- discipline

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

You're right that sounds a bit like a regular 4-year-old (my

youngest is hitting that this month and I see the signs already), but

the disabilities also complicate things. My frustrations with are

with the lack of communication. With my other children I could always

be sure they at least understood my expectations. (the near 4

year old) challenges everything we say. But I know he understands me.

I am a big believer in the use of natural and logical consequences.

Time out is a part of that. If the child cannot act appropriately in a

particular setting, then they must leave that setting. Makes sense. I

use time out as much for me as for my kids. When my oldest boy was

young, he loved being sent to his room, because he would just sit and

play, or sometimes take a nap. That was OK with me. I didn't send him

so he would feel terrible. I sent him so that I did not have to deal

with his behavior.

Consistency on your part is of course very important, particularly with

children who have sensory impairments. The world is less predictable

when you have problems seeing or hearing (or both), and so the more

predictable we are in our responses, the better. Of course in order to

test the preditability of the world, our children may try the same

behavior over and over again just to make sure the same thing happens.

When they do that, we worry that our response is not the right one.

Hang in there. They will tire of the game. Problem is, who will tire

first? I know sometimes it has been me.

Tim Hartshorne