
Smart But Scattered
Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care
08/06/25
•60m
About
Comments
Transcript
Featured In
Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks!
Does your child struggle to get or stay organized? Is homework a battle you dread every day? Prepare yourself to support your children for the Back to School season with this interview with Dr. Richard Guare. He's a neuropsychologist and board-certified behavior analyst focused on autism, learning, attention, and behavior disorders, and acquired brain injuries. He is the co-author of Smart But Scattered: The Revolutionary Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Define executive skills in a way that makes sense to a parent or caregiver who is unfamiliar with the term.
- Why are these executive skills essential for school success and independence?
- How does early childhood trauma, neglect, or prenatal substance exposure delay or disrupt a child’s executive skill development?
- What kinds of executive skill delays are common in children who’ve experienced foster care, adoption, or early adversity?
- How might a parent or caregiver begin to see a child’s delays in executive skill deficits in school?
- Define the strengths-based approach to teaching executive skills.
- How can we structure our homes and daily routines to best support what our kids will face during the school day?
- And practical strategies for supporting your student after school?
- What language can parents and caregivers use with our kids, and with teachers and support staff, to frame a child’s behavior in terms of execution skills vs. defiance or distraction?
- Why is it important for parents and caregivers to understand their own executive skills strengths and struggles?
- Top “takeaways” you want to encourage and support parents and caregivers to consider.
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
Previous Episode

Potty Training a Child With Prenatal Exposure - Weekend Wisdom
August 2, 2025
•12m
Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks!
How do you know your child with prenatal substance exposure is ready to potty train? How do you start potty training a child with impacts from prenatal substance exposure, like developmental delays? This Weekend Wisdom offers practical strategies and encouragement to help you stay motivated and keep up the good work.
Resources:
- Raising a Child with Prenatal Substance Exposure
- How Do I Potty Train a Child with Prenatal Substance Exposure?
- Prenatal Exposure, Part 1: Parenting Babies through Elementary Ages
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
Next Episode

Tips for Welcoming Home Your Newborn - Weekend Wisdom
August 9, 2025
•10m
Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks!
We frequently hear from waiting parents that they are unsure when to prepare the nursery, what formula is best, or how often they should expect to feed their new baby. It's a huge life transition, and we thought today we could talk about some basic baby care tips to help you think about what's next for you and your family when you get the baby home.
Resources:
- I'm Adopting a Baby. When Do I Set Up the Nursery?
- Essential Baby Care for Infant Adoption
- Stocking Your Medicine Cabinet for Baby
- Understanding Post-Adoption Depression and How to Manage It
- First 6 Months with a Baby Exposed to Opiates
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted




