Below are our articles about Challenging Behaviors. Click here to read our Introduction to Behavior.
Do you think he has ADHD? As an early intervention therapist this is a question I get asked by parents with children as young as 16 months of age. It is important to know that ADHD should never be diagnosed in children younger than age 4, and between ages 5-18 is when most children will receive an ADHD diagnosis providing …
Toddlers love to hear the sound of their own voices. And yes, as annoying at it is, toddlers love to shriek-often at the top of their little lungs! Often in public places like grocery stores and restaurants, much to their parent’s dismay. Toddlers may scream for a variety of reasons. Some kids just get louder and squeal because they are …
The first time that your toddler uttered a swear word, it undoubtedly caught everyone by surprise and might have even made people laugh. Why do little kids say bad words? Because they often get a BIG reaction (be it positive or negative) from the big people in their lives. They may have heard an older sibling say a swear word, …
We have heard it before: My toddler just started hitting! Rest assured, you are not alone if this is something you have encountered. It is often a “phase” that toddlers may experiment with during interactions or play. However, for some children it could require further investigation as to what may be the cause of this behavior and how to prevent …
You are perusing the aisles at Target (or insert the name of your favorite store) and you hear a child screaming for a candy bar at the checkout counter. Now, what if the above-described child is YOUR child? This is when we need to consider intervention strategies. How can we avoid that embarrassing supermarket meltdown from happening in the first …
I have a 6 year old, almost 7 that I consider to be a problem eater. Her diet in limited to less than 10 food items. I’ve talked to her pediatrician and she assures me that it will change once she grows older, she started this behavior when she was 3 tears old, and apparently she has no medical issue, …
Our four-year old has his thumb in his mouth most of his waking hours. We’ve tried talking it over with him, the Thumb Buddy, books and stories about thumb sucking. His dentist talked to him about it approximately six months ago, too. None of these things have worked. We’re open to getting a professional evaluation but don’t know where to …
Do you see your child or someone else’s child sitting with their bottom on the floor and their legs out beside them, forming a “W” shape? This is commonly called “W sitting.” You may think “wow, look how flexible they are.” Although flexibility in your muscles is a good thing, “W” sitting is not.
Many parents and therapists alike can be perplexed by whether or not a child’s behaviors are resulting from sensory processing dysfunction or behavior driven. When living or working with infants or toddlers, this can be especially difficult until they are able to express their wants or needs by actions or words.
My five year old grandson started kindergarten, he recently started to bite on his sleeves, jacket tie straps and biting on my shirt. He is one of the youngest kids in school and does not do well when kids pick on or bully him.
