Articles

Many of the parents we have worked with were resigned to the issues their children exhibited because, “That’s just how they were born.” And though there is a LOT that our children come from the womb with, there is also a LOT that we can do to help address the problem behaviors and shape our children to be the best versions of themselves…

In the behavior world, we often talk about strategies that are proactive (things we can do to create an environment that promotes success) and reactive (what we do after a behavior occurs). The proactive strategies often get neglected, but they are sometimes just as important – if not more. FREE DOWNLOAD available!

Bribes are typically resorted to out of desperation when your child’s behavior has already deteriorated. A bribe can sometimes improve your child's behavior in the moment, but they come with negative long-term effects. Using reinforcers effectively can SIGNIFICANTLY improve your child’s behavior…

If you have done the work to promote good communication, then at least you will be aware of what is going on with your children during this potentially difficult stage of life. In order to promote this dialogue, you must create and prepare opportunities for meaningful conversations. FREE DOWNLOAD available!

Children who have an understanding and respect for the value of money become adults who understand and respect the value of money. Not only is it important to talk with our children about where money comes from and how much things cost, but there are also active steps that you can take to teach your child its value…

It’s natural for parents to pay attention when their children misbehave. When your child pulls his brother’s hair, you must pay attention in order to address the problem. However, when you child picks up a book and quietly reads to himself, you silently cheer to yourself and continue making dinner or doing work…

A reinforcer is any item, activity, event, sound, etc. used immediately after a certain behavior to improve, strengthen, or increase that behavior. Reinforcement, then, is the process of delivering a reinforcer by presenting something that is desired or preferred, or removing something that is unpleasant or unwanted…

In another post, I talked about how we used a sticker chart to increase our daughter's book reading (Read: How to Use Sticker Charts to Effectivel...

Do you think that you would have a more peaceful home if you could work on decreasing some of your child's misbehavior?  In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we can intentionally reduce unwanted (or problematic) behavior by identifying what the current reinforcer is for the given behavior (i.e., why the behavior is occurring), teach the child a more appropriate means of getting their needs met (read more on how our children's misbehavior is communication), and then withholding the reinforcer when the unwanted behavior occurs, which eventually leads to a dying off of that behavior.