Claire Lerner is a licensed clinical social worker and child development specialist and the author of Why Is My Child In Charge? A Roadmap to Ending Power Struggles, Increasing Cooperation, and Finding Joy in Parenting Young Children (Rowman, 2021.) Her second book, Big Reactors, about highly sensitive children, was released by Bloomsbury in October 2025. She served as the Director of Parenting Resources at Zero to Three for 18 years where she translated the science of early childhood for parents and professionals. Claire has also been a practicing clinician for more than 35 years, partnering with parents to do the detective work of
decoding their children’s behavior to solve their most vexing childrearing challenges. She also provides training and consultation to preschools and pediatric residents at Children’s National Medical Center. Claire is the author of hundreds of parenting resources, including books, blogs, podcasts and videos. She has served as a content expert for numerous national daily newspapers. Claire is the mother of two very spirited children and two stepchildren. She lives in Bethany Beach, Delaware with her husband and their beloved Golden, Hudson.
Learn more at lernerchilddevelopment.com.