Certified Ukeru Trainer
Certified Ukeru Trainer
Ukeru Training: A Different Approach to Difficult Moments
Comfort Before Control. When you’re raising a child with autism, some of the hardest moments can happen when your child is overwhelmed, frustrated, or unable to communicate what they need.
As a parent, you may find yourself asking: “What do I do when my child is escalating?” “How can I keep everyone safe?” “Is there a better way to respond?”
At Eastside Social Skills, we believe there is value in asking a different question, too: “What can I do to help my child feel safe and supported?”
Our founder, Penny Lathum, BCBA, is a certified Ukeru Trainer, bringing the Ukeru philosophy of Comfort vs. Control® into her work with children, families, and caregivers.
What Is Ukeru?
Ukeru is a trauma-informed approach designed to create safer, more supportive environments and reduce the reliance on restraint and seclusion.
Rather than focusing first on controlling behavior, Ukeru encourages us to look at what a child may be communicating through that behavior.
Sometimes that means recognizing early signs of distress, reducing sensory input, offering a break, changing the environment, or simply giving a child the space they need to feel safe.
Does This Matter for Autism?
For many autistic children, everyday experiences can become overwhelming. Noise, crowds, changes in routine, frustration, or difficulty communicating can quickly lead to distress.
What looks like challenging behavior may actually be a child’s way of saying:
Ukeru encourages us to pause and look for the message behind the behavior.
The goal isn’t to ignore challenging behavior or remove boundaries. It’s to understand why it’s happening so we can respond more effectively and help children develop better ways to communicate and cope.
Bringing Ukeru Into Our Work at Eastside
Ukeru fits naturally with the work we already do at Eastside Social Skills.
Ukeru is a restraint-free method for managing a client in crisis. The staff and parents learn how to safety get out of hair pulls, chokes, bites, clothing grabs, and how to safely block hits and kicks. It also addresses self-injurious behaviors such as headbanging by the use of these pads designed for protection.
We help children build communication, social, play, adaptive, and independent-living skills. And we work with parents so those skills can carry over into everyday life.
Ukeru adds another important piece: How do we support a child when those skills are difficult to access because they are overwhelmed?
Together, these approaches can help families look at challenging moments from a broader perspective:
Build the skills. Understand the behavior. Create safety. Support the child.
A Parent’s Perspective Matters
At Eastside, we understand that autism doesn’t just affect a child. It affects the entire family.
Our founder, Penny Lathum, came to this work through her own experience as a parent of a child diagnosed with autism. That experience shaped Eastside’s commitment to supporting not only children, but the parents and caregivers walking alongside them.
Comfort Doesn’t Mean No Boundaries
It doesn’t mean ignoring unsafe behavior or allowing a child to avoid every difficult situation.
It means looking for the why behind the behavior and finding ways to teach safer, more effective skills while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
Helping Families Feel More Prepared
No parent can prevent every meltdown or difficult moment.
But understanding your child’s needs, recognizing the early signs of distress, and having strategies for responding can make those moments feel a little less overwhelming.
Our goal is simple: help children feel safe, understood, and supported—and help families feel more confident along the way.
Want to Learn More?
If your family is looking for support with challenging behaviors, communication, emotional regulation, or building greater independence, Eastside Social Skills is here to help.
Let’s talk about how we can support your family.
