Toilet Training Made Easy

A common struggle for parents is to teach their child to use the bathroom independently. Mary Barbera in “The Verbal Behavior Approach,” discusses steps that she has found over the years to successfully train a child to use the bathroom consistently and independently.

Ensure that your child is ready to be toilet trained

It is important to make sure that the timing for training your child is right. Do not begin toilet training if your child has just been diagnosed, mands are weak, your family will be moving soon, or another big change will be happening. It is important to establish a system in which they can learn to mand first and positive behavior programs are in place. A few important questions to ask are: Does your child seem to notice or indicate when diapers are soiled? Does your child move away from you or hide to have a bowel movement? Does your child have regular bowel movements with no soiling overnight? These may be signs that your child is ready to begin training.

Before you begin toilet training

·         Begin pairing the toilet with reinforcement

o   Have the child sit on the toilet and provide reinforcement for simply sitting there. This will begin to pair the toilet with reinforcement and after pairings, the child may start to feel more comfortable with the toilet and even use it! This may happen by accident, but if it does, reinforce heavily!

·         Choose the words you will use to talk about the behaviors and make sure that everyone that the child will interact with is consistent

·         Notice any patterns in your child’s bathroom schedule

o   Keep in mind when they eat or wake up/nap because this can often affect their bathroom schedule

Daytime training

·         Make a toilet schedule that everyone is aware of. Place the child on the toilet consistently and reinforce with a treat that get exclusively for a successful bathroom trip.

·         Teach your child the separate steps that are involved in using the bathroom; for example, how to pull pants up and down, how to wash hands, and how to wipe themselves.

·         Give your child extra drinks so there is strong motivation and opportunity for bathroom trips

·         Do dry pants checks

o   Reinforce whenever their pants are dry and run a check immediately if you notice that they have had an accident

·         Use positive practice for accidents

o   Take your child quickly from the spot of the accident to the toilet and back again five to ten times in a row.

·         Keep a record of successful trips to the bathroom and accidents.

For more information regarding toilet training tips, refer to “The Verbal Behavior Approach” by Mary Barbera.

Augmentative Communication

Some children do not naturally develop language or begin to babble sounds in order to learn how to make words. With children diagnosed with Autism, this is often the case. However, these children often begin to form their own language and communicate in others ways with their parents and peers. This is called augmentative communication. In "Teaching Language to Children with Autism or other Developmental Disabilities," Sundberg and Partington discuss the ways in which children with Autism learn language and communicate with those around them.

It is important to encourage and reinforce when the child attempts to communicate with you in order to prevent the child from getting frustrated or from ceasing attempts to reach out. The four general options for selecting a form of communication for a specific child are 1) speech, 2) sign language, 3) picture pointing and exchange systems, and 4) independent writing, typing, or pointing to words.

Speech is the end goal; however, some children will need thousands of trials in order to build up their verbal repertoire. For children with strong to moderate motor imitation skills, sign language is a preferable way to learn language. Teachers can fade their prompts, they do not have to carry around a external object in order to talk to others and motor movements can actually increase language by the motion triggering the vocalization. Some advantages of the picture pointing and exchange systems are the listener does not have to have any special training in order to understand what the child is asking for, matching at first makes acquisition easier for the child and there is no shaping required. However, with this system, there is usually no improvement in speech.

It is important to build up a rapport with the child and complete an assessment in order to gauge exactly where the specific child's deficits lie. With this information in mind, a teacher can effectively choose what system to use and begin to effectively teach the child language.

The basic steps to teaching sign language

Establishing Operations, Inc. has a series of videos titled Teaching Verbal Behavior in the Natural Environment that lay out the basic concepts in order to teach your child how to communicate. I will be focusing on the video that explains how to use sign language with your child. Using sign language does not mean that they cannot or will never be able to communicate vocally, but rather that they have weak echoic skills and need another way to communicate with those who may not be able to understand them.

Here are some of the first steps in teaching sign language:

How to teach sign:

If the child has poor motor imitation, start off with modified signs that are as close to original signs as possible. If your child does not like to be touched, begin doing exercises where you pair touching their hands with reinforcement and once touching their hands is no longer aversive, you can begin physically prompting signs.

A) Model

B) Prompt

C) Give

Say the name of the item with each step. Model the sign, prompt the child to imitate the sign, and then give the reinforcement. Be quick with steps to avoid a battle over the reinforcement; you can cut out the model step if they are grabbing at reinforcement. Make sure to give reinforcement within seconds of the sign. Prompt what the child is focused on rather than what you are trying to teach; be sure to follow child’s motivation.

