Identifying the Root of Challenging Behaviors

Many of our children are inundated with rules and expectations that change throughout their day at home, school and other settings. It can be challenging for children to process and navigate these changing situations and can often result in challenging behaviors. As providers, it is our role to work with families and teams to identify the "why" behind the behavior. It is important for families and team members to use a collaborative approach to identify supportive strategies, promote independence with daily tasksand encourage positive social interactions. This proactive methodology takes time, effort and energy before everyday activities to promote child success. Facilitated opportunities for self reflection allow for increased emotional awareness and improved self-regulation skills for children to be able to use appropriate strategies within a variety of environments more independently.

Highlights

• Clearly identifying the behavior and the function of behavior through a systematic framework in a collaborative manner
• Creating developmentally appropriate strategies with individualized modifications and accommodations
• Reflective practices with collaboration to support children and help to generalize evidence-based strategies in daily routines and interactions

Target Audience: Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Speech-Language Pathologists