Are you parenting a higher-needs child?

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Quiz Questions

1.
Your friend invites you and your little on a park date with her and her children. How are you feeling?
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- A.
  Worried. You know you will have to follow your child around to help him play with others, and you won't get much time to socialize with your friend.
- B.
  Unsure. Sometimes these outings go well, other times you find yourself having to referee every interaction.
- C.
  Great! Your child usually does pretty well with other kids, and it will be nice to see your friend and catch up!
2.
Does your child's behavior make it challenging to hire a babysitter?
- A.
  Very challenging. It is hard to leave my child with anyone because of their behavior.
- B.
  Somewhat challenging. It's a stressful experience to leave our child with someone who doesn't understand his behavior.
- C.
  Pretty easy. My child does well with most babysitters we have hired.
3.
How often do school teachers or childcare providers express concern about your child's behavior?
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- A.
  Frequently. Once a week or more.
- B.
  Sometimes. Once every few weeks.
- C.
  Not very often. We rarely get calls because the teacher/caregiver has concerns.
4.
How does your child interact with siblings and/or pets??
- A.
  We don't have pets or multiple children
- B.
  My child needs a high level of supervision when interacting with pets/siblings because of behavior (for example: aggressive, vengeful, or dangerous behavior)
- C.
  My child needs a moderate amount of supervision, or it depends on his mood. Behavior with pets/siblings is a concern.
- D.
  We provide enough supervision to keep everyone safe. Safety concerns around pets are not related to my child's behavior.
5.
Does your child get included in things like playdates and birthday parties?
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- A.
  Not usually. My child has been left out before because of his behavior.
- B.
  Sometimes, but my child's behavior can impact her ability to participate.
- C.
  Often. We don't worry about being included in things like that.
6.
Do you ever miss out on community events (church, Easter egg hunts, block party, birthday parties) because you're concerned about your child's behavior there?
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- A.
  Yes, frequently.
- B.
  Sometimes.
- C.
  Rarely.
7.
Have you discussed behavior concerns with your child's pediatrician?
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- A.
  Yes frequently.
- B.
  Sometimes.
- C.
  Not a lot. We haven't been concerned enough to bring it up at the doctor's office.
8.
Have you been able to participate in things like music classes, or swim lessons with your child?
- A.
  Not very much, or it has gone very poorly when we tried.
- B.
  Sometimes, but behavior can be a concern with activities.
- C.
  Yes, as much as we would like to.
9.
Do your child's tantrums/meltdowns ever result in injury to you, your family members, or your child?
- A.
  Yes. My child can become very aggressive towards themselves or others during a meltdown.
- B.
  Sometimes, but only during extreme tantrums. This doesn't happen regularly.
- C.
  No, I don't usually worry about safety to them or myself during tantrums.
10.
Do your child's meltdowns/tantrums ever result in damage to your home or items in your home?
- A.
  Yes, we frequently deal with this.
- B.
  Only sometimes during more extreme meltdowns/tantrums, we don't usually worry about this.
- C.
  No, we don't worry about our child damaging things in the home.

Quiz Outcomes

1.
It sounds like you have a higher needs child.
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Hi! You're not crazy, you're not a bad parent, and you're not doing anything wrong. Parenting is hard for everyone, but it is especially hard for you. You are likely a parent that has been brushed off many times by professionals, told to "wait and see," and maybe even judged by teachers, or childcare providers for things like "having a lack of structure."Your child has some unique behavioral needs. What does that mean exactly? It means you can do everything right. You can use all the positive parenting tools, the timers, the choices, the feelings validation, and you are still going to have a child that needs more care and more accommodation than most. Does this resonate with you?Welcome. You've found your people and I am super excited to have you here! You are a chronically under-served group of parents, and the ones that I focus on in my work. If you want more tools, strategies, and ways to respond in a safe and therapeutic way to your child's tantrums, and meltdowns, please sign up for my newsletter.Hi! I'm Claire Sherman. I am a special education teacher, and behavior specialist. I have a Master's in Education, and I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I work with families to teach proactive life-skills like emotional regulation, and self advocacy, and decrease the severity and frequency of self-injury, aggression, and property destruction during tantrums in children ages 2-6. I have an upcoming self-paced online course. Please sign up for the waitlist.
2.
You might have a child with moderate needs.
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It sounds like you might have a child with moderate needs. Maybe they have difficulty socializing with other children, have tantrums that are more frequent or more extreme than you might expect, or need a lot of supervision. If you are finding it difficult to get through your day, get out for date night, or support your child's success at school, you're not alone.Does this resonate with you?Welcome. You are a chronically under-served group of parents, and the ones that I focus on in my work. If you want more tools, strategies, and ways to respond in a safe and therapeutic way to your child's tantrums, and meltdowns, please sign up for my newsletter.Hi! I'm Claire Sherman. I am a special education teacher, and behavior specialist. I have a Master's in Education, and I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I work with families to teach proactive life-skills like emotional regulation, and self advocacy, and decrease the severity and frequency of self-injury, aggression, and property destruction during tantrums in children ages 2-6. I have an upcoming self-paced online course. Please sign up for the waitlist.
3.
You could have a higher needs child, but I need more information.
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You're not crazy - parenting is super hard, and some days and weeks are harder than others. It can be beneficial to seek out support if this feels like more than you can handle, or you are riding out a really tough phase with your young child. There's a chance that this quiz didn't capture everything that's going on for you. I'd love to get some more information about why you think your child might have higher-needs. Does this resonate with you?I'd love to talk more - let's get in touch! Click here to book a call with me. Hi! I'm Claire Sherman. I am a special education teacher, and behavior specialist. I have a Master's in Education, and I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I work with families to teach proactive life-skills like emotional regulation, and self advocacy, and decrease the severity and frequency of self-injury, aggression, and property destruction during tantrums in children ages 2-6. I have an upcoming self-paced online course. Please sign up for the waitlist.