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
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The effective use of social narratives (social stories) is a heavily debated topic among many. As a BCBA, I am always trying to ensure that I recommend the use of evidence-based practices, and unfortunately, social narratives fall along the fringe.
That being said, personally, I think there are many advantages to using a social narrative as a way to preview (or review) the expectations that accompany a complicated situation.
Take my buddy, Mavis, for example. Last week she went into the hospital to have her tonsils and adenoids out. This is typically a routine surgery; however, Mavis decided to put her foot down, and she refused to consume any liquids ... FOR DAYS. Family members MODELED how much fun it was to take a sip, they used an alarm to PROMPT her to take a drink, and they REINFORCED her every time she took a sip, yet it still didn't seem to be enough.
Enter the social narrative. This short 9-page story described what the expectation was using short sentences and relatable pictures. This, IN COMBINATION with, all the other strategies worked, and Mavis was able to go home the following day.
Was this positive result due solely to the social narrative? Not likely, however, I do believe that it enhanced Mavis's understanding of what she needed to do in order to go home.
Do you want to learn more about how to write your own social narrative? Check out this post by one of my favorite bloggers: www.confessionsofthechromosomallyenhanced.com/2019/11/5-tips-for-writing-effective-social.html
Not ready to write your own social narrative? Reach out to me via this Google form, and I can help you design one that fits your needs! forms.gle/ezCDQNthDZeamz168
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This past weekend I had an opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with my niece. We went up into the attic of my parent's house and explored the meticulously saved collection of toys from my childhood. After several minutes, we settled on a bin of magnet blocks (which would never exist nowadays due to safety regulations - but that's a conversation for another day) and brought them down into the living room to play. It was fun to sit back and watch her explore a "brand new" toy. Grace is only 18 months old, so I knew we were working with a limited attention span and began to think of ways that I could extend her engagement with this toy. I gave her a minute or so to manipulate the blocks, before I started to interact with them myself. I narrated my play despite knowing that she didn’t yet understand all the words I was saying, and at that moment my newest visual was born. I quickly realized that it might be helpful for parents, therapists and teachers to have a visual guideline to describe the different ways to talk about toys during play. While this is not an all-inclusive list, it serves as a good reminder that there are many things you can say while you play.
What other ways do you model language for children who are still developing the necessary skills to communicate?
