Theres a tracker for thatall of that.
Pearlman is the author ofIgnore It!
Thats why you need a chart.
Tracking helps parents see if there is some improvement, Pearlman tells me.
It doesnt have to be an all or nothing approach.
Some improvement is better than no improvement.
And seeing that there is some change motivates and empowers parents to keep at it.
Ive used tracking for sleep training, eating challenges, teen provoking behavior and so much more.
It really can be used to track any behavior.
But thats a huge improvement.
Without tracking a parent might miss the small success.
His parents, who contacted Pearlman for help, started tracking his meltdowns on a chart.
Every time he had a tantrum, they added a little hash mark.
It looked like this:
Notice any patterns?
Pearlman writes:
The results were illuminating.
He particularly struggled on the weekends (fourteen tantrums on Saturday and sixteen on Sunday).
After careful consideration, Conners mom and dad could see why Saturdays and Sundays were a mess for Conner.
His brothers typically had two games a day.
He didnt receive a nap or have any time when activities were structured around his needs.
After their analysis, Conners parents made some changes.
They had their nine-year-old drop one sport (he didnt love football, anyway).
These small changes caused the frequency of weekend tantrums to plummet, Pearlman writes.
you might really geek out with bar and line charts, but only if you want to.
Heres a template fromIgnore It!to start (secretly) tracking your childs behaviors.
Doing so might even help you detach yourself from sheer emotions, and start seeing things more objectively.
Remember, its not just a tantrumits data.
Charts are excerpted fromIgnore It!
Copyright 2017 by Catherine Pearlman.
