10 Effective De Escalation Strategies for Children

When a child is acting out they become extremely overwhelmed or they experience sensory overload. And these situations can be stressful for everyone involved and dangerous for the child and the bystanders as well. Understanding their behavior will help better manage situations and de-escalated bad behaviors. Although meltdowns are unpredictable and they happen out of nowhere, there is a pattern that happens before, after, and during a meltdown. Knowing some de-escalation strategies will help you avoid potential crises. As parents, you can also attend some De-Escalation Training, if your child often has this problem. Let's look at 10 effective de-escalation strategies for children.  

Do Not Reason With Them- When a child is having a melt-down, it can be ineffective to try and reason with them as the logical part of their brain does not function. Their fight-or-flight instincts take over during the melt-down and their brain is flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, and they cannot access the part of the brain that thinks logically. Trying to reason with the child will only make them angrier. So, instead of reasoning, focus on reassuring them that they are safe. 

Do Not Make Demands- During their melt-down, avoid making demands as it is not going to make them calm down, snap out of it, or stop. And no matter how nicely or assertively you ask them making demands from them is not going to work. Instead, the only thing that matters at this moment is focusing on helping your child calm down. 

Make Sure That You Do Not Yell- Yelling at the child will not help de-escalate the melt-down, it will only make you appear threatening. When their fight or flight instinct is activated, they only perceive threats, and they need reassurance that they are safe. During these situations, they are not thinking logically so anything that seems threatening will only worsen the situation. 

Focus On Validating Their Feelings But Not Their Actions- Giving validation to their feeling will show your child that you accept their thoughts, feelings, and sensation. This will indicate to the child that you are on their side, so put yourself in their shoe. And one thing that you should avoid doing is shaming them for how they feel. 

Be Aware of Your Body Language and Facial Expressions- When your child is having a melt-down, you must appear calm and non-threatening. And the best way to do this is by being mindful of your body language and facial expressions. So, make sure to keep your facial expression neutral and also be intentional with your body language, by keeping it relaxed.  

Get On Their Level- Looking down at them when you talk gives off a vibe of superiority which is not helpful. Standing over them will feel threatening, so try to get on their level. If your child is sitting, sit with them or kneel so that you're at eye level with them when communicating. 

Try Distraction- The distraction strategy works best if it is used early. So try distracting the child from the current situation by offering them their favorite toy, a calming activity, or some videos. This technique helps your child to calm down, which will change the environment, but it doesn't mean that your child will get away with the behavior. 

Reflect On Their Needs And Wants- You should try reflective listening as it shows them that you are listening to their concern. And if your child says yes to your reflection, it gives you an opportunity to validate your child's feelings and help them calm down. So, focus on reflective listening.  

Acknowledge Their Right for Refusal- Children are more likely to cooperate when they don't feel like they are being forced to do something.  And by acknowledging their right, you can explain why you would like them to choose to do what is asked of them, by providing logical consequences. 

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Created on Mar 7th 2021 23:59. Viewed 345 times.

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