Withdrawing adult support from infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers requires continual monitoring by adults. The
younger the child, the more inconsistent self-regulation
skills will be. This inconsistency means adults need to be
even more careful about how quickly they withdraw support
and pay careful attention to determine whether it is
appropriate to intervene again. When an infant takes her
first toddling walk across a room, she is not ready to walk
independently without adult supervision. Similarly, infants
and toddlers who have learned to routinely self-calm need
Behaviors That Still Challenge Children and Adults
© Shari Schmidt
© Kimberly Regan Schoenfeldt
© Julia Luckenbill
Reprinted from Young Children • July 2011
increased adult support when they are ill or in unfamiliar
surroundings. At every age, learning self-regulation happens
within children’s everyday experiences with trusted adults
who regulate their own thinking, attention, emotion, behavior,
and motivation.