professional development.
She is currently a Doctoral Candidate pursuing an EdD in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Behavioral Health, further strengthening her ability to drive systemic change within the field.
Outside of her professional life, she enjoys interior and stage design, singing, riding motorcycles, and spending meaningful time with her family and friends—activities that reflect her creativity, spirit, and love for connection.
Rob (Robert) Keder, MD is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician (DBP) at Connecticut Children’s and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, CT. As a DBP he works with children in clinical and school settings to identify, address, and support issues related to developmental disabilities and behavioral health. This includes navigating issues including autism, ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, developmental delays, literacy screening and learning disability identification, preventing and managing bullying, health equity, and behavior problems at home and/or school. He is a clinician, educator, and medical director of the Hartford Area Medical-Legal Partnership. Rob is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics where he serves on the executive team on the Council on School Health and works with the Center of Excellence on Social Media and Mental Health.
Join the conversation on our LinkedIn page. Want to be a future guest? Connect with us: info@brainfutures.org.
Step Inside Your Child’s Mind is produced by BrainFutures, a national mental health nonprofit advancing innovation by bridging the gap between research and practice. This series is made possible through the generous support of the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission and Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports, as part of our work to strengthen youth executive function skills and improve mental health in Maryland Title I schools. The views presented here are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the Commission or Consortium.
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