Manding Guidelines:

• Teach mands in the natural environment: use child’s motivation for objects in situation to teach manding
• Motivation must be present before prompting the mand, make sure motivation is present and high for the object you are manding for
• Practice teaching mands before you work with child, mistakes with the child makes it more likely that they will get upset
• Teach mands in a variety of locations; they should be able to generalize to outside situations
• Capture and contrive many opportunities each day to teach mands, you have to actively set up situations in which they will be motivated to ask for something
• Track the number of mands each day; use tally counters to keep track of how many mands child makes per day
• Be a giver, not a taker: give a little bit at a time so that the child has to keep coming back to you for more, rather than taking back items to get more mands, do not kill value of the items by taking them away and making them ask for them
• Sanitize the environment so that you can control the reinforcers: set up environment strategically, know how to make each activity better before the child comes over
• Avoid killing the motivation: don’t make them ask for every little piece, keep number of demands fair, give them a few pieces for free
• Be sure to fade prompts: try to get the best quality of prompts with the least amount of prompting
• Avoid placing unnecessary demands on your child when teaching mands: do not ask for names of items or ask them to play with objects a certain way
• When teaching the first mands avoid teaching: yes, no, more, help, please, give me, and eat or anything that can turn into a generalized mand for many things, teach individual item names rather than a general name
• Avoid teaching mands for the removal of something aversive: leave, bye bye, move, go, break
• Want children to learn that when they talk good things happen rather than bad things go away

Teaching sign language should be fun and easy! As the teacher, you just have to stay one sign ahead of the learner and watch their motivation level to keep the child engaged in the activity. Learning signs can take many trials, so be patient and consistent. Never be afraid to reinforce!

Happy signing!

Functions of Language

In everyday language, our words serve various purposes that flow seamlessly in conversation and do not normally get noticed. However, the functions of these words are crucial in the way that we communicate with those around us. Sometimes children on the Autism spectrum do not learn the nuances of language and the different functions that words serve on their own. Typical children pick this up through social cues and everyday interactions but as Behavioral Therapists, the process of correctly using language is something that we teach often. Here I will discuss some of the main types of verbal relations and their importance so that parents may better understand the functions of their children’s language and have some pointers about how to increase the proper functions of communication.

ECHOIC

An echoic is when a child will repeat what they have heard another person say. They might have a favorite line from a T.V. show that they repeat after the character says it. It is important to encourage this if the child rarely makes sounds and the parent wants to promote talking. Children naturally go through a babbling stage in which they practice making noises and forming words; echoics is similar and while it is a more basic part of language, it can be important in a child’s development.

TACT

A tact is simply a label, or what an object is called in everyday conversation. Tacting occurs when a child looks at a picture and begins naming things that they see. They are not asking for these objects, but merely saying the names aloud. Learning tacts is important but is often a lower priority for Behavioral Therapists than mands. In comparing tacts and mands, Jack Michael states in his book, Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis, “the mand permits the speaker to alter the environment through someone else’s behavior, and the tact permits the listener to react to the behavior of others,” (p. 204).

MAND

A mand is a request, or when the speaker asks for a reinforcer. In conversation, it sometimes may be difficult to distinguish what is a mand and what is not. However, mands are used more often than we realize. Parents most often want their children to learn how to mand for objects so that they can communicate what they want with the parents. The best way to train your child to mand is through practice; set up situations in which the child is directly reinforced for manding. Have a favorite toy or snack on a table and have your child come over to you. Let them sample the reinforcer and then gently remove it again. Try to encourage them to ask for the reinforcer, whether through verbal words or sign language. If they attempt at all (not whining, but a close approximation of the word or sign), reinforce them! Once you have established a system in which they get reinforced for attempting to communicate, they will most likely do this most often. Practice with many trials a day; make sure to change the level of response that you are reinforcing. It should be slightly increasing each time. If you know they can say to whole word, don’t reinforce part of it. This will help to teach them how to ask you for things and better communicate their wants.

INTRAVERBAL

An intraverbal is perhaps the most advanced function of language. Intraverbals are discussing objects that are not in the room, categorizing objects, filling in the blanks of common phrases and more. This requires a higher foundation of language because the child has to be well versed in features of objects, functions of objects, common phrases, etc. and understand how to interact with another person when discussing these things in conversation. For example, a more elementary intraverbal would be to fill in the phrase “Ready, Set, ___!” or saying what number comes next when counting. These are abstract ideas that the child has to learn how to fill in through the social environment beyond basic conversations.

Knowing these functions of language can improve the way that you understand your child’s language and the ways in which to help them learn to better communicate with you. Further research on the subject of the functions of language can be found in the works of B.F. Skinner or Jack Michael.

Upcoming FREE ABA & Autism Workshop

South Sound Behavior Therapy will be hosting a FREE workshop on Decreasing Problem Behavior in Lacey, WA on April 7th. Email jennica.ssbt@gmail.com or kaitlyn.ssbt@gmail.com for a registration form and more information!

Decreasing Problem Behavior

(9AM-12PM Sat April 7^th 2012 )

Location:

Candlewood Suites

4440 3^rd Ave SE

Lacey, WA 98503

Attendees will learn:

ABCs of behavior

‡ Why problem behaviors occur(4 functions of behavior)

‡ Treating problem behavior: extinction, positive and negative reinforcement and punishment

‡ How to apply techniques of treating problem behavior

‡ Additional tools for treating problem behavior: token systems, cost response, and contingency contracts

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**Each workshop includes copies of PowerPoint

presentation and other training materials

Instructional Control

In his book, Educate toward Recovery, Robert Schramm discusses the importance of instructional control, or having your child respond to your instructions. Gaining instructional control is a process with specific rules that must be applied in every learning situation with your child. Schramm breaks this process down into seven steps for parents to follow to establish and maintain instructional control.

1) Show your child that you are the one in control of the items he/she wants to hold or play with and that you will decide when and for how long he/she can have them.

By remaining in control of the desired items, you can begin to associate yourself with positive items, therefore, becoming a conditioned stimulus. The child will learn that they can gain access to reinforcement through you rather than trying to access it independently.

2) Show your child that you are fun. Make each interaction you have with him an enjoyable experience so that he will want to follow your directions to earn more time sharing these experiences with you.

Make sure to allow time in your interactions with your child to get lost in play. Allow them to direct the activities and make decisions about what they want to do. Try to become an active, engaged partner in their playtime. This in turn will help them want to follow directions in the future.

3) Show your child that you can be trusted. Always say what you mean and mean what you say. If you instruct your child to do something, do not allow him access to reinforcement until he has complied with your request. This step allows for prompting him to completion if necessary.

While it is important to have time where a child can play freely with you, it is important that when not in free play, you make sure that the child follows through with your request. By allowing your child to not comply, you have reinforced whatever behavior they engaged in before you withdrew the demand you had placed on them. For example, if you asked your child to clean their room and they threw a fit, then you withdrew the task by walking away or another response besides making them follow through with the request, you inadvertently reinforced the behavior of throwing a fit!

4) Show your child that following your directions is beneficial and the best way for him to obtain what he wants. Give your child easy directions as often as possible and then reinforce his decisions to participate by following them with good experiences.

Make sure to give your child many opportunities in order to complete easy tasks in which they get reinforcement through your praise, a preferred activity, or a desired tangible reinforcer. Rather than placing big tasks on them all at once and having that be the only chance to earn reinforcement, have a series of activities in which they can participate and be reinforced.

5) Provide consistent reinforcement. In the early stages of earning instructional control with your child, reinforce after each positive response. Eventually change to an ever-increasing variable of reinforcement.

It is crucial to establish a system in which your child knows that they will be reinforced. If they understand that system of reinforcement, they will be more likely to participate and quickly follow your demands. However, to establish this system, they must be reinforced each time they comply. Regardless of the situation or circumstances you may be in, you must try to make the time to reinforce and acknowledge their compliance. Once this system has been established, you can begin reinforcing less often.

6) Demonstrate that you know your child’s priorities as well as your own.

Make note of your child’s preferred activities, edible items, toys, etc. so that you know what will motivate your child to comply. A child’s interests can sometimes change so be aware of shifting preferences. To avoid satiation, or when a child is bored or “full” of a reinforcer, rotate reinforcers often. Have many options that the child can receive for their cooperation.

7)S Show your child that ignoring your instruction or choosing inappropriate behavior will not result in the acquisition of reinforcement.

If your child begins engaging in inappropriate behaviors, you cannot reinforce them. You must intentionally make whatever behavior they are engaging in for something unsuccessful. Over time, the child will resort to this behavior less often if they are never reinforced for it. Instead, they will act in a way in which there is a history of reinforcement, all the appropriate behaviors you have been teaching and reinforcing.

These seven steps will increase your instructional control with your child and ensure that you can shape their behavior to be appropriate and compliant. More information about Applied Behavior Analysis and parenting can be found in Schramm’s book.

