Pediatric Emotion Regulation Lab at Fordham University

10/21/2025

Improving Communication & Building a Stronger Relationship with Your Trans, Non-Binary, or Gender Diverse Kid

If you’ve ever struggled to find the right words, worried about saying the wrong thing, or felt disconnected from your child—you’re not alone. And the good news? There are proven strategies to transform your communication and deepen your connection with your child.

Watch this powerful on-demand webinar https://app.membership.io/watch/pN0o9eO5Da #/
where you’ll learn:

✅ The biggest mistakes parents make (and how to avoid them)

✅ Why your usual conversation strategies may not be working—and what to do instead

✅ Key skills to create a stronger, more supportive relationship with your child

✅ The best tools to navigate difficult conversations with confidence

This isn’t just another lecture—it’s a game-changing experience designed to give you real, practical tools you can use immediately.

You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Let’s do this together.

Dr. Shawn Giammattei, a clinical psychologist and gender specialist, offers valuable resources for parents raising transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive children. The workshop focuses on effective communication strategies, building trust, and recognising resilience within families. Key topic...

07/18/2025

Please check out our newly designed website to learn about PERL and our active research studies!

Welcome to PERL!

12/04/2024

09/05/2024

Do you struggle to manage your child’s temper tantrums or emotional outbursts?
If so, and your child is between the ages of 6 and 8 years old, you may qualify for a new online research study about parenting at Fordham University. Participation is voluntary and you will be compensated for your time. If you are interested, click this. link to fill out a brief form and a member of our research team will reach out to you. https://fordham.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bJwm26WpSCIwsAu

05/09/2023

Important new report from the American Psychological Association regarding social media guidelines for adolescents.

This health advisory provides 10 recommendations to ensure that teens develop healthy social media practices.

11/22/2022

Truly groundbreaking work... bringing exposure therapy to everyone!

A gold-standard treatment for phobias and anxieties encourages young people to follow an old and simple dictum: Face your fears.

09/20/2022

The Fordham Community Mental Health Clinic is open and has availability for new child and adolescent therapy clients! No waitlist and we offer fees on a sliding scale ! Please share with your contacts. You can reach the clinic at 718-817-0590 or fordhamclinic@fordham.edu.

05/10/2022

Congratulations to our 2022 graduates and to our former students moving on to graduate school! It was wonderful to celebrate with all of you this afternoon!

03/15/2022

The National Institutes of Health invites students ages 16 to 18 years old to participate in the “2022 Speaking Up About Mental Health!” essay contest.

03/11/2022

Our study of parents' responses to remote learning during COVID is finally out! Check it out here!

02/17/2022

If you meet my child and he seems off, it’s not your imagination. My son has a hidden disability.

If you talk to him and he doesn’t make eye contact, or acknowledge you, or respond to your question… it’s not because he’s rude. It’s because socializing is challenging for him, and it’s something we have to practice constantly.

If you hear me praising him for simple things – things a 7 year old should do easily – it’s not because we are spoiling him, or because he’s a brat. It’s because things that come naturally for some children take years and years of work for others. It’s because we try to maintain at least a 5:1 ratio of positive encouragement over reprimands, or the poor guy has to listen to being corrected all day.

If my child starts to yell, gets hyper, or acts up and I quietly remove him and we leave, it’s not because we don’t know how to discipline, and it’s not because we are horrible parents. It’s because my child struggles with severe self-shame and I try to enforce discipline and consequences in private, so he doesn’t feel further degradation and embarrassment than he already does by being called out in public.

If my child starts talking to you enthusiastically about a TV show or a video game, it’s not because he’s on screens all day. His screen time is actually quite limited. However some shows and games bring out intense creativity and passion in him, and conversations about characters, places and “what if” scenarios should be encouraged and they help him socialize! Ask him thought provoking questions about Pokémon or dragons and watch my child’s face light up.

Next time you see a child and they seem off, you’re intuition is probably correct.

Give that child a warm smile, and extend it to their mom or dad who is probably nearby and holding their breath. Because 99% of their energy goes into what you don’t see, and they’re probably feeling anxious and hypervigilant. Because judgment and shaming helps no one, but a warm smile can absolutely make someone’s day.

Today’s a beautiful day to give a child and their mom or dad the benefit of the doubt.

Today is the perfect day to teach your children to be inclusive to those who act different. Because some disabilities are hidden in plain sight.

Art via This Mama Doodles
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Follow Celeste on Instagram at https://www.Instagram.com/theultimatemomchallenge

01/29/2022

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a childhood condition of extreme irritability, anger, and frequent, intense temper outbursts. DMDD symptoms typically begin before the age of 10, but the diagnosis is not given to children under 6 or adolescents over 18. Learn more at https://go.usa.gov/xtXAC.