Managing Challenging Behaviour in Children

From The Berry Collective Psychologist, Debra Lawler

Two of the most common questions we hear from parents are:Why is my child behaving in this way, and What can we do about it? 

Physical aggression, yelling, and whining can be triggering events for parents. In the heat of the moment when our kids don’t “calm down” or comply with a request, we might start giving threats, bribes, or consequences. This can be overwhelming for the whole family.

However, if you are willing to pause, take a deep breath and look past the behaviour, you will often find big thoughts, feelings and needs hiding in the background.

We encourage parents to think about the factors that led up to this event. Who was in the room? What was said? Was my child feeling overstimulated? Were they feeling tired or hungry? Also, try to explore the situation from your child’s perspective. What might they have been thinking?

Armed with this information you can begin to tune-in to what your child needs. Consider whether the environment is tricky for your child to handle and if there are any small changes that might make it easier for them. Also, consider whether your child has the skills to behave in the way you want them to. Perhaps you need to work alongside them to develop those skills. This helps parents to figure out how they can best support their children in a proactive way in order to minimise the behaviour.

Some other things to think about when behaviour is challenging:

If you are worried that your child is having trouble coping you can consult a professional to provide you and your child with support. 

We can help.

Here at Berry Collective Psychology, we have a dedicated team that can help support you on your journey of healing and recovery.