Understanding behaviors. Revealing the hidden, adaptive benefits of behaviors -- What's wrong with the status quo? -- A new way of understanding behaviors -- A developmental iceberg -- Neuroception: a guiding principle -- Top down or bottom up? : before we respond to behavior, we need to understand its origin -- Top-down or bottom-up? -- Functional emotional development -- The processes of social-emotional development -- The pathways of the autonomic nervous system -- Individual differences -- Individuals differences contribute to observable behaviors -- The physical body and behavioral control -- Sensory processing: how we understand the world -- Behaviors influenced by feelings -- Behaviors influenced by thoughts and feelings -- The importance of a team approach -- Solutions. Safety is the starting point -- Personalized attunement -- Determining neuroceptive state -- What is stress? -- Children need adults for co-regulation -- Providing cues of relational safety for children -- Addressing what underlies behavior : working on challenges from the bottom up -- Inquire about the child's history and track behaviors -- Determine what circumstances contribute to the child's distress -- Address developmental challenges -- De-escalation strategies -- Working on challenges from the body up to the top down -- Play as a neural exercise -- Play basics -- Teaching a child to recognize and name his/her autonomic state -- Helping children find their own solutions -- Finding opportunities for top-down thinking -- Neurodiversity, trauma, and looking to the future. Behaviors in autism and neurodiversity : handle with care -- The importance of presuming competence -- Behaviors and autism -- Interpreting behaviors in neurodiverse individuals -- Behaviors have meaning -- Modeling awareness and self-compassion -- Supporting behavioral challenges in children exposed to toxic stress and trauma -- The impact of early adverse experiences on brain development -- The problem with rewards and punishments -- Targeting relationships, not behaviors -- Disciplinary techniques not recommended for children -- Hope for the future and plenty to do now resources -- Combating the negativity bias -- Hardwiring happiness -- Creating positive, enriching experiences -- Quantity matters.