1. Techniques
2. Encouraging Wanted behaviours
3. Dealing with Unwanted behaviours
4. General guidelines / points to remember
5. Terms used

Compiled by: Department of Clinical Psychology, Learning Disability Services

 

1. TECHNIQUES

Ignore: To avoid inadvertently giving reinforcement for a behaviour: Responding to an unwanted behaviour without fuss or comment: Not giving eye contact or showing any response to the behaviours, turning attention away to something else by turning your head or your back or walking away.
Minimum interaction to ensure the safety of the child and others.

Actively Ignore: Responding to an unwanted behaviour by telling the child "no" saying that you will not talk or respond to him / her until he / she behaves appropriately and stops the unwanted behaviour, or stating that you do not like their behaviour. After having made this brief and clear statement of what you will do and why, carry it through by ignoring the behaviour, using only the 'broken record' if you feel you need to reaffirm your aim.

Selective Ignoring: Choosing not to notice or respond to every trivial unwanted behaviour - otherwise you might end up in a negative rut.

Broken Record: Repeating your request or aim whenever necessary, using the same words, e.g. "I want you to calm down" or "no". This helps both you and the child to stay focused on the immediate request and avoid getting side tracked.

Time Out: Sending or placing the child, for a short time, in an area or room where his / her behaviour is not centre stage and where he / she has time to cool off.

Diversion or Distraction: Diverting the child's attention from issues that may be become problematic. This is best done before the behaviour has escalated.

Over-correction: Getting a child to 'make better' what they have done, e.g. putting back toys they have thrown. This technique should only be used when you are sure you can carry it through.

Over Learning: Continuing to appropriately reinforce wanted behaviour and functional skills that the child already has to ensure that they are maintained.

Gradual Desensitisation: Becoming used to and learning to cope with situations that are difficult by gradual (stepwise, slow and controlled) exposure to the situation followed by reinforcement when managing to cope. For example, if your child doesn't like going into crowded places, start with bringing him / her to places with a few people in a large space and reward him / her when he / she manages to stay for a short time. Then slowly increase the number of people and the time he / she stays there.

Prompt: Helping the child - as necessary and in a minimal way - to remember what you want / expect him / her to do.

Fading: Gradually reducing the prompts as he / she learns.

2. ENCOURAGING WANTED BEHAVIOURS

Take a step back: Analyse and plan before trying to change behaviour.

Be specific: Focus on one specific behaviour at a time for changing and be clear about what exactly you want the child to do: ESTABLISH BOUDARIES.

Be realistic: Decide which behaviours you can tolerate and work only on one or two that you can't. Avoid being over - ambitious, overloading yourself and making it an impossible task.

Record behaviours and outcomes: This helps to establish triggers, reinforcers and, if you keep it up, any progress you achieve.

Determine which reinforcers are operating: To maintain the child's behaviours, it's helpful to establish, in your own mind, a cause for the behaviour.

Be aware of triggers: Then avoid these whenever possible.

Stop reinforcing unwanted behaviours: Ensure that everyone (all staff) also stop reinforcing the unwanted behaviour.

Work to replace unwanted behaviour by a new, desirable behaviour: Which if possible, serves a similar function for the child, e.g. ignore crying for sweets but reward keeping quiet.

Choose reinforcers for wanted behaviours carefully: They should be easy to give and work effectively, i.e. be something that the child responds to. This will be different for different children and sometimes also at different times.

Reinforcement should be consistent and be given immediately: And every time the unwanted behaviour occurs to make the 'behaviour - reinforcement' link clear.

Reinforce wanted behaviours or behaviours that are as close: - to this as the child can get (shaping).

3. DEALING WITH UNWANTED BEHAVIOURS

Avoid no-win situations: Think through the consequences before you make a demand:

Always try to diffuse:- a situation before it escalates.

Underplay the undesired:

See 'conflicts' through: Once you have become engaged in one you will need to resolve it in a manner that the child does not think they have won - even if they have!

Do not make false 'threats':

Choose consequences for unwanted behaviours carefully: They should be things that are easy to implement or withdraw and work effectively, i.e. be something that the child responds to.

Communicate convincingly: Keep your language clear and be brief and to the point. Emphasize the important words. Use the positive line, e.g. "This is how it will be / what you must do.

Avoid negotiation:- with the child. Explain what you want and, if appropriate, why.

Concentrate:- on what you want the child to do, rather than the negative behaviour.

Be CONSISTENT: Be firm and stick to your guns - always carry things through and stick to boundaries you want established.

Do not hold a 'grudge':-or refer back to episodes of 'bad behaviour' at later dates.

Enlist as much support from those around you as possible: Make sure they are aware of your approach, use it themselves and discuss your difficulties - you may get new ideas.

 

4. GENERAL GUIDELINES / POINTS TO REMEMBER

A child needs to feel wanted, respected, needed, cared for and important in order to respond well to you.

Structure and routine are needed for most children to thrive: This enables them to understand and predict the ways of their world.

Try to understand the child's motivation: What is he / she gaining from a particular behaviour that he / she is so keen on - is there any other way he / she can get that or can it in response to a more appropriate behaviour. This will enable you to 'Boost the best': Reward behaviours you want and discourage behaviours you don't.

Behaviour outbursts are often the child's way of communicating his / her needs: Try to understand what the function of the behaviour is, and then aim to replace it.

Consistency in managing the child enables the child to trust you: A child needs to know limits and have clear expectations to feel the adults are in charge.

Stay outwardly calm and remain in control:

Behaviour, that is rewarded by a sought after reaction, is far more likely to reoccur: Being angry, shouting, etc, are all the ways of giving the child your attention for behaviour you did not intend to reward. This may simply make a bad situation worse and more likely to reoccur.

Offering encouragement and praise for goof behaviour will promote the desired behaviour:- as well as help to increase the child's self-esteem and your own feeling of achievement.

5. TERMS USED

Boundaries: The limits for behaviour that is acceptable and for what is expected of the child.

Conditioning: The process through which behaviours are learned and maintained as a result of the consequences of their occurrences (positive / negative reinforcement), which tend to be repeated.

Extinction: Terminating an unwanted behaviour.

Functional skills: Those skills / behaviours, which allow a child to get what he / she wants in a reliable and efficient way in daily life. Hence a behaviour can serve a function (e.g. screaming to avoid going out) without being a functional skill (which, for example, could be to be able to say that he / she did not want to go out).

Reinforcement / reinforcers: Anything that makes the child do an action and repeat it. Such reinforcement can be both negative and positive.
Positive rewards could be giving praise, encouragement or positive attention. Alternatively it could be something tangible, like sweets or privileges for the desired behaviour.

Unfortunately negative 'rewards' - usually not intended as rewards - may reinforce undesired behaviour. An example of this could be shouting at the child or removing things or privileges that the child wants in response to unwanted behaviour. What appears to be negative outcomes of a behaviour (e.g. being shouted at) are not often thought of as reinforcing that behaviour but may well do.

Triggers: Situations or interactions, which set off certain behaviours.