Child Behavior Management and Modification Training – Part 2
Introduction:
Building on the first part, this section dives deeper into practical techniques
for managing and modifying a child’s behavior. In this part, we explore
strategies like encouragement, rewards, and the extinction method to create
lasting positive change in behavior.
1. Encouragement: A Method to Reinforce Desirable
Behavior
Encouragement is used to create, reinforce, or increase the
occurrence of desirable behavior.
How to Encourage a Child:
- Praise
the child’s behavior, not their personality:
The goal of praise is to reinforce the behavior you want to see more of, not to praise the child as a person. - Praise
immediately:
The shorter the time between the behavior and praise, the more effective it will be. Immediate praise reinforces the connection. - Emphasize
specific behaviors that are acceptable:
Be clear about what behavior you are praising. The more specific the praise, the more likely the behavior will be repeated. - Praise
every improvement, even if small:
Start with low expectations and give the child time to improve gradually. Celebrate even small steps forward. - Give
praise appropriately for the child’s behavior and age:
Make sure your praise is age-appropriate, and recognize the effort that went into the behavior. - Pay
attention to the child’s reaction to the praise:
If the praise motivates the child to repeat the behavior, it is effective. Monitor how they respond to different types of praise. - Avoid
repetitive and boring phrases:
Be creative in your praise to keep it interesting and meaningful for the child.
Additional Tips for Encouraging Behavior:
- Once
the new behavior is established, praise less frequently:
As the behavior becomes a habit, it will require less frequent reinforcement. Give praise randomly every few times to keep it effective. - Combine
Praise with Unconditional Love:
Your child should know that your love for them is not based on their actions. Show affection and listen to them, regardless of their behavior. They should never feel like they need to earn your love. - Avoid
praise that makes the child feel they need higher praise:
Be mindful of how you praise. Praise should be genuine and not raise expectations to the point where the child feels they need constant validation.
Rewards: How to Give Them Effectively
- Determine
What Makes Your Child Happy:
- Children’s
preferences change frequently, so stay updated.
- Periodically
ask your child to share their top three wishes or what new privileges
they'd like to earn (e.g., more TV time, going out, etc.).
- Divide
the Rewards:
- Offer
a variety of rewards to keep things engaging. Consider gifts, activities,
or outings (e.g., park trips).
- Match
the Reward to the Behavior:
- Ensure
the reward is appropriate to the behavior being reinforced.
- Small
improvements should get smaller rewards, while bigger milestones should
earn bigger rewards.
- Always
Keep Your Promises:
- Never
make promises you can't keep.
- Stand
by your word and always deliver the promised reward.
- Avoid
substituting a committed reward with something else.
- Describe
Expectations Clearly:
- Clearly
explain what you expect in simple terms.
- The
more specific your instructions, the easier it will be for your child to
understand and follow.
- Reward
Early Progress Immediately:
- Reward
progress daily when the behavior is first being established.
- As
the behavior strengthens, increase the challenge of earning rewards.
- Eventually,
make rewards occasional, but never stop rewarding altogether.
- Gradually
Adjust Reward Intervals:
- Gradually
lengthen the time between rewards.
- Start
with daily rewards, then progress to every other day, weekly, and
eventually occasional rewards.
- As
the behavior becomes more ingrained, shift from rewards to natural
consequences.
- Focus
on One Behavior at a Time:
- Tackle
one behavior first. Once that behavior is stable, move on to addressing
the next one.
- Be
Patient:
- Remember
that behavior change takes time.
- Be
patient as the behavior becomes more consistent.
- Use
Rewards for Specific Actions:
- Reward
only specific actions to prevent your child from expecting rewards for
every behavior.
- This makes rewards more meaningful and impactful.
2. Extinction (Ignoring)
Extinction refers to the stopping of a behavior that was
previously reinforced due to the lack of reinforcement.
For example, imagine a mother who picks up her child every
time the child cries. After a while, the child increases the intensity of
crying to be held. Now, the mother decides to ignore the child's cries several
times, and after a short period, the child will stop crying.
The extinction method is widely used in educational
settings. For example, a teacher who notices that giving excessive attention to
a student's misbehavior has led to the student becoming spoiled, redirects
their attention (not ignoring completely) and thus extinguishes the undesired
behavior.
How to Ignore (Extinction):
- Ignore
inappropriate behaviors + praise and encourage appropriate behaviors.
- Evaluate
and assess your own tolerance.
- Assess
the risk of the behavior.
- If
you cannot complete the task or handle it, do not start it, as it will
have the opposite effect.
3. Deprivation
The purpose of this method is to remove the individual from
reinforcement or reward. This means that following a problematic behavior, the
child is briefly removed from the reinforcing situation. For example, a teacher
who expels a student from the class due to misbehavior must ensure that this
method is successful only when the student is removed from a location they
enjoy (a place where they receive reinforcement, such as the classroom).
Types of Deprivation:
- Exclusive:
The individual is taken from the room where the problematic behavior
occurs (as a reinforcing factor) to another room, provided that no object
is present in the room that could potentially cause harm to the
individual.
- Non-exclusive: The individual stays in the same room but is kept away from positive reinforcers in that place.
Attention:
- It
is recommended that for every year of the child's age, one minute of
deprivation be applied. For example, a 5-year-old child would only be
deprived for 5 minutes.
- If
the child suffers from Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), THIS METHOD
SHOULD NOT BE USED.
- Deprivation
should be applied calmly and without any emotional or violent reactions
from us. Additionally, the child must be informed about the consequences
of their undesirable behavior before the method is implemented.
Conclusion:
As we continue exploring different methods of behavior
management, remember that patience, consistency, and understanding are key.
Each technique—whether it's encouragement, rewards, extinction, or
deprivation—has its place in fostering a positive, respectful relationship with
your child.
[Stay tuned for Part 3, where we’ll wrap up with further
insights and advanced behavior management strategies.]
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