Schedules of Reinforcement

The frequency of a certain behavior depends on the reinforcement or extinction of that behavior. In order to increase the frequency, you must reinforce the behavior. However, there are many varying schedules of reinforcement that will affect how a behavior occurs and the future frequency of it. A schedule of reinforcement is simply which responses will be followed with reinforcement and which will not.

There are two main schedules of reinforcement: continuous and extinction. A continuous schedule of reinforcement is when each and every instance of a certain behavior is rewarded with reinforcement; for example, when potty training, parents often reinforce each occurrence of when the child uses the toilet. The other schedule of reinforcement is extinction, or when no instance of a behavior is reinforced. These two different schedules of reinforcement contain the basic principles that other intermittent schedules of reinforcement derive from.

Intermittent schedules of reinforcement are when a behavior is reinforced, but not every time it occurs. While there are several types of intermittent schedules, the one that produces high and steady rates of responding is a variable ratio schedule. A variable ratio schedule is one in which the behavior is reinforced after a certain number of responses but the number of responses necessary to gain reinforcement can vary slightly. For example, when a therapist is working with a child, the therapist might reinforce the child after around every 10 responses. It does not have to be after exactly 10 every time and by doing so, there is no predictable pattern of reinforcement.

Schedules of reinforcement are used in different contexts and serve different purposes; for example, you would not have a variable ratio of reinforcement for potty training because the child would be reinforced after around the 10^th time they use the toilet. They would not learn the new behavior! Continuous reinforcement is used to establish or strengthen behaviors while an intermittent schedule of reinforcement maintains previously learned behaviors. It is important to look at what the situation is and decide what the schedule of reinforcement should be depending on whether you are teaching a new behavior, maintaining motivation during a therapy session, or putting a behavior on extinction. Reinforcement is a crucial tool in Applied Behavior Analysis and when it used correctly on an appropriate schedule, it will increase the target behaviors while not reinforcing problem behaviors.

Dealing with "bad behavior"

One thing that parents often struggle with is their child’s “bad behavior.” They are at a loss for how to get their children to listen and comply and are often looking for answers. While ABA does not deliver an instant solution to counteract those problem behaviors, it does set up a system in which children learn that how they act affects what they receive.

One of the most important components of ABA is reinforcement; this is when we give the child something they like in order to show them that when they do that behavior, they get something for it. We “pay” them for being good. The opposite of reinforcement is extinction; essentially, not paying a child for behaving that way. Behaviors occur because they are either innate responses (such as pulling your hand off something hot) or they have a history of reinforcement causing them to reoccur. Even unintentionally, their behavior has somehow been reinforced. It is critical to pay attention to what may be causing the behavior to occur and how you treat the child after they behave that way.

For example, if you are trying to get them to eat an unliked food item and they act out by throwing it or hitting and you send them to their room, they got their way! They learned that when they are presented with something aversive, all they have to do is act out again and the aversive stimulus will be removed and they can go to the room. To correct this, do not remove the demand. They will act out because that has worked in the past but if you keep the demand on them, they will start to learn that that behavior will no longer be reinforced. You are putting their behavior on extinction and then will reinforce the new 'eating their food' behavior.

Not all situations occur as smoothly as I explained in my example. That is an “ideal world”. However, the concepts are that simple and if you practice examining your own behavior in response to your child’s, you can uncover your own history of reinforcement. Changing that history if the first step to changing your child’s behavior!

New ABA Worshop

January 21st Workshop: Decreasing Problem Behavior

South Sound Behavior Therapy will be hosting another workshop to discuss how to decrease problem behavior.

Behavioral Parent Training/ABA & Autism Workshop Series
January 21st, 2011
Time and Location: TBA

For Parents, Teachers, SLPs, Other Professionals and Caregivers

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October 22nd Workshop Intro to ABA

Behavioral Parent Training/ABA & Autism Workshop Series
October 22nd 2-5PM, 2011
Lacey Community Center, Lacey WA

For Parents, Teachers, SLPs, Other Professionals and Caregivers

Jennica will be presenting on the following topics:
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Intro to ABA
(2:00-5:00PM)
Attendees will learn:
• What is ABA?
• History of ABA
• Basics principles of ABA
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Verbal Behavior

Verbal Behavior, a component of Applied Behavior Analysis, is a behavioral language approach to teaching in which a message is communicated between two people in any form (speech, signs, etc.). Verbal Behavior is based on Skinner's research in his book, "Verbal Behavior" in which he focuses on the function of language rather than the structure of it. He believed that there were four main verbal operants, or functions of speech: the mand, the tact, the echoic, and the intraverbal. A mand is a request for something, like when a child asks for food when they are hungry. A tact is a label or being able to name an object. An echoic is vocal imitation, or repeating what some one else has said. However, echoics do not represent an understanding of what the person is saying, rather simple vocal repetition. The final verbal operants are intraverbals, or the ability to talk about an object that is not present. This is shown through conversation about objects, such as asking a child, "Where do you sleep?" and they reply "a bed."

