Behavioral interventions have been the primary strategy when working with people who are having difficulty meeting expectations. We offer rewards and reinforcers to try and motivate children to comply, assuming it's a motivation problem that's preventing them from engaging. Very often, professionals say these strategies "work", but with all of the new knowledge we have about brain function, we have to ask 'works for who?' and 'at what cost do these strategies work?' Understanding how the brain influences behavior and learning will help change our approach to how we support children with concerning behaviors, and positively change the trajectory of their progress, and our relationship with them.