Beyond Behaviours: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children's Behavioural Challenges

Description

A PARADIGM SHIFT FOR CAREGIVERS THAT WILL REVOLUTIONIZE THE WAY YOU APPROACH, TREAT OR PARENT A CHILD WITH CHALLENGING OR EXPLOSIVE BEHAVIOURS. When you are confronted with a child who is troubled, disruptive, oppositional, defiant or angry - whether you are a parent or a teacher - it can be difficult to know the best way to support them. Traditional methods of 'shaping' a child's behaviour can often be at best ineffective, at worst distressing, for child and adult alike. Drawing on 30 years of experience, internationally known paediatric psychologist Dr Mona Delahooke describes these troubled behaviours as the 'tip of the iceberg', important signals that point to deeper, individual differences in the child that we need to understand and address before we can resolve behavioural challenges. Using the very latest neuroscientific research BEYOND BEHAVIOURS makes the case that many children who can't seem to behave simply don't have the developmental capacity to do so - yet. This book uses neuroscientific findings to help you deconstruct behaviour challenges, and to discover their cause and triggers for your child. It will show you how to apply this knowledge across a variety of behaviour spectrums, from children diagnosed with autism or other forms of neurodiversity, to those who might have been exposed to toxic stress or trauma during their early years. There are practical strategies to implement at every stage, backed up by impactful worksheets and charts, with a strong emphasis not on 'managing' behaviour, but instead on helping children and families build positive experiences to counteract the stress and pressure felt by everybody when you're working, or living, with a child who has behavioural challenges. Accessible, practical, warmly supportive and steeped in research and clinical expertise, BEYOND BEHAVIOURS offers a break-through book which guides us - parents and caregivers alike - to the realisation that the most important tool in our toolkit is always our connection with the child standing in front of us.

Mona Delahooke, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience caring for children and their families. She is a senior faculty member of the Profectum Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting families of neurodiverse children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Delahooke holds the highest level of endorsement in the field of infant and toddler mental health in the state of California, as a Reflective Practice Mentor (RPM). She is a frequent speaker, trainer, and consultant to parents, organizations, schools, and public agencies. Dr. Delahooke has dedicated her career to promoting compassionate, relationship-based neurodevelopmental interventions for children with developmental, behavioral, emotional, and learning differences. She is the author of Social and Emotional Development in Early Intervention: A Skills Guide for Working with Children (PESI, 2017).

"Beyond Behaviors provides the basis for a paradigm shift in understanding and treating children with disruptive behaviors. this accessible and beautifully written volume, Dr. Delahooke pulls the veil off this myth and replaces it with a neurobiologically-informed treatment model that provides insightful directives leading to effective outcomes." "As a developmental psychologist, compassion teacher, and autism mum, I can whole-heartedly say this book is brilliant. Traditional methods of 'shaping' children's behaviors typically ignore children's emotional state, at great cost to the child's ability to learn, develop, and form secure relationships. This book provides concrete ways to help understand safety as the foundation for children's learning, working with rather than against natural brain functions to maximize learning potential." "I love this book. It will be one I give and recommend over and over. Beyond Behaviors is succinct, accessible, practical, science-based. And it's a game changer. My hope is that not only parents, educators, clinicians, and all helping professionals read it, but that it becomes required reading for professionals in training." "This book will embrace every parent and professional puzzling over behavioral challenges and make you question the assumptions about their meaning and re-evaluate how to help. Beyond Behaviors will help every child and family progress, feel safe, enjoy relationships, and develop to their fullest." "Dr. Mona Delahooke is a child psychologist with over 30 years of experience working with children who have behavioral challenges. With compassion and insight, she guides us toward creating healing environments of safety and security." "I love Beyond Behaviors. One of the best features of this book are the practical, empowering, step-by-step ideas for finding the calm self-acceptance necessary for building a healing, supportive relationship with even the most challenging and frightened child." "Brilliant! This book is an essential read for all people who care for or interact with children." "This is a wonderful book that takes complicated concepts and new ways of thinking about children and makes them digestible and useable for parents and professionals alike."