Responding to Challenging Behaviors in Infants and Toddlers

Encountering the challenging behavior in infant-toddler child care is inevitable. Such challenges can pose a significant dilemma for the professional who may struggle with how best to respond to a child who may be preverbal, who does not use logic, and /or whose memory cannot yet retain rules or limits over the long term. Challenging behavior in very young children can evoke strong emotional reactions in professionals who are working to respond to such incidents in a sensitive, supportive, and nurturing fashion. This training session provides participants with the opportunity to reflect on their own beliefs and feelings regarding challenging behavior, to learn more about some of the antecedents of challenging behavior, and to practice discussing such challenges with parents in an effective and supportive manner.