This workshop was hosted live on the date noted above, you can view the recording and download the handouts below.
We often view kids’ challenging behaviors as misbehavior – that is on purpose or even manipulation to gain or avoid something. This point of view is sadly common in families and even in schools. In order to correct the behavior we don’t want, we tend to “discipline” our children which commonly means consequences, time-outs or punishment. Even though largely outdated and sometimes harmful, most adults believe that these approaches “teach” children to behave in more appropriate or expected ways.
In contrast, science tells us that what is often viewed as misbehavior is actually a stress response. When a child feels stressed or unsafe on the inside, challenging behaviors are what we see on the outside. And neurodivergent children, like those with Autism or ADHD, are even more vulnerable to feeling stressed than neurotypical children. Let’s work on this together.
