How can Therapy Address Disruptive Behavior in Children?

/ Tree of Life Children's Center/

by Kasidi Parkinson, ACMHC

Disruptive behaviors are “behaviors at home, school, and elsewhere that literally disrupt the normal flow of things” (Lee, 2020). 

What does disruptive behavior look like?

Most kids experience temper tantrums, but the difference between temper tantrums and disruptive behavior is that temper tantrums are occasional, while disruptive behavior is frequently occurring. Disruptive behavior in children can show through acting out- at times in aggressive ways, a continued presence of anger, defiance, difficulty regulating and managing any emotions they have, as well as back talking. Children can also exhibit a lack of respect for those that their behavior is directed towards (i.e. parents, teachers etc.). Children that show disruptive behavior can have difficulty not only communicating their emotions towards those around them, but also have difficulty understanding the emotions they are having. Children can have impaired executive functioning skills, which can look like having difficulty assessing situations and thinking through how their behaviors may impact themselves or others around them.

How can Therapy help?

There are many different ways individual therapy can help children with disruptive behaviors. First, it can help children with their emotional intelligence, teaching them to verbalize their emotions. It can also help children recognize thought patterns and show them how to make those thought patterns more positive. Additionally, therapy can teach children coping skills to help regulate their emotions and can allow them to gain skills towards empathy and boundaries. Therapy can help children not only reduce disruptive behaviors, but it can also help them gain new skills that improve executive functioning and prepare them to better navigate challenges they might experience in their lives. Therapists can also help give parents one-on-one advice on what they can do to help their children to reduce disruptive behaviors, as well as how to practice skills that children learn in therapy. 

What parents can do to help their children with disruptive behavior

  • Set clear rules that are is age appropriate for your child

  • Praise positive behavior

  • Offer choices: give two choices that children can choose from. Example: Do you want to get into your pajamas first or brush your teeth first. 

  • Acknowledge the emotion, set boundaries, and give options. Example: I can see that you are angry, but it’s not okay to hit, you can either take a break in your room or you can do deep breathing exercises with me.