I recently had the honor and privilege of interviewing Dr. Dale Seiden for this month’s NY Family Magazine. Dr. Seiden’s new book, Navi-Gator: A Picture-Mapping Program for Parents and Children, explains and teaches parents how to use pictures to help with common child behavior problems.
Why did you start using this technique?
Many parents come to me with behavioral issues they are having with their children. Sometimes it’s something going on in school, sometimes it’s a problem at home. Either way, parents feel like they have run into a wall. In my practice, I recognized early on that telling a child over and over again not to do something does not work that well. So I needed another approach, and I found that with young children, especially in the 3 to 8 range, picture-mapping – drawing and explaining – often works remarkably well. And for some common issues, a professional like me doesn’t necessarily need to be in the picture, so to speak. Parents can do picture-mapping with their kids at home. That’s why I wrote the book.
Tell us all about picture-mapping.
A picture map is a series of simple drawings that are linked in a sequential way to tell a story. It’s sort of like a cartoon. That’s why the program is called the Navi-Gator—because it navigates through slices of children’s lives. The technique helps children to better understand why they should stop an unwanted behavior and then to actually stop it. To be effective, it’s essential that the child be a participant in the visual mapping. Just telling them or just showing them isn’t enough. They have to participate by crossing off the unwanted action…. Research shows that the visual cortex is more developed than other cortical areas in young children, so a small child more easily remembers a graphic image over a verbal command.
The full interview can be found in April’s issue of NY Magazine.
Here’s to showing rather than telling. To talking less, drawing more.
Like what you read? Sign up for our free newsletter so you can be informed of the latest FREE webinars & teleclasses, parenting articles, & weekly raffles.