The Lovaas method also is used to teach language to children, however, there are some differences between Verbal Behavior and the Lovaas method. The first objective in the Lovaas method is to teach a child how to sit at the table and make eye contact with the therapist. Once this is mastered, they move on to more complicated tasks. Therapists focus on teaching children expressive and receptive language rather than the function as with Verbal Behavior. In Verbal Behavior, an errorless approach to teaching is used in which the answer is given to the child so they can learn the answer as opposed to the "No-no" prompting in the Lovaas method. Verbal Behavior is also based on the concept of pairing in which the therapist becomes a conditioned stimulus and the child begins to associate the therapist with positive reinforcement. This manner of teaching allows children to better generalize their language skills in order to apply their knowledge to many different environments.

South Sound Behavior Therapy

We have recently opened our doors and are accepting new clients. We strive to provide the highest quality of services with well-trained and enthusiastic therapists. South Sound Behavior Therapy was founded on a strong basis of integrity and ethics. We believe every child has a right to the least restrictive environment and we believe in empirical evidence and data taking to guide our therapy and treatment decisions.

The ABC's of ABA

Applied behavior analysis focuses on targeting behavior with real life applications in a measurable way based on the data gathered in therapy. As therapists focus on behaviors, then observe the ABC's, or the antecedents, behaviors, and the consequences. The antecedents are what happens directly before the behavior while consequences are what follows after the behavior. Together, the ABC's form what is called the contingency of reinforcement. Due to this contingency, behaviors can either increase in frequency, decrease in frequency, or stay the same depending on what the consequence of their actions was. Observing this contingency is what informs therapists on what to change in order to make therapy successful.

New Therapist at South Sound Behavior Therapy, Kaitlyn

Hello! This is Kaitlyn, a new therapist at South Sound Behavior Therapy. Jennica and I will be collaborating on new posts so stay tuned for information and upcoming events. Thanks!

Now Supervising for Certification

Hi! I am now supervising those that are pursuing certification in Behavior Analysis and those that are Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts.

We are relocating to Fort Lewis, Washington

We are announcing that we are happy to provide services in the Fort Lewis area beginning January 2011. We will be working with Tricare under the Autism Demonstration Project and the ECHO program. We will also be accepting clients through private pay. Please email me with questions: jennica.verbalbehavior@hotmail.com

Ivar Lovaas has passed away

This was posted by Lisa Jo Rudy:
"Ivar Lovaas, Creator of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Passes Away
Wednesday August 4, 2010
Dr. Ivar Lovaas, a clinical psychologist, passed away yesterday. Lovaas was best known as the creator of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), a rewards-and-consequences-based approach to educating individuals with autism and other developmental challenges and differences. Over the years, ABA has become the medically approved "gold standard" for autism treatment.

While there is no doubt that Lovaas's achievements were extraordinary, many disagreed with his methods. In his earlier days, Lovaas was an advocate of "aversives" - corporal punishments for non-compliance. Over time, Lovaas and his followers found that aversive approaches to education were less effective than "reinforcement" (rewards) for work well done."

I post this with one correction: Lovaas was not the creator of ABA but began his work from piggybacking among other great behaviorists in the field like John Watson, B.f. Skinner, and Sid Bijour, to name a few. Regardless we are grateful for the contributions of Lovaas and are truly sad to see him pass.

Conference in Georgia with Carbone

I registered for this conference today, I am very excited to see Carbone in March.

This is from www.asaga.com:

"The Greater Georgia Chapter of The Autism Society of America will hold our sixth annual conference, Monday and Tuesday, March 1-2, 2010, focused on providing current resources and information on autism and related disorders.

The 2010 Conference will be held at Hilton Atlanta Northeast.

Keynote Presentations by:
Dr. Vince Carbone
and William Stillman"

Merging of blogs

I have recently decided to merge my blogs, because I cannot keep up with both it is too much for me right now. So you will see some changes on this blog and just know that this new and improved blog that is about all things behavior! Everything from Verbal Behavior (VB) and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to the basics of behavior. Don't worry if you don't know what VB and ABA are, just read and ask questions pertaining to your situation.

