If you're stuck in a "battle of wills" with your child or a loved one right now, I want you to know I see you. I know how exhausting those 40-minute meltdowns over a simple transition can be for everyone involved.
Often, we are told to use reward charts or boards to manage these moments, but sometimes those tools just feel like more pressure.
I have been implementing a D.I.R. Floortime approach for years because it shifts the focus from compliance to connection.
Here is a small strategy I used recently that changed everything for one of my participants.
Instead of being the practitioner with a plan who walked in and gave a command, I just sat on the floor. I joined their world for 10 minutes with no demands and no correcting. I was just present in their play.
We built an emotional bridge. Instead of ending the fun to start a task, which felt like a huge loss to them, we made the task a part of the game.
The result was that a 40-minute struggle turned into a 5-minute transition with a smile. There was no power struggle and no restrictive commands. We were just two people in sync.
When we look at a person's unique sensory profile and their need for relationship-based safety, the need for control or restrictive practices naturally starts to fall away. It is about understanding the person behind the behaviour, not just fixing a problem.