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AISNE Parent Series: How Temperament Shapes Who We Become
AISNE 2026-27 Parent Series Webinar
How Temperament Shapes Who We Become: Why Some Children Need More Than Others to Flourish
How Temperament Shapes Who We Become: Why Some Children Need More Than Others to Flourish
Presented by: Aliza Pressman, PhD
What if the traits that make a child more sensitive to stress are the very same traits that allow them to flourish most powerfully in the right environment? Every child is born with a nervous system uniquely wired to experience the world. Some children feel everything deeply, process intensely, and require specific conditions to thrive. Others are more adaptable, flexible, seemingly unfazed. And most fall somewhere in between. Yet, too often, we parent toward an imagined “average child”—one that doesn’t exist. Drawing on research and science around temperament, Pressman offers a clarifying lens: the goal is not to toughen children up or shield them from all stress—but to understand which stress builds resilience, which requires support, and which demands protection. This session challenges two common but costly parenting extremes—dismissing children’s experiences on one end and over-accommodating on the other. Gain a practical, science-backed approach to raising children who feel seen, understood, and capable. Because when children are known for who they truly are, they stop trying to be someone else and start becoming, fully and confidently, themselves.
What if the traits that make a child more sensitive to stress are the very same traits that allow them to flourish most powerfully in the right environment? Every child is born with a nervous system uniquely wired to experience the world. Some children feel everything deeply, process intensely, and require specific conditions to thrive. Others are more adaptable, flexible, seemingly unfazed. And most fall somewhere in between. Yet, too often, we parent toward an imagined “average child”—one that doesn’t exist. Drawing on research and science around temperament, Pressman offers a clarifying lens: the goal is not to toughen children up or shield them from all stress—but to understand which stress builds resilience, which requires support, and which demands protection. This session challenges two common but costly parenting extremes—dismissing children’s experiences on one end and over-accommodating on the other. Gain a practical, science-backed approach to raising children who feel seen, understood, and capable. Because when children are known for who they truly are, they stop trying to be someone else and start becoming, fully and confidently, themselves.
Aliza Pressman, PhD is a developmental psychologist with nearly two decades of experience working with families and the health care providers who care for them. She is the cofounding director of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center and is an associate clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling book The 5 Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans, and the host of the award-winning podcast Raising Good Humans. Her newest book, The Orchid Code will be published in spring 2027.
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