Behaviour is communication. ‘Naughty’ should never be used to describe what is an unmet need, misunderstood communication or even behaviour that challenges adults.
Sensory Ladders are a free resource that can be used to understand and support children and others who may communicate their unmet needs in a way that others can’t easily understand. Sometimes, unmet needs result in behaviours that challenge others. However, ‘naughty’ is not a word that should ever be used. We should seek to understand and find better ways to support young people with obvious distress or those who have yet to learn self-regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and communication skills.
This recent BBC show was so reductionistic and limited in its presentation of complex issues, and the write-up that follows is so unhelpful, labelling what appears to be a vulnerable young man as ‘naughty’. The methods used to extinguish behaviours will have little carry-over into other settings.
Now more than ever, children’s mental health is at the forefront, and we should seek to base our interventions in emerging neuroscience. Specialist support with complex trauma, special educational needs, neuro-developmental difficulties, and tricky mental health should receive specialist multi-disciplinary assessment and support in the same way that physical health difficulties do.
This support can help address challenges by participating in everyday life, enhancing development to its full potential, building on emerging strengths, and finding ways to address the things that might be challenging. Neuroscience supports the notion of a fantastic plastic growing and changing brain and the strong connections between the body, brain and mind. It is wise to use this lens to support childhood and teenage development and skills learning. #realising potential
Kate and Aniesa have both written books that explore different ways of thinking and with clear rounding in recent emerging neuroscience.
