ABSTRACT
A child who clings to their parent or gets distressed when they try to leave them at school is trying to tell us something and it is the role of school staff to try and work out what they need. The child be communicating that they are scared or anxious and they need support and reassurance to help them manage their feelings of distress and become calm. Some children may have learned to respond in a defensive way as a coping mechanism to manage the feelings of anxiety and fear that situations evoke in them. The teacher is validating rather than dismissing Kane's feelings and is offering him support with expressing them, therefore breaking the cycle of misunderstanding. Give children one instruction at a time and praise them after each one to help them manage their anxiety about forgetting. Children who have a negative internal dialogue may believe that adults do not like them when they reprimand them.
