Understanding and Helping Children with Challenging Behaviors

This book is paradigm changing. It is compatible with therapeutic, developmentally appropriate, child directed educational alternative programs like our forest school. It is clearly and compassionately written.

I ordered the ebook and it never worked

This book has challenged my belief system regarding managing challenging behaviors in children, especially children with ASD and other disabilities. I see behaviors in a completely different way and feel I can use my new knowledge to help children more effectively!

This book gives an incredible perspective that really makes you rethink the way you parent. A must-read!!

The book is used as a professional learning tool.

One of the best books I have read . Truly life changing . Every professional and parent should read this. Especially ABA clinicians . But everyone should read this . Everyone who has a child or works with a child .

The book was well written and gave an excellent way to conceptualize children’s behaviors and how to help them. Every therapist, educator and parent should read it.

I think anyone who works with children or teens should read this and her other book, Brain Body Parenting. She explains how relational safely fixes behaviors more fully than behavior charts, punishments, and how to tell the difference between behavior due to a willful choice vs an upset nervous system. Behavior charts never work for the kids that they are intended to help, read the book and you’ll find out why and what to do about it!

But, that’s not all, you will learn a lot about yourself and people in general. It really shifts thinking and can heal.

The research in this book is so important. It's well-written and chock full of solid conclusions.

I liked that the book gave examples throughout it and isn’t a “fix it all” solution book. The “bottom up” pathway and the icebergs were good tools to help.

Was hoping for strategies to use in clinical practice with kids with serious behavior challenges. The author relies heavily on polyvagal theory which is bunk. Hard to trust anything she says when she keeps pointing back to dr porges

Loved it

There are tons of charts and worksheets in this book, so the audio book is great as a companion, but not as a stand-alone purchase.

Required reading for a class. It's an easy read because most of it is worksheet style, but the author does give good examples and stories

I have this book on Audible as well as paperback. It has been a game changer for me, my kids, our family, my advocacy. It’s given me the language and the tools to help my teen with ADHD and anxiety manage school, his social world, and conflict at home. It’s helped me to be taken seriously in IEP meetings. It’s helped me to connect with my two neurotypical kids, and even helped my marriage. Mona Delahooke is kind, caring, and brilliant in her application and explanation of complex neuroscience. She makes it accessible, relatable and tangible. Above all, her love and respect for kids and the people who love and support them (parents AND teachers) shines through. Buy this book. Listen to this book. And search her up online to see and hear her in action. She is a rising star fighting for our most vulnerable kids.

Our Center in Santa Barbara uses the principles of this book when we help parents understand their child's behavior. Dr. Mona Delahooke does a wonderful job of explaining complex concepts in a way that professionals and parents can immediately grasp and use. This is news you can use! We can't recommend Dr. Delahooke's book enough and encourage parents and colleagues alike to use this amazing resource. Her message is truly important for us to hear and for attitudes towards childhood behavior to move away from a stance of judgement to one of empathy and care.

I just finished this book last night and had to share. It is, by far, the best book I have ever read on helping kids with challenging behaviors. My son is 20 and how I wish I could have had access to these insights when he was much younger! Really, really helpful in understanding how increased sensitivity to stress and danger (real and perceived), movement and sensory differences, and emotional and physiological states all impact behavior, both voluntary and reflexive. Practical advice about what how to get started. Highly recommend.

author spends the first 55 pages telling us how we have all done it wrong all these years. mid way through Ch 2 and still no suggestions how to do it better, only eludes to the "strategies" she will eventually tell us to make up for how terrible the last 20 years helping children overcome behavior challenges has been. repeatedly, example after example of failures. being so brow beaten and having been told how awful at this i am, i don't want to touch the rest of this text. will just use for kindling. sadly, while there may be some good ideas, the scolding is not the approach to get readers on board. this is the first book i picked up to help my practice in quite some time, and i could not be more disappointed.

This book is life changing. Definitely recommend to any and all caregivers of children. Dr. Delahooke really breaks it down for you about child brain development and how to help children. 5 stars!

Great book so far only read a couple pages but seems good so far

As a pediatrician, I recommend this book to parents at least once a week. And, I use Dr. Delahooke's principles with my own kids. It has changed the way I look at challenging behavior and my response to it.

I'm an early childhood educator and mom to a neurodiverse kiddo. I want to highly recommend this book to any of you who are working with or have behaviorally challenging kiddos/autistic kiddos/ADHD. It's focus is on understanding what is underlying the challenging behaviors, with the understanding that kids want to cooperate and do so when they are able. The focus is on building the capacity for emotional regulation that underlies behavioral control, and removes the focus on behavioral compliance that many involved in early intervention work focus on. It may not be for everyone, but if like me you've tried every possible reward chart and scheme and they just aren't helpful at best, or cause frustration when children fail, and you're looking for a different approach, this may be the book for you!

The society loves to put labels and request compliance. I think we as human beings are ready to accept fact that "punishment and reward" system dehumanizing children development. Kids do better when they can.

This is an excellent book and have helped me deal with my child with ADD. I hope this book has a Filipino (or other languages) translation.

Awesome book!