The Agitator

Effects: How does my child’s behavior affect other people at home and in school?

• Others are influenced to do or say what the agitator would not do or say himself or herself.
  
  
• Learning experience in the classroom is seriously disrupted by the agitator's activities because students and teachers alike are distracted from the work or discussion at hand.
  
  
• Atmosphere with siblings at home becomes negative.
  
  
• At times, others are led to admire the agitator's sly and manipulative behavior. Therefore, he or she is a hero to other children.
  
  
• Parents can easily feel that they are out of control.
  
  
• Parents can easily start to feel threatened and as if they were losing control of the child.
  
  
• Other children or siblings can begin to feel as if they might be able to get away with similar behavior.
  
  
• Home may be in a continual or almost continual uproar regarding some issue.
  
  
• Parent influence and credibility may be reduced.
  
  
• Parents may lose self-control.
  
  
• Parents may feel inadequate. As a result, they can become tense and transmit this tension to the agitator and other siblings.