Willful behavior is worrisome, but good news…sometimes, your child may not be acting willfully at all. Your defiant child may be going through something else entirely. Case in point: The task was simple, or seemingly simple. My young friend had stepped on another friend’s fingers and he needed to do the socially appropriate thing and…
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…
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…
My child really enjoys having his hand down his pants…and it always seems to be at the most embarrassing moments, like when we’re in public! First of all, breathe, mama. It’s normal. It’s also normal to feel embarrassed by this behavior, and to cringe when your child is exploring his body in line at Target…
Any attention is better than no attention! When it comes to children and attention, is that true? And if it is true, is it correct? And if it’s correct, why? And more importantly, WHY?! Attention is very valuable to children, and not just children, but people. We need it and we crave it and we…