Understanding that Behaviour is Communication with Paula Aquilla

What are you telling me? There are many functions of a behaviour, and communication is one of these functions. We read our internal signs in response to our internal and external environment, attach language to those signs, and choose a way to communicate how we are feeling, what we need or what we think about something.

When we don’t have access to language to express ourselves, we can use behaviours. As caregivers, we can use a communication lens to help us respond to our children’s behaviours with understanding and compassion. We all need to feel understood, let’s learn how!

*This workshop is for service providers and caregivers of children and youth with a developmental disability.

Paula Aquilla is a noted occupational therapist and director of Aquilla Occupational Therapy, a family-oriented practice that is full of fun and learning. Paula is proud to serve her community and is passionate about collaborating with First Nations communities across Canada. Paula has taught workshops about sensory processing and development in many countries and is published in the field as a co-author of Building Bridges through Sensory Integration (1998) and The Sensory Detective (2016).