#Use your words appropriate how to

That segued into more of a craft project, but since she calmed down in the process, I’d say it did the trick. I had her tear up an old phone book one time. Nat tried going to the basement and bouncing an exercise ball against the concrete wall, screaming, “This is how angry I am!” with every throw. So, we’re working on developing an arsenal of options for releasing anger safely and appropriately. Simply expressing that she feels angry, for example, doesn’t necessarily dispel the feeling. There are still times when this technique isn’t enough. Now, more often than not, instead of saying, “Use your words!” I say, “Natalie, excellent job using your words! You let me know that you’re feeling hungry! Let me help you find a snack!” Over time, this skill has really started sinking in. She made a similar set of door hangers for her bedroom. Nat made half a dozen bracelets with beads spelling out different feelings, and choose the appropriate one to match the moment. Gayle employed a whole bag of tricks to help with this one. Identifying emotions, especially anger, was the next big challenge. I worked for several years on helping Natalie identify and put words to what she was going through when hunger hit, and of course, encouraged her to eat in order to handle it.

But, no matter where it comes from, it’s nasty and dangerous, and I try to keep it from happening whenever humanly possible. Whether this stems from that horrible low-blood sugar feeling, or her history of malnutrition and hunger in the orphanage, I’ll probably never know.

She doesn’t just get crabby, she gets - or at least used to get - physically out of control. Nat has always totally and completely fallen apart when hungry.

#Use your words appropriate how to

Why should our children use their words? Identifying how we feel - emotionally and physically - is a prerequisite for choosing how to handle our feelings. For children with ADHD, it seems to be especially important, and especially challenging. Now, I find myself saying it, often several times a day.įor all children, learning to assign words to feelings is an important step in development.

Then, it was Gayle, our in-home therapist. First, I heard Natalie’s teachers say it.