In this episode, Rebecca and Nanci talk about sensory, environmental, and emotional triggers, and how we can meet our children’s specific needs without limiting their experiences in the wider world.
As well as playing an impromptu Trigger Game, Nanci and Rebecca explore the following concepts:
- Safeguarding against meltdowns before they occur.
- Identifying the triggers behind the behaviours.
- Breaking down behaviour to understand the cause.
- Desensitisation versus acclimatisation.
- Proactive (versus reactive) behaviour management strategies.
- Meeting needs before behaviour escalates.
- Paying attention to cues to understand and foresee your child’s triggers.
- Finding solutions for specific situations.
- Looking beneath the surface of behaviour.
- Long term solutions versus short term fixes.
- Understanding (and responding to) your child’s un-verbalised communication
- Loud noises, weird smells, uncomfortable clothing, overwhelming social situations, unpleasant lighting, food aversions, negative associations, motion sickness, and more.
- Emergency Trigger Backpacks.
- The danger in labelling a child as being ‘naughty’, as opposed to recognising they are experiencing genuine discomfort.
- Letting your child get their own way, and why it’s sometimes important to do so.
- How the freedom to ‘quit’ can give children more incentive to ‘try’.
- Why autonomy is so important.