Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Tips to Reinforce Behavior Goals over the Summer at Home

With the Summer months fast approaching and more time spent at home with parents here are some tips to reinforce positive behaviors this summer.

Best Behavioral Practices:

Positive Ways to Correct Behavior
• Look at inappropriate behavior as a learning opportunity
• Attention overreaches everything so give 4 positive interactions for appropriate behavior to 1 correction for inappropriate behavior
• Pick your battles
• Catch them being good
• Rephrase reprimands/warnings to be directions or statements to what they should be doing. For example, if a child is climbing on something say “Step Down”.
• Remember to give feedback (praised) following compliance to reinforce the positive behavior.

Positive Reinforcement
• When given following a behavior it increases the likelihood of the behavior occurring again.
• In order to be effective reinforcement must be:
- Desired by the student
- Given contingent upon behavior
- Immediate
- Consistently given
• The most effective way to change behavior
• Praise is the most powerful tool

Information presented by Lorien Quirk, M.Ed., BCBA at a training on Autism that I believe would be helpful for all children.

Posted by: Hilary Shen, Parent Liaison

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