Tag Archives: misbehavior

Six Universal Rules of Discipline

I’ve written several blogs on behavior and discipline, but sometimes it’s best to get back to basics. As parents we need to occasionally refresh our memories about the no-nonsense, ABCs of keeping things under control. These principles will work with children who have all kinds of disabilities or behavior problems. You’ve already heard all these points in different ways at different times. But how are you doing, really? Have you drifted into an anything-goes mentality, where you just react angrily to whatever your kid is doing? Is it time to reassess your parenting technique? Here are Six Universal Rules of … Continue reading →

Don’t Get Frustrated–Take A New Look at Your Child’s Behavior

Sometimes developmentally delayed children will exhibit behaviors which are hard to understand. That’s because the behavior is occurring at an age when we typically wouldn’t see it happening in ordinary kids. For example, if a two-year-old hits another child, as a parent we might say “Let’s not hit,” but we don’t become tremendously concerned. A two-year-old hitting another toddler is normal behavior. But if an eight-year-old hits his peer, it’s more troubling. Most eight-year-olds have learned that hitting someone else is wrong. It’s important to remember that in the special needs child, inappropriate behaviors may have a purpose. The child … Continue reading →

Ten Signs that Your Child May be Gifted

Gifted and creative children often have behavioral problems in school which resemble ADHD, ODD, or other disorders. Sadly, many of these children are reprimanded, medicated, and denied the ability to reach their full potential. When this happens, our entire society suffers. Imagine if Einstein, Churchill, Edison, and other great thinkers who struggled in school were held back and forced to be ordinary. What if we had labeled them as slow learners and medicated them? How might the world be different today? I wonder why we assume children who misbehave are unintelligent. For some reason we’ve adopted this thinking in the … Continue reading →

“You’re in BIG trouble!” When Your Special Needs Child Breaks a School Rule

Children with ADHD, Aspergers, bipolar disorder, and other disorders which affect behavior may at some point find themselves in trouble at school. Problems with impulse control, hyperactivity, and other issues make them more likely to misbehave. So you might wonder… what if my son or daughter hurts another child? What if he or she causes loud disruptions or breaks school rules? Can a special needs child be suspended? Expelled? Does my child have any protections due to his disability? The Tightrope Walk If a student with a disability breaks a school rule, it’s a difficult situation for the parents, but … Continue reading →

ADHD? Or is Your Child Actually Gifted?

Gifted and creative children often have difficulty in the public school system. Their behaviors can mimic ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and they can sometimes be labeled as problem children, daydreamers, or even slow learners. Instead of getting the special educational opportunities that they need and deserve, they are incorrectly classified and improperly held back from achieving their full potential. When gifted children have their talents properly channeled and find an appropriate setting for education, they can make contributions to society which can transform the world. A New Perspective Just think…perhaps your child is not just hyperactive, restless, and reactionary, but … Continue reading →

“Leave Me ALONE!” The Child Who Seeks Emotional Isolation

Some children become so discouraged with their sense of self that they simply withdraw. Rather than compete with other kids, which they feel they can’t do because of their many inadequacies, they choose not to participate. And rather than disappoint the adults in their lives, they choose to build a wall of silence. These are the students who sit in the corner, fiddling with a pencil, refusing to raise their hand or join the group. They often feel frustrated by adult attempts to engage them in conversation or to force them to participate. As I have noted in previous blogs, … Continue reading →

When Your Child Wants REVENGE

In my early experiences of trying to discipline my stepdaughter with ADHD, things got really rough. I mentioned in a previous blog that on one occasion we found that a can of paint had been mysteriously opened and poured purposely across our bathroom cabinets. We also found holes dug in the walls after we had tried standing her in the corner on an occasion when her behavior was outrageous. She had sneakily taken her fingernails and dug deep pits into the walls. How she did it without being observed is a mystery. On another occasion, she scribbled all over the … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Deal With a Power-Hungry Child

If a child misbehaves because he craves attention, but can’t get a satisfying result, he will often move to the mistaken goal of seeking power. In my previous blog I listed the four basic mistaken goals children have which lead to misbehavior: Seeking Attention. Seeking Power. Seeking Revenge. Seeking Emotional Isolation. The Child Who Craves Power Each of the above mistaken goals are the child’s misguided way of trying to belong. All children want to belong, to be accepted, to fit in, and to be loved. The child who wants power makes the erroneous assumption that if he defies adults … Continue reading →

How to Handle a Child Who Craves Attention

All children have a strong desire to belong. They want love, acceptance, and a place where they can “fit in.” They will go to great lengths to achieve a state of belonging. Most children will learn to follow the social “laws” of etiquette and will obey home and classroom rules in order to be accepted. However, some children seek belonging in inappropriate ways. They have mistaken goals that they hope will help them to find acceptance. All childhood misbehaviors originate from one of the following four mistaken goals: Seeking Attention Seeking Power Seeking Revenge Seeking emotional isolation When Your Child … Continue reading →

You Know Your Kid is the BOSS When…

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Raising a child is a difficult job. Raising a special needs child, especially one with behavior problems, is an even greater challenge. We make a lot of mistakes as parents, but it’s good to relax and laugh at ourselves once in a while. We all can relate to things occasionally getting WAY out of control. (More than occasionally?) Anyway, just for fun and a bit of humor, I’ve written the following: You know your kid is the BOSS when… 1. He tells you what you’re making for dinner tonight. 2. She’s the one pushing the shopping cart while you sprint … Continue reading →