A parent shared this article by the Child Mind Institute with me and it was so great I wanted to share it for other families and professionals in the field. Many times, when a child or an individual with a disability has challenging behavior, it is written off without a second thought as to why the behavior is occurring. Instead, we as families and professionals need to be looking for the reason behind the behavior. The main reasons for a behavior include: attention, getting something/someone, avoiding something/someone, and self stimulatory. The article discusses the root of challenging behaviors can come from anxiety. The article suggests that taking the time to understand the behavior can help explain what anxiety may be occurring and could help prevent meltdowns. And who doesn’t want to help prevent a meltdown?!?!