Behavioral Interventions and Solutions
What if I told you that positive reinforcement involves more than just rewards? Positive reinforcement is the addition of a stimulus, which increases the likelihood of a behavior happening again in the future. It is one small part of a larger concept – operant conditioning. In my experience, the concepts of reinforcement and punishment are the hardest to understand in… Read More
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
Have you tried the "trade a toy" method for teaching your child(ren) how to share?
Recently, my brother sent me a picture of his daughter and son playing together. It appeared to be a sweet exchange between a toddler and her baby brother - her handing him a stuffed animal toy. My brother then prompted me to play the "live" photo and watch the actual exchange - her grabbing a stuffed animal toy right as he reached for it. I responded by saying, "Looks like it might be time to teach her the "trade a toy" method."
The "trade a toy" method is a great way to introduce the concept of sharing, while also ensuring that everyone still has a toy to play with. Simply, prompt your child to find an unused toy, and teach them how to make a trade for the toy they want.
This strategy will look different depending on the ages of your children, and often as they get older, you may find that assistance is needed when negotiating a toy trade. However, in the case of my niece and her baby brother (or younger children in general) any unused toy is often suitable for the exchange.
Check out the graphic below to learn more about how to use this strategy when teaching children to share.
I seriously have the best followers, and because of them, there are now 8 infographics available in Spanish.
I am going to attach the pictures to this post, but if you want access to a printable version of any of these, just visit the Resource Library on my website or grab it via my blog. I will include the link to both in the comments on this post.
Feel free to share with any families that may need this information!
Have you ever tried a visual rubric for student self-assessment?
This is an excellent tool for cueing a child to do his or her “best work” because it gives a visual description of what “best work” actually looks like. I have found visual rubrics particularly useful for children who rush through their work, as it puts the emphasis on quality and effort, not the rate of completion.
You can grab this FREE printable in the Resource Library on my website, on TPT, or by clicking here: links.biasbehavioral.com
How can I encourage my child to keep a mask on his or her face?
This is a question that has raised concerns with parents everywhere.
Whether you are currently living in a state where wearing a mask (for children over age 2) is now mandatory, or you just want to ensure protection for your child and others, it is essential to be prepared.
Check out these seven quick tips designed to help make wearing a mask easier on everyone.
Thanks to two lovely followers, you can now access several of your favorite infographics in both Spanish and French.
I uploaded each translation as a photo (which can be saved to a device/viewed digitally) and as a set of printable PDFs. The headers (for each topic) also contain a link to the blog post where that infographic was first featured.
Read More: biasbehavioral.com/behavior-infographics-in-spanish-and-french/
