1-2-3 Magic: Parenting Tips

Our question today has to do with special-needs children in 1-2-3 Magic. It's from Loretta and it goes like this:

“We have found the structure and less emotional aspects of 1-2-3 Magic to be incredibly helpful in working with our child with autism, although we do have to modify the count to give a couple of reminders when we're at 2. Ultimately, our child is able to self-correct and save the situation. This has been so helpful for us all...”

Q: Do you have any other tips or suggestions for kids who need a little more support with transitions or other advice for parents of children with special needs?

Today we have a question from Stephanie, a pediatric nurse practitioner.

Q: How do I get my child to listen?

She says, “One of the biggest questions I get from my parents is, what is the best way to get your child to listen, and stop arguing or trying to get the last word in? What would you recommend?”

Q: “Dr. Phalen, we have a five-year-old daughter and an eight-year-old boy. We've been trying to do 1-2-3 Magic for many months. My wife and I have a hard time staying patient, especially after telling the kids the same things several times over. We find ourselves raising our voices. I know that we're basically having a temper tantrum ourselves, and it's counter-productive, but we still struggle. Can you offer any tips?”

Q: Stephanie writes, “My three-year-old constantly talks back. He tells us ‘no’ constantly, and he has no respect. He constantly tries to escape from timeout. We have to hold him on the step, and two minutes later he's doing the same thing.”

Q: What do you do with a husband who is a real traditionalist? Housework, child care, cleaning discipline, etc. all fall to the female in the household. That's the way he says he was raised.