PDA Irish Style

Parent perspective - things that work for me (All views are my own as a parent.  They do not constitute professional advice.) Meltdowns, Shutdowns, Tantrums and Rages What are we talking about? Don't assume anyone knows what you are talking about. There are a lot of assumptions made when you say meltdown. People think they know what that is from their own experience, usually with their toddler. You need to describe what happens in your experience. Is it screaming? Does it look out of control? Are things thrown? Is there damage to property? Is it violent? Is it directed at you? It is 2 hours long? Is there an ability to apologise? What happens afterwards? Tantrums All the parents you know know about tantrums. Tantrums have a trigger, and ignoring the behaviour and other traditional techniques work. The naughty step does work for some children, and those parents will want to tell you about it! Yes it is hard to tell if my child is acting up on purpos

I was that person I used to listen to radio shows, and watch parents on t.v. talk about the extraordinary lengths they had to go to to access the most basic supports for their children in Ireland. I used to think we couldn't have the whole story. It can't be that bad. We must be missing something. I also used to sigh when I sat down on an airplane and saw there was a baby in front of me. I used to look askance at children screaming in shopping centres and think what was wrong with their parents. Why couldn't their parents control them? I used to be shocked when parents said their children slept in their bed. I used to wonder why people had such problems with children and eating and everyday stuff. If you had told me you couldn't get your child to school I would have thought 'how ridiculous'. I used to think I knew better. I was that person. When you have no experience of a child with additional needs you have no understanding o