ASK PINNACLE · QUESTIONS, EXPLANATIONS & NEXT STEPS
Behaviour Therapy
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with behaviour therapy.
3,783 published answers · English · Page 6
Understanding
What is Family Bonding in child development?
Family bonding is the close, trusting relationship a child builds with parents, siblings and wider family through shared everyday moments — cuddles, play, comfort and routine. Within the ICF (d760), it is one of the strongest foundations for a child's social and emotional growth, supporting language, confidence and friendships. It is not a skill to be tested but a connection nurtured through warm, consistent, responsive interactions.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Family Organization in child development?
Family Organization (ICF d760) describes how a family arranges its relationships, roles, routines and responsibilities. In child development it matters because children first learn social skills — turn-taking, belonging, communication and self-regulation — within everyday family patterns. It is not a judgement of any family, but a lens for understanding the social environment around a growing child and where a little extra support might help.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Floortime (DIR) therapy?
Floortime, part of the DIR® model (Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based), is a play-based, child-led therapeutic approach where an adult joins a child on the floor and follows their interests to build warm, back-and-forth connection. Rather than drilling skills, it nurtures the foundations beneath them — engagement, communication, emotional thinking and problem-solving. It is widely used to support children with autism and other developmental differences, and places the parent-child relationship at the heart of growth.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is group therapy?
Group therapy is a guided session where a small group of children work together with a trained therapist towards shared developmental goals — like talking, playing, sharing and managing feelings. Instead of working one-to-one alone, your child practises real skills with peers in real social moments, building communication, confidence and connection. It is often used alongside individual therapy, and a therapist plans every activity to invite the very skills each child is working on.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Hyper-Activity in child development?
Hyper-activity in child development means movement and restlessness noticeably greater than expected for a child's age. In toddlers, high energy is normal and not an ADHD diagnosis — busy toddlers are usually simply busy. It becomes worth reviewing only when the activity is persistent, far beyond peers and affecting sleep, eating, play or settling. Early review supports understanding, never labelling.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Hyperactivity in child development?
Hyperactivity describes movement and restlessness that is noticeably greater than expected for a child's age — fidgeting, constant motion, difficulty staying seated or waiting. Linked to ICF b130 (energy and drive functions), it is not a diagnosis on its own; much busy behaviour in children aged 3–7 is healthy development. It is worth reviewing when it is persistent, occurs across settings, and affects play, learning or friendships, and it responds well to calm routines and behaviour support.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Imagination in child development?
Imagination in child development is a young child's ability to hold an idea in mind and act on it — letting a box become a boat or a doll become a baby. In toddlers (12–36 months) it shows as pretend play and is a key sign of healthy thinking, language and social-emotional growth. It unfolds in stages, varies widely between children, and flourishes with simple open-ended toys and a grown-up who joins in.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Imitation in child development?
Imitation is a child's ability to watch and copy another person — a sound, gesture, action or sequence. In the toddler years it becomes a key engine of learning, building language, pretend play, social skills and daily routines. It grows in layers, from copying simple visible actions to deferred imitation of things seen earlier. It is a normal social skill, not a test, and flourishes through warm, playful back-and-forth with loved ones.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Impulse in child development?
Impulse in child development is the urge to act on a feeling or want straight away, before the brain's thinking and planning skills step in. In toddlers (about 1–3 years) strong impulses are entirely normal because self-regulation is only beginning to develop. With warm, predictable guidance children gradually build impulse control — the ability to pause, wait and choose. It is not a diagnosis, and a review is worth considering only if impulsive actions are very intense, frequent or affecting safety and daily life far more than in peers.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Impulsivity in child development?
Impulsivity is the tendency to act on an urge or feeling without pausing to think first — blurting, grabbing, interrupting or rushing in. In the ICF it sits under b1304 as part of how a child regulates drives and behaviour. In children aged 3–7 a great deal of impulsivity is normal because self-regulation and executive function are still maturing. It is worth a gentle developmental review only when it is much stronger than in peers and is disrupting daily life across settings.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Interests in child development?
In child development, interests are the activities, toys and topics a child is naturally drawn to and chooses to engage with. For toddlers, interests drive learning — they build attention, language, problem-solving and social connection. Healthy interests are usually shared with others. A narrow or intense interest is not, on its own, a concern; what gently invites a closer look is rarely sharing interests, little curiosity, or difficulty shifting between activities.
Read the answer AnswerJoint Attention in Child Development
Joint attention is a toddler's ability to share focus on the same object or event with another person — by following a gaze or point, by pointing to show, or by looking back and forth between an object and a caregiver's face. It usually develops between 9 and 18 months and is a vital building block for social communication and language. It is not a test to pass but a natural skill that grows with playful sharing.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is music therapy?
