Recently Dr. Brazelton was presented with the Presidential Citizen's Medal by President Obama. The essence of Dr. Brazelton's gift is his tremendous respect for children, parents and the people he works with. His Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale brought to light a newborn baby's extraordinary capacity for communication. In his work with parents he brings a nonjudgmental strength-based approach to his interactions. Respectful listening among colleagues is central.
At first I wasn't sure what direction to take with my presentation. Unlike my fellow presenters, I am not a media professional. But then I realized that it gave me a wonderful opportunity to think about why I write for the media. Just five years ago, I was simply a small town doc in Western Massachusetts.
As I reviewed the events of these five years, I saw that an overarching goal of all of my writing is perfectly aligned with the work of Dr. Brazelton. My aim is to promote a stance of listening with nonjudgmental curiosity. That includes listening to children and to parents, as well listening as among professionals who may approach work with children and families from different paradigms.
As part of my presentation, I told stories about pieces I have written that aim to crossing paradigms and promote new ways of thinking. It all started with my first op-ed piece for the Globe in 2008, provocatively titled Mind Altering Drugs and the Problem Child, in the wake of the explosion of diagnosis of bipolar disorder in young children. Continuing as a blogger for Boston.com, I had a similar aim with posts such as Diagnosing ADHD under Age 6: A Mistaken Idea, Could Sensory Processing Disorder be the Primary Problem?, and even The Poop Wars: Why Miralax is Just a Bandaid.
It was a thrill of a lifetime to share this celebration with Dr. Brazelton and then to be able to present my work to him. He is a great model and a true inspiration.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
