Have you ever played the toy drop game? Maybe you know it by the highchair game? If you’ve ever spent time with an infant, you have definitely been at least an unwilling participant in this game. The oh-so-cute baby drops the toy and you, without thinking too much about it, lean over and pick it…
Inconsistent reinforcement sounds like a big concept, but I promise it’s not! A child–whether atypically developing or typically–will repeat behaviors that are reinforced or rewarded (this is positive reinforcement) and will most likely not repeat behaviors that are not reinforced or punished. We all understand this concept as human beings; after all, we see it…
We already know that behavior is simply any action that can be observed and measured. And we’ve learned that ABA therapy can greatly help kids with autism. Part of ABA therapy is teaching new skills, and another part is discouraging undesirable behaviors. We’re going to focus on the teaching new skills part. One thing your…
Have you heard of descriptive praise? By the name alone, you can probably guess that it involving praising your child in a descriptive way, but how is descriptive praise different than any other type of praise? Let me give you an example. Your kid says, “Mom! Watch me!” and then jumps from the diving board…
You’ve decided to get help for your child in the form of therapy, and have reached out to a therapist, psychologist, and psychiatrist. Good job! But how to navigate the parent and therapist partnership? You will need to work as a team with mutual respect, support, and guidance. Here’s what you need to know: Trust…
When to use punishment in parenting is a hot topic. It’s also pretty commonly used in parenting, and it doesn’t necessarily deserve the bad rap it gets. Punishment, from a behavioral perspective, is just a method of decreasing behavior and helps us to learn what things are not good for us. A burn from the…