10/27/2025
All behavior tells you something. It sounds so simple but thinking about behavior in this way can change how you respond to challenges children present in a variety of situations. Getting to the “why” of something can go a long way toward solving problems.
Think about what the behavior is telling you and ask yourself a few questions:
1. Does the negative behavior come from being:
• Frustrated?
• Bored?
• Overstimulated?
• Tired or hungry?
• Anxious?
2. When does the behavior occur?
• Time of Day
• During transitions between activities
• When transitioning to an “unpreferred” activity
3. Where is the behavior occurring?
• Home
• School
• Church
• Where there is structure or where there is freedom
4. Have there been changes in the child’s life recently?
• Changes in routine – even small ones
• Life Changes – a birth of a sibling, a divorce, etc.
• A move
• A developmental transition of some kind like having a new bed
When you get to the “why, then you can focus on the “what” – what kind of strategies we can employ to help the child regulate himself and function in his environment.
~Michelle Dowdy
