All parents worry about their children's futures.
Concern about the future quality of life is heightened when parents observe their children struggling behaviorally at home, academically in school and socially on the playground. When children are successful in these areas of their lives, parents are confident that their future will be bright. They arrive at our offices with a list of immediate problems, apprehensive that these problems, rather than representing stages of childhood, may be prophecies predicting significant future problems extending into the adult years. Helping professionals are asked to play the role of futurists. We evaluate children examining not only their current problems, but also the risks these problems pose for adult life.