Behavioral Interventions and Solutions
Premack Principle sounds like a complex concept, however, it is a contingency that you encounter every day. Everyone knows that grandma’s rule is to eat your veggies before you can have dessert. But did you know that this simple theory can also apply to many other situations? In fact, many of you are probably already using this strategy without realizing… Read More
When you have a child with academic, social, or behavioral challenges, your goal is to provide them with the best support available. But how do you ensure that teachers and therapists effectively meet the needs of your child? For many families, the creation of an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) accomplishes this goal. An IEP is a legal document that outlines… Read More
What is behavioral momentum? Do you ever have one of those days where you think to yourself; “If I could just get the ball rolling, I would be able to get so much more done.”? Enter BEHAVIORAL MOMENTUM. Behavioral momentum (which is also known as a high-probability request sequence) is “an antecedent intervention in which two to five easy tasks… Read More
The pairing process or “building rapport” is a topic that I love teaching to others. For teachers and other school professionals, it is a quick and effortless way to gain instructional control; however, it is a concept that parents can utilize as well. Day-to-day life can be stressful. Parents balance the struggle of having to maintain order within their households… Read More
If you have worked with a BCBA in the past, it is likely that you have heard the term FUNCTIONS OF BEHAVIOR. BCBAs look at functions in order to determine WHY specific behaviors are occurring. Then they develop a document called a Behavior Support Plan or BSP. It contains the definitions of challenging behavior, antecedent strategies, replacement behaviors, and consequence… Read More
Behavior specific praise is an important aspect of positive reinforcement. Children are constantly looking for attention from the adults in their life. Yet, that attention is often delivered following a negative behavior. For example: A child who follows their bedtime routine on the first request will often get less attention than the child running around refusing to go to bed…. Read More
Arguing with your child about every little thing can be exhausting, am I right? Enter CONTROLLED CHOICE-MAKING. Giving your child the power to make choices is an important strategy for any parent. It allows children to have some control over their own lives. Which in turn can help you avoid those dreaded power struggles. With controlled choices, children are given… Read More
Parents, do you feel like you are constantly saying “No/Stop/Don’t” to your child? Learning about how to use the power of positive phrasing can be an asset for parents everywhere. Children are on the receiving end of hundreds of instructions every day. Yet, many times these commands are both abrupt and negative in their delivery. Why? In the real… Read More
Do you struggle to provide reinforcement when your child isn’t cooperating? Parents will often ask me why they should be “giving in” to certain behaviors. Enter the reinforcement vs. bribery infographic. This is a easy way to see the differences between the two. When you use reinforcement you ensure that lasting behavior change will occur and the adult remains in… Read More
Wouldn’t it be great to have a tool that uses positive reinforcement to make meaningful behavior change? Token boards do just that. They reward desired behaviors, with a series of “tokens,” which the child can then exchange for something valuable. However, before you implement a token economy system, you need to ensure that the child understands that “tokens” represent good… Read More
I work with two of the best BCBAs I know. Last week we began updating a parent training that focused on managing difficult behaviors at home. We quickly got to work creating a powerpoint and a set of handouts for the parents to take home. On Friday, we got up in front of a small group of parents and walked… Read More
I will admit it; I have a love/hate relationship with the elf on the shelf. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love crafty things. The elf on the shelf provides the perfect mix of creativity and magic that is so special about the holiday season. However, there is another side to the elf on the shelf. This little… Read More
How do you give your child meaningful consequences while also giving enough praise? Yesterday, I received a text message from my cousin. The message said: “Can E get shipped to your house for three days. She needs military school. I’m just tired. Everything is a battle and her new mantra is, “Mama, I’m just trying to make a deal.” Let… Read More
Hi! I’m Dana, the girl behind Behavioral Interventions And Solutions, LLC (BIAS.) BIAS was created after noticing the lack of ABA resources, specifically designed with parents in mind. My goal is to empower parents by providing them with affordable and easy to use tools for managing challenging behaviors. Let me tell you a little more about myself. My mom… Read More
Do you use a behavior reward system at home or in your classroom? If not, continue reading!
This weekend I was tagged on IG by one of my followers. She wrote an excellent post about how she uses my Puff Up Tags in her classroom and gave me permission to share her post.
"Let's talk puff up tags!! Dana, fellow BCBA, created these babies and boy do we love them in my classroom! My students earn these little tags that we hole punch and put on a necklace throughout the day for anything and everything that we want to reinforce. I came from a 3-5 classroom and was skeptical about the buy-in for this concept in my new K-2 class. Well, my students are borderline obsessed with earning and collecting these and have been since September! I wrote a social story to go with them and relate them to a sticker chart and prize box. To be honest, they don't even care about the prize box. They just want these tags! I have even been able to use them to help potty train one of my Kindergarten students."
Reward tags are an easy, tangible way to reward positive behavior and will help increase the likelihood that those behaviors will occur again in the future! Click the link in the comments to see this product and more!
Did you know that Boston Parents Paper puts out a yearly resource guide entitled, “Your Child with Special Needs,” featuring a variety of articles written for parents, by professionals in the field? This year I was asked to contribute a column about Addressing Challenging Behavior and How it Relates to the IEP Process. You can find it on page 36 of the guide. Read about this topic and more via the link in comments.
Spending my Saturday at the NHABA Conference! #nhaba2019 #biasbehavioral #foreverlearning #bcbalife #appliedbehavioranalysis #collectthoseceus #continuingeducation #behavioranalyst
Everyone knows that grandma's rule is to eat your veggies before you can have dessert, but did you know that this is a behavioral concept known as the Premack Principle?
Many of you are probably already using this strategy without even realizing it. Premack Principle, which is also known as "grandma's rule" or "first/then language," occurs when a preferred activity is used as reinforcement for a non-preferred activity. It is an easy way to increase motivation and provide access to preferred items (reinforcers) in a controlled way.
When using this strategy, make sure that your child (or student) completes the "must-do" task BEFORE, gaining access to the reinforcer. It is also essential to make sure that the reinforcer is something the child REALLY wants and ensure it stays powerful by limiting free access to it.
Does your child or student struggle with Halloween? 🎃
For some children, Halloween is a chance to stay up late, dress up in a fun costume, and eat candy. However, for others, it is a stressful day full of changes in routine, heightened senses, and too much sugar.
One way you can make things easier is with a few visual supports. Visuals (like the ones pictured below) are designed to help include, accommodate, and prepare children for experiences that are outside of the norm.
Check out this great Halloween resource designed to do all that and more! The best part is, it's on sale from NOW until Halloween! Don't miss out!
