Behaviour as Communication: Understanding and Responding to Unmet Needs

When a child’s behaviour challenges us, it’s easy to take it personally. But behaviour that looks like defiance, aggression, or withdrawal is almost always survival, not sabotage. This session explores what’s really happening when a child’s brain detects threat, and what we can do in those crucial first 60 seconds to prevent escalation and protect the relationship.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand behaviour as communication of unmet needs, not deliberate disruption
• Recognise the four survival responses (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) and what each one needs
• Use the CALM framework to respond effectively in the first 60 seconds of a crisis
• Stay regulated yourself when a child is dysregulated
• Repair relationships after rupture