All Things Early Intervention
When I was in school, the system for managing behavior was simple, if harsh: write your name on the chalkboard, and check marks and a possible paddling would follow. Later, when I became a mother, my child’s classroom (as well as everyone else’s) employed a color-coded traffic light chart. Everyone seemed to love this system. […]
Some children just love to throw stuff, and it’s a powerful developmental drive. We don’t want to hurt people or break stuff, but constantly fighting a toddler with that impulse often leads to frustration for both the adult and the child.
Our immediate, instinct is to say, “Stop throwing stuff!” But what if we paused and changed that instruction. “Throw this, not that.”
Instead of forcing him to “sit still,” I shifted the entire experience to meet him where he was. Here is the step-by-step strategy we used to turn a something that caused a violent meltdown into a manageable routine:
My own approach to dealing with challenging behavior is influenced by positive behavior support, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed care. It is a hodgepodge of trial and error, and I’d love to share the stories with you.
While I wasn’t consciously aware of these principles at the time, my improvised actions aligned to promote positive behavior. I was encouraged and reminded that we can effectively teach children new skills, including cleaning up, without resorting to power struggles.
This post explores the benefits of sensory play just for fun and how it can be incorporated into everyday interactions with children with and without special needs.
I found myself telling him to stop and keep his hands to himself all day long. He did NOT understand. He was a sweet boy that tried his hardest, but bless his heart, he would not stop touching everything and everybody.
When a child is having difficulty changing her behavior, try changing the environment.
All Things Early Intervention