Pathways and Triggers 47By the way, there’s a big difference between interpret-
ing the pathways described in this chapter as “excuses”
rather than as “explanations.” When the pathways are in-
voked as excuses, the door slams shut on the process of
thinking about how to help a child. Conversely, when the
pathways are used as explanations for a child’s behavior,
the door to helping swings wide open, for the pathways
provide us with an improved understanding of the
child’s needs and a clearer sense of what we need to do
next. It’s very difficult to be helpful without this compre-
hensive, in-depth understanding of a child’s difficulties.
TRIGGERSThere’s one other piece of terminology to cover before
the chapter ends: triggers.
What’s a trigger? A situation or event that routinely
precipitates explosive outbursts. Triggers can best be
thought of as problems that have yet to be solved. The pos-
sibilities are endless, but here’s the short list: homework,
sensory hypersensitivities, tics, sibling interactions, bed-
time, waking up in the morning, meals, being bored, rid-
ing in the car, recess, being teased, reading, writing, being
tired, being hot, or being hungry.
So while the pathways are what set the stage for a
child to be explosive (skills that need to be trained), trig-