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
Creating social narratives to help kids with autism Read More »
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
Defining behavioral science: Descriptive Praise Read More »
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
When to use punishment in parenting: things to know Read More »
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
Children and attention: is any attention better than no attention? Read More »
Six weeks and two days was as long as I lasted. Yes, I counted the days. I had always thought of myself as the fairly strong-minded, perseverant person. I was completely prepared for motherhood—the sleepless nights, the changes to my body, the mental and physical toll—all of it. I felt like I was walking into
Why your parenting needs science Read More »
You may be thinking, “No! Of course not!” But yes, you may be undermining your child’s success. How do I know? We ALL do it! Need an example? I have plenty. I first noticed it during math homework, but, as much as I wish it wasn’t true, math wasn’t the only problem. It was happening
Are you undermining your child’s success? Read More »
“THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!” Whatever it is–tantrums, hitting, whining—there are childhood behaviors that just reach their shelf life, like, yesterday, and you want them to be gone. There’s a trick to make this happen right? Easy parenting tools I can use? Sort of. Well, not exactly… but don’t give up yet. Stay with me.
Easy parenting tools: The one ‘trick’ your parenting toolbox needs Read More »
…and why it sabotages their parenting In my job as a behavior analyst, I have a front row seat to people’s parenting behavior. The parenting mistakes and the wins. I get to be in the trenches with people as they are working on being the best parent they can be and it is an honor—and
Six parenting mistakes I wish parents would stop doing… Read More »
“Why are you doing that?!?!?” I ask myself, as I watch my kids do something at least 147 times a day. If you think that number is an exaggeration, remember, I have four BOYS. Now you understand. When I think about why my kids are doing something, I am asking about the functions of behavior.
Much like eye contact, pointing at things in the environment, or rather the lack of pointing, is one of the early red flags for diagnosis for autism. So what is this link between pointing and autism? Pointing matters. It shows that the child is noticing the world around them and that they want to share
The link between pointing and autism: why pointing is important for a child with autism Read More »