It is back to school season, and with that comes the usual challenge with getting back into a routine, classroom rules, and the dreaded behavior charts. In my perfect world all teachers would understand a few things about behavior so that the classroom was not such a place of struggle, and instead was a place to thrive.

 I wish my child’s teacher knew:

1. That the brain affects behavior. 

There is a strong connection between the brain and body and behavior. The brain receives information from the body via the sensory and motor systems. This means that if my child is overloaded with too much sensory information, you may see “bad” behaviors. Think of it as a traffic jam on the highway. Imagine being stuck in a traffic jam. You can see your exit, but you can’t get there as you are stuck. Now pretend you need to use the bathroom or are getting hungry. How might you react during this traffic jam? Would you get frustrated, angry, distracted?

This is what...

  “So how’s it going?” That was the single question that led to the sobbing. I was sitting in a pediatrician’s office for my son’s five-year physical when I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The tears began streaming down my face and our pediatrician froze as I struggled to speak. How did I get here? Why was I so emotional to a simple question? As I accepted the scratchy, cheap tissues from the physician’s hand I began to tell my story.

     I remember very clearly the excitement of being pregnant. I will never forget those first days in the hospital and at home staring at my newborn son. I was so thrilled with anticipation for the future and with the hope of what was to come. I had read the parenting books, I was a Registered Nurse-I was confident that I was prepared.

     Then, as my baby boy grew into a toddler. I began to notice some things like he would cry when we would laugh at...

So maybe you got the call from the preschool about biting or hitting. Or maybe you would just like to take your child to the park without another parent giving you “the look” because your child keeps shoving others to the ground.  The good news is that you are in the right place.

 Before we show you some ways to reduce aggression, we need to understand why it happens.  For those answers, we need to learn about the brain. In aggressive kids, they often spend more time in survival (or fight/flight) mode. This means that their brains are often on edge, and they react to any little thing in the environment. 

 Imagine walking through the woods in the middle of the night. You are alone. You don’t know where you are going, you don’t have a cell phone or any supplies. Think about what you would be thinking and feeling. Then you hear a stick crack in the distance. Would you jump? Would you scream?

 This is often what it feels like...