When faced with challenging behaviours, it’s easy to focus on what the child is doing. 

But if we stop there, we miss the most important piece: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆.

Why is this behaviour happening? What’s the underlying need, trigger or communication? 

Without understanding the why, we’re just putting out fires. To really support a child, 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 - look at their important relationships, the sensory and physical environment, the activity, their sensory needs, and the demands placed on them. Only then can we create meaningful change.

𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁” 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝘄𝗵𝘆” is what transforms behaviour support from reactive to proactive.

How do you get to the “why” with the children you work with? Let us know in the comments.