Most younger children will occasionally act out or have periodic behavioral issues, and this is something virtually every parent and educator should be aware of within daily life. At the same time, there are some basic strategies and tactics that any kind of caregiver can take when it comes to managing behavioral issues, whether for specific concerns in a given instance or longer-term trends that may be taking place.
At Smart Kids Development Center, managing behavioral concerns is just one of many tasks we’re happy to assist with during our quality child care programs, which range from infants and toddlers up to children in their early teens. In this two-part blog series, we’ll go over a number of important concepts here – today’s part one will discuss some of the common causes of behavioral issues in children, while part two will look at some ways of understanding and managing these for parents, teachers and any other major caregivers in the child’s life.
As we alluded to above, it’s entirely normal for virtually all children to act out or have various behavioral issues from time to time. It’s important for any caregiver in the child’s life to understand this and take it into account when managing concerns – children don’t always know what is expected of them, after all, even if they may be aware of general standards within the home or classroom setting.
This is especially true during the younger years of a child’s life, when they are still developing and learning basic concepts. Understanding when a child may be going through particular developmental stages is key here, as this can help explain many behaviors that otherwise might appear out of the blue or for no obvious reason.
Likely the most common cause of behavioral issues in children is underlying anxiety or discomfort, which can be triggered by particular stimuli or situations. For example, the child may worry about a certain person, place or activity and become agitated even if it appears to those around them that nothing has changed.
In these cases, identifying the root cause of this anxiety is essential – usually this involves talking to the child in a way that helps them express what it is they’re feeling, which can be difficult for young kids who may not have the language to communicate these feelings. Once identified, addressing and resolving the underlying cause can often go a long way toward mitigating any associated behavioral issues.
In other cases, the child may have some kind of learning disability or disorder that manifests itself with behavioral issues. It’s important to note that these can range from very mild to severe cases – for example, many children who struggle in school due to a learning disorder may also display disruptive behavior during class and/or at home.
In these cases, it’s important to get a proper diagnosis so the child can be treated correctly and receive any necessary therapy or other services. A good caregiver should also take time to understand and learn more about the specific disability in question, as this will make it easier to develop effective strategies for managing the child’s behavior going forward.
At Smart Kids Development Center, we’re here to provide the highest quality child care for children in our program, and we understand how important it is to properly manage behavioral issues that may occur. In part two of this series, we’ll discuss some basic tactics you can use in these cases – stay tuned!