Music therapy is the planned, goal-led use of music — singing, rhythm, instruments and listening — by a trained therapist to support a child's communication, attention, emotional regulation, movement and social connection. Each activity is chosen to work towards a specific developmental goal and progress is tracked, so it is far more than playing songs for fun. Children need no musical talent to benefit, and it is often woven alongside speech and occupational therapy rather than used alone.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and what does it look like in early childhood?
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ICD-11 6C90) is a persistent pattern of angry, irritable, argumentative and defiant behaviour that is markedly beyond typical toddler limit-testing, lasts at least six months and affects daily life across settings. In early childhood it shows as frequent intense tantrums, constant arguing, refusal, touchiness and spitefulness — but only a Pinnacle clinician can assess whether it crosses that line.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is parent-mediated therapy?
Parent-mediated therapy is an approach where a trained therapist coaches parents to embed developmental support into everyday moments — play, meals, bath-time and bedtime — rather than confining it to a therapy room. Parents learn techniques such as following the child's lead, building back-and-forth communication and responding warmly to attempts, with coaching and feedback. Its strength lies in dosage and generalisation: skills practised across many real settings tend to stick far better. It often works best alongside direct therapist-led sessions.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is People in child development?
"People" in child development describes how a toddler relates to others — noticing, connecting, sharing attention and interacting. It belongs to the social area of development, spanning eye contact, seeking comfort, copying, pointing to share and early turn-taking. It is not a diagnosis but a way of noticing how warmly a child engages, so the right playful support can be offered early.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Personal Development in child development?
Personal development (ICF b180) is how a child builds a sense of self — identity, self-awareness, confidence and the feeling that they can manage their own world. It is an emotional ability that grows steadily, not a fixed trait. In the 3–7 years it shows as knowing one's likes, making simple choices, coping with setbacks and feeling proud of small achievements. It is not a diagnosis, and warm, encouraging relationships help it flourish.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Play & Imagination in child development?
Play and imagination is how children explore and understand the world through self-directed activity. Between roughly 3 and 7 years it becomes richly imaginative — pretend roles, using one object for another, and shared games with friends. It is not just fun: it powerfully builds social skills, language, flexible thinking and empathy, and offers a clear window onto a child's development.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Play in child development?
Play is how toddlers learn about the world, build relationships and practise new skills — it is the natural engine of early development, not just passing the time. Between 12 and 36 months, play grows from simple exploring into functional play, pretend play and turn-taking with others. Each kind of play builds a different ability — language, attention, movement and the social give-and-take that underpins friendships and learning. Watching how a child plays is a gentle window into social and communication growth.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Play Skills in child development?
Play skills are the abilities a child uses to explore, pretend, build, share and connect through play. Play is how children practise language, imagination, problem-solving and friendship, and it develops in steps — from exploring objects to functional play, pretend play and cooperative, imaginative play with friends. Watching a child's play gives a rich picture of their social and thinking development, and gentle, playful support helps these skills grow.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is play therapy?
Play therapy is a structured, evidence-informed way of helping children grow, heal and learn through their most natural language — play. A trained therapist uses toys, art, sand, role-play and games to help a child express feelings, build communication, regulation and social skills at their own pace. It can be child-led or therapist-guided, and often works alongside speech, occupational or behavioural therapy. It is especially valuable for younger children who process the world through doing more than talking.
Read the answer AnswerPretend-Play in Child Development
Pretend-play is when a toddler uses objects, actions or roles to stand for something else — feeding a doll, 'talking' on a toy phone, or cooking with blocks. Emerging between roughly 12 and 36 months, it is one of the richest signs of healthy imagination, language and social development. It is a growing skill, not a pass-or-fail test, and very limited pretend-play by around age 2 is a gentle reason to seek a developmental review.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Relationship in child development?
In child development, a relationship is the warm, dependable bond a child forms with carers, family and, later, friends. For toddlers it is the foundation for feeling safe to explore, sharing attention, reading feelings and connecting through words and play. Healthy early relationships are how social and emotional skills first take root — not a diagnosis, but the soil everything else grows from.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Repetitive in child development?
In child development, repetitive means actions, sounds or play a child does over and over in much the same way — lining up toys, repeating words, rocking. In toddlers, much repetition is normal and healthy, helping them practise skills and feel secure. It is worth a closer look only when it is very intense, hard to interrupt, or seems to replace play and connection — which is a cue for a friendly developmental review, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer