"Trying Differently Rather Than Harder"

The book "Trying Differently Rather Than Harder" is a must read for anyone dealing with a child or children who may fall under Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. For that matter, it is a must read for anyone dealing with a child who has severe behaviors because it speaks to the issues of neurological disorders of most of the mental health diagnoses given to children with behavior problems. It is available through Amazon or through www.FASCETS.org It is less than 100 pages long and very readable.

REFLECT, RELATE, AND REGULATE

If you are following my facebook page: Challenging Children you will see the Tip of the Week for teachers define these 3 words. And it is an intervention to use with difficult (read severe) behaviors in any and all circumstances. If you can do these three steps when dealing with your out of control child, you will find yourself responding rather than reacting AND your child WILL be calmed. She will be calmed if she has any label...e.g. Oppositional Defiant, ADHD, PTSD, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, etc. She will be calmed if she is lying to you, if she is stealing, if she is being rude and disrespectful. You are probably thinking right now that if these interventions are all things that I have to do, what has it got to do with my child? I don't need to change my behavior, she does! I can give you a 100% guarantee that if you react in a negative way to your child's misbehavior, the situation will escalate. Likewise, I can give you a 100% guarantee that if you can get yourself into a place of responding instead of reacting, you will communicate that calm to your child and interrupt the negative cycle you are in with your child.

Verbal First Aid

Check outhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/judith-simon-prager-phd/keeping-crises-from-becom_b_737465.html to learn about minimizing the effects of trauma. In particular, scroll down to The Firefighter and the Little Girl. And then stay tuned for information about the newly recognized (note: not newly produced) hormone called Oxytocin. It is the hormone which connects us to one another in a positive way but a hormone that our brain is taught to release.