Why do kids do what they do? Navigating the adolescent years is challenging for parents as well as teens. But there are strategies parents can use that will help them guide their kids as they grow into young adults.

Winthrop-University Hospital’s Parenting Today community education series will offer a free seminar for the public, “Adolescence: A Guide to Health & Safety,” on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 7:00 PM. The program will be held at Winthrop’s Community Outreach Center, located at 101 Mineola Boulevard and will focus on a variety of topics geared to adolescent development.

Speakers Jane Swedler, MD, Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Winthrop, and Diane Petito, CPNP, will discuss the stages of adolescence, the role of the adolescent doctor, and how to identify signs of poor decision making, such as drug and alcohol abuse. Social workers who specialize in adolescent behavior, Marisol Perez, LMSW, and Maria Chicas, LMSW, from Winthrop’s Department of Pediatrics, will discuss communicating with resistant teens, coping techniques for parents, and more. A question and answer period will follow the lecture.

Dr. Swedler is board certified in Adolescent Medicine. She also serves as the Medical and Program Director of the Hempstead High Health Center, and is a staff physician at Nassau Community College. Dr. Swedler is a vital member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Youth and Adolescence. She has lectured extensively, has several publications, and has served as a consultant to several news and media organizations.

Attendees are asked to arrive at 6:45 PM and park in the rear of the building. Admission is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required. To reserve your space, please call 1-866-WINTHROP.

The Parenting Today program is presented by the Department of Public Affairs in cooperation with the Department of Pediatrics, part of the Children’s Medical Center at Winthrop-University Hospital. For information about other programs at the Hospital, please call

1-866-WINTHROP.