Know which behaviors to ignore, and which ones you never should.
Ignore calmly, then praise the moment the behavior stops.
Make your own Ignore Plan and track it for 14 days.
Your attention is the most powerful tool you have
Children will work for attention, even negative attention. A sigh, a lecture, or a repeated "stop that" can keep a behavior going. Planned ignoring means removing your attention from minor attention-seeking behavior, on purpose, and giving it back with praise the moment your child does something you want to see. It isn't condoning the behavior, and it's never used for anything unsafe. It's a consequence strategy: it changes the C in the ABCs, and it works best on top of praise and child-led play.
What's inside the 13-page toolkit
• A short ABCs primer, so you know exactly where planned ignoring fits • The core idea: four ways attention shapes behavior • What to ignore, and what you should never ignore • How to ignore in 3 steps, plus what to expect when the behavior gets worse before it gets better • A real example, start to finish • Five thinking traps that get in the way, and what to think instead • A fillable Ignore Plan and a 14-day Planned Ignoring Tracker • Fridge cards to keep the plan in front of you
Meet Dr. Emily Gault, PhD
I'm a licensed clinical psychologist. My training took me through Georgetown University, LSU, the University of Miami, and Florida International University, including an NIH-funded T32 postdoctoral fellowship, before I joined the faculty at FIU as a Research Assistant Professor. In 2023, I left academic research to open the Center for Child Behavior, my private practice focused on bringing families the research-supported tools that help children with significant behavioral difficulties. I have 10 years of experience providing comprehensive assessment and therapy for children with behavior challenges, and I've authored ~40 scientific publications on oppositional behavior, conduct problems, aggression, ADHD, and related topics. Today, I provide telehealth behavioral parent training for families across Florida. The Parent Steps is the six-step program I use with the families I work with, now available for any parent to use at home.
Common questions
What ages is this for? Kids ages 4 to 10. The same science applies to toddlers and teens, but it's tailored differently for those ages. Will this help if my child has ADHD? Yes. Planned ignoring, paired with lots of praise, is a core part of research-supported behavioral parent training for ADHD, defiance, and related challenges. Is this a physical product? No. It's a digital PDF you can download right after purchase. The worksheets are fillable on a computer or tablet, or you can print them. Is this therapy? No. This is educational and isn't a substitute for therapy or medical advice, and purchase does not create a therapist-client relationship. If your child has significant behavioral concerns, please reach out to a licensed provider. Do I need the earlier steps first? Planned ignoring works best when Steps 2 and 3 (praise and child-led play) are already in place, because your child needs plenty of positive attention to earn. The Complete Bundle includes all six toolkits plus a Start Here guide.
Stop feeding the arguments.
Instant download, fillable on a computer or tablet, or print at home.
$12.00