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Behaviour Therapy
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Therapy & support
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Therapy & support
How can I support emotional development in my 12-to-18-month-old?
Support a 12-to-18-month-old's emotional development by being a warm, predictable presence — naming feelings, comforting distress, keeping gentle routines, and acting as their secure base. Clinginess, big feelings and emerging tantrums are all normal and healthy at this age. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support emotional development in my 18-to-24-month-old?
Support emotional development in an 18-to-24-month-old by being a calm, responsive presence — naming feelings, comforting big emotions instead of punishing them, and keeping predictable routines that help your toddler feel safe. Tantrums and clinginess are normal at this age. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerSupporting Emotional Development in Your 2-Year-Old
Support a 2-year-old's emotional development by naming feelings, staying calm during tantrums, keeping routines predictable and offering warm, consistent comfort — toddlers learn to manage emotions by borrowing your steadiness. Meltdowns are normal at this age. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerSupporting Emotional Development in Your 3-to-6-Month-Old
You support a 3-to-6-month-old's emotional development through warm, responsive, predictable care — answering their smiles, coos and cries with love. This 'serve and return' builds trust, security and early self-regulation. There's nothing to fix; your everyday attention is the most powerful tool. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support emotional development in my 3-year-old?
Support a 3-year-old's emotional development by naming feelings, staying calm during meltdowns, keeping routines predictable, and playing together daily. Big emotions and wobbly self-control are normal at this age — children learn to self-soothe by borrowing your calm. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support emotional development in my 4-year-old?
Support a 4-year-old's emotional development by naming feelings, staying calm and present during big emotions, using pretend play, keeping predictable routines and coaching friendships — co-regulating until self-regulation grows. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support emotional development in my 5-year-old?
You support a five-year-old's emotional development by naming feelings, staying a calm and connected anchor during big moments, coaching through small disappointments, and giving everyday chances to practise patience, empathy and recovery. Big ups and downs are normal at this age. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support emotional development in my 6-to-9-month-old?
Emotional development in a 6-to-9-month-old is supported through warm, responsive and predictable everyday care — answering cues, naming feelings, playing face-to-face games, and allowing healthy stranger and separation awareness. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support emotional development in my 6-year-old?
Support a six-year-old's emotional development by naming feelings, staying calm so they can co-regulate, coaching after big feelings pass, allowing all emotions while setting kind limits on behaviour, and keeping routines and sleep steady. Most six-year-olds still need adult help to calm down — this is normal. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support emotional development in my 9-to-12-month-old?
Support emotional development in a 9-to-12-month-old through warm, responsive caregiving — comforting cries, sharing smiles and peek-a-boo, naming feelings, and gently riding out normal separation and stranger anxiety, which is how secure attachment forms. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support emotional development in my newborn?
You support a newborn's emotional development by responding warmly and consistently to their cries, holding them close, talking and singing softly, and sharing eye contact and first smiles — building a secure, loving bond. You cannot spoil a newborn; responsive care is the foundation. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support Floortime (DIR) therapy goals at home?
Support Floortime (DIR) at home by getting on the floor, following your child's lead, and opening and closing many warm back-and-forth 'circles of communication' in short, frequent play sessions that build connection, two-way interaction and thinking. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support group therapy goals at home?
Group therapy goals are supported at home by knowing the specific weekly skill the team is targeting, then practising it in low-pressure everyday moments — turn-taking, sharing, greetings and small group play with siblings or friends. Short, joyful, repeated practice helps a child carry a group-room skill into real life. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support music therapy goals at home?
You support music therapy goals at home by weaving session songs into daily routines, using rhythm for transitions, and creating turn-taking pauses that invite your child to respond — no musical training needed, just warmth and consistency. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support my child's emotional development at home?
You support your child's emotional development at home by being a warm, predictable, responsive presence — naming feelings, staying calm during meltdowns, keeping routines steady, validating emotions before setting limits, and playing together. Children learn to regulate by borrowing your steadiness first. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support my child's emotional development from birth?
You support emotional development from birth through warm, responsive, predictable care — answering cries, sharing smiles, soothing distress and keeping gentle routines. Babies learn to manage feelings with you before they can alone, so every loving response builds security and trust. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support my child's social development at home?
You can support your child's social development at home through warm back-and-forth interaction — sharing smiles and eye contact, naming feelings, taking turns in play and conversation, and offering gentle chances to mix with other children. Social skills grow through repeated, joyful connection in everyday routines. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support my child's social development from birth?
You support your baby's social development from birth by being warm and responsive — making eye contact, smiling, talking, and replying to their cues in playful back-and-forth moments. These everyday exchanges build trust, connection and the roots of social communication. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support parent-mediated therapy goals at home?
You support parent-mediated therapy goals at home by weaving short, playful practice into existing daily routines — meals, bath, play and bedtime — using the strategies your therapist coaches you in, following your child's lead and celebrating every attempt. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support play therapy goals at home?
Parents can support play therapy goals at home by following the child's lead, keeping play child-led and pressure-free, practising target skills in short joyful bursts woven into daily routines, and staying in close contact with the therapy team. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Support Social Development in a 12-to-18-Month-Old
Social development in a 12-to-18-month-old is nurtured through warm, responsive everyday play — following your child's lead, taking turns in games like peekaboo, sharing joint attention by pointing and naming, and reacting with delight to their gestures and sounds. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support social development in my 18-to-24-month-old?
Support an 18-to-24-month-old's social development through warm, face-to-face play: follow their lead, play back-and-forth turn-taking games, name feelings, encourage pretend play, and offer gentle time near other children. Parallel play is typical at this age. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support social development in my 2-year-old?
A 2-year-old's social development is supported through everyday warm, back-and-forth play, turn-taking games, naming feelings and gentle exposure to other children — with parallel play being entirely normal at this age. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I support social development in my 3-to-6-month-old?
Social development in a 3-to-6-month-old grows through warm, responsive everyday moments — smiling back, copying sounds, face-to-face play and "serve and return" turn-taking. Your loving attention is the most powerful support. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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