Patricia A. MacAulay
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
WAYS OF SEEING
Understanding Children's Emotional Signals
(Ages 5 - 12)
Learn how to discern the inner life of a child and respond with confidence and compassion.
Children are always trying to show how they feel and what they need. Sometimes, adults struggle to understand this communication.
This website is for:
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Parents
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Caregivers
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Family Members
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Support Workers
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Coaches
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Educators
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Social Workers
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Therapists
We adults tell children to ''use their words'' instead of ''acting out.'' Yes, it is helpful to learn how to name and describe our feelings and seek out their origins.
But some feelings are too big for words. They result from experiences that occurred before language was fully developed or when the intensity of the experience diminished the capacity for language.
The child holds the memory in their body and enacts that memory without consciously deciding to do so. This behaviour can mystify and distress adults and lead to misinterpreting the child's intentions and motivations.
THREE QUESTIONS
When you are feeling perplexed by behaviour that seems inexplicable to you and does not appear to be related to changes in life circumstances or an emerging medical issue, this website can help you answer any or all three key questions that reveal crucial information about children's emotional lives. At the very least, exploring these questions can help you eliminate possibilities. At best, doing so can illuminate a mystery and help change the course of a child's life. Greater understanding helps us feel confident that we are doing everything we can to support children's emotional and social growth, encouraging us to keep making efforts even when the relationship feels challenging.
The emotional truths revealed by these three questions are like primary colours. They form the base for all further creation and expression in our lives. We mix them together in personalized and ever-changing combinations as we develop the unique and complex self that we present to the world.
CLICK ON A COLOUR TO START EXPLORING THESE QUESTIONS:
DOES THE CHILD FEEL SAFE ENOUGH WITH ME?
HOW DOES THE CHILD REACT WHEN FEELING ANXIOUS OR THREATENED?
WHAT IS THE CHILD'S CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGE?
IF YOU PREFER TO WORK ON PAPER, YOU CAN ORDER ANY OF THESE THREE WORKBOOKS:
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