Villa Pediatric Therapy LLC

07/18/2026

Come visit us at Rathdrum days for some free books and popsicles!

07/11/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1C5Ff5psxm/

It’s time to move beyond the “functions” of a behavior.

The traditional four functions: attention, escape, tangible, and sensory, offer a surface-level view of a child’s behavior. They identify what a behavior accomplishes in the moment but often miss the deeper context. Each child’s experience, state of regulation and personal history shape behavior, and these antiquated, broad categories can overlook individual needs. In fact, by reducing behavior to categories like “attention-seeking,” we risk ignoring the emotional, sensory, or cognitive realities that drive behavior. This over-simplification can lead to generic behavior management or behavior modification rather than providing meaningful support to the child.

Modern neuroscience, trauma-informed care, and research on interoception have taught us that behavior is a signal, a clue that a child is either dysregulated, unable to solve a problem, or lacking a skill. That’s why a shift to the PENS lens is necessary and honors all that we’ve learned about the brain since the original four “functions” were considered generally acceptable.

This re-frame guides us to understand the problem a child can’t solve, an emotion they can’t handle, a need that’s not being met, or the skill not yet developed. With this new lens, the PENS lens, we don’t just label or simplify behaviors, we use them as entry points to offer individualized support. While the original four functions ‘blame’ the child for the observable behavior, each component of the PENS lens offers an opportunity to HELP the child: HELP them solve a problem, HELP them manage an emotion, HELP them meet a need or HELP them learn a skill.

So grab your pen and write this down next time someone analyzes or assesses behavior. With the re-frame of the PENS lens, we’re not just identifying a function of a behavior, we’re offering the right support so that every problem, emotion, need or skill finds the care it deserves.

Please share this so that we can better support kids who are having difficulty meeting expectations and communicating this difficulty through their behavior, as kids often do.

01/31/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FEWnnFStB/

01/28/2026

07/17/2025

https://www.youtube.com/live/MOj4QtZVBSY?si=noNhIk0gvGoS5nUM

Experience a transformative live keynote with Dr. Barry Prizant, sharing compassionate, research-backed insights.

06/17/2025

Our beautiful new mural done by our friend Jani Johnson. Our new office feels like home now🥰😍

05/01/2025

It has been 6 great years of being in business and serving Rathdrum! We have grown out of 3 offices and have grown to include 9 staff. Most importantly we have had the privilege of serving over 250 children and their families!

04/29/2025

We are loving our new space!

04/20/2025

Our annual hatch was a success with 19 babies! The kids are loving holding them and learning about chicks this week. We are looking forward to more life cycles with our ladybugs and caterpillars coming soon.

02/20/2025

We are excited to share our new space soon! 14375 N Rockwood Ct, Rathdrum Idaho. I am super grateful for the wonderful helpers that made this move happen!