Parents of young children can be overwhelmed with Behavior concerns or conduct problems in children. Young children under the age of 10 do not have all of the critical faculties of reasoning and awareness to understand their behavior and are often unable to communicate their needs.
It is important to recognize and learn appropriate behaviour concerns. These strategies are designed to help children gain confidence in communicating and taking responsibility for their actions. By engaging with challenging behaviour early in a child’s development, parents can ensure that their child develops healthy strategies to deal with frustration, disappointment. This prepares them for life as independent individuals responsible for their actions and emotions. Once a child has mastered these strategies, these same strategies are effective for all situations, providing peace of mind and clarity at all times.
The three strategies are expectation, consistency, and consequence. The expectation is setting clear expectations that are reasonable, achievable, and relevant. Consistency involves consistently applying the strategies to improve behaviour and teaching consequences for unacceptable behaviour. Consequences are tools for changing attitudes, behaviors, and thought processes. These consequences motivate people to respond appropriately to challenging behaviour and are considered a positive tool for improving behaviour concerns.
To encourage consistent and positive behaviour, parents should record and track everything that is done. Some families use a behaviour diary to document when and what is said, how many times, and how long things are carried out. Many families also keep a behavioural log, recording when a specific consequence is given and what action was carried out. This information can then be documented, recorded, and stored so that when a similar situation arises again, parents know what to do.
Parents should encourage and enable their children to express their feelings, ideas, needs, and desires. However, when they cannot convince their children to behave appropriately, there are some actions that parents need to take as a last resort. These actions are commonly known as a time-out period. Time-outs are designed to provide a time-out from the behaviour that is inappropriate.
There can be many issues as far as the behaviour concerns with children are in question. However, as parents, one should ensure they closely monitor the situation and take corrective measures to shape the overall attitude of children. By taking small corrective measures, children can learn to cope with their issues and thus gain the confidence that would help them to lead a productive life.