If you are considering career paths...

Someone recently emailed me, asking what field they should go into, when they would like to work with children (and parents) behaviorally. I would say if you have the luxury of going anywhere, try to find a bachelors degree in behavior analysis, they are out there. University of North Texas is one example. Google it, be industrious. If that not possible, I would look into behavior sciences in areas like cognition, behavior, the brain, neuropsychology, and biopsychology. This is closer to behavior analysis than psychology. I have included my response to said per about what program they should enroll in at University of Michagan.
"What I can advise depends on the kind of person you are. Some people want to find a major that is interesting and are not really sure if they will ever use it someday. Others are looking for long term work and are fully committed to their careers and really want to enjoy what they do. If you are looking for something fun and short term you may want to go the psychology route. If you are thinking about a career and are up for a lot of hard work and a challenge (possibly even grad school) then you will want to become a behavior analyst, like me. It is hard work and constantly challenging but I love it more than anything else I have ever done (except for being a mom of course). I looked at U of M and they have a brain, behavior, and cognition major, which is what I would do if I were you. Behavior analysis gets lumped into the field of psychology, but it actually isn't, it is much closer to science than anything else. It is the science of behavior, and Skinner would say it is the philosophy of science. Anyway I could go on forever but give me a call and we can talk more about it if you still interested."

Behavior behavior what to do?

I commonly hear parents tell me they just don't know what to do. Behavior is beautifully simplistic essentially. It can get complicated very quickly but let's talk about basics.

We behave a certain way because of our past history of reinforcement or punishment. So if our children act out again and again it is because their behavior has been reinforced in the past. "But how can that be?!?!" I often hear, "I put my son in time out and spank him all the time." Well that seems like it would be a punishment, however if the behavior remains despite your best effort to punish your child's behavior, it has actually been reinforced. Maybe they wanted the attention from you, or even more likely maybe they would rather engage in the behavior (i.e. sneak a candy) and get a timeout than not have a candy at all.

So hear are some guidelines: if they continue the behavior over and over even after punishment then, it is not working, change your tactics. One key element is consistency. If you decide when you child hits another child at the park, that they will have to go home, then do that every time and do it immediately. If you wait to say goodbye to some friends, the child may not make the connection between hitting and going home. I watched a friend one day at the mall's play center experience a lot of anger and frustration with her child. Her child was climbing up where she should not have been climbing, sometimes the mom would see her and yell at her, sometimes she would go unnoticed for several minutes before her mom saw her. Finally after yelling several times the mom chased the small child down, carried her to the restroom and spanked her. Both the parent and child were clearly upset at this point. The problem was this did not change the child's behavior. The mom was not consistent nor did she punish as soon as she saw the behavior. A better solution would be to practice the skill of playing without climbing. The mom could take her daughter to the mall daily, and each day when she begin to climb, the mom should have immediately picked her up and taken her home. This would teach the child the rules of the play area and also that she must listen to her mother.

Punishment?

If punishment is used, careful consideration must also be used. We must consider why the behavior is occurring. If we do not, and blindly punish the behavior instead, we never truly find out what the behaver (the person engaging in the behavior) is getting out of performing the behavior. So what does this mean? The behaver now has no appropriate way of communicating what they want. Most likely they will find other means of communicating their needs with new negative behaviors.

So it is important to take this into consideration. We need to first figure out why the behavior is occurring and second treat the problem behavior. As we treat the behavior we will be teaching a more effective means to communicate the behaver's needs.

So if a two year is screaming because he wants a cookie, many parents will either give into the screaming (very dangerous!) or punish, or attempt to punish, the behavior. Instead they should ask why is this behavior occurring? They want a cookie. So we need to teach the child to ask for a cookie appropriately and only give cookies to the child when he asks appropriately.

August ABA Workshop dates

August dates for workshops-

Jennica will be presenting on the following topics:
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ABA Specific to Autism
(9AM-12PM Sat Aug 15th )
Attendees will learn:
• How to use assessments (VBMAPP & ABLLS)
• How to set up an ABA program
• Techniques to use with children on the spectrum
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Intro to Verbal Behavior
(9AM-12PM Sat Aug 22nd )
Attendees will learn:
• What is VB?
• Verbal Operants
• How to use VB to teach language
• How to make a VB program

Email: Jennica.verbalbehavior@hotmail.com for registration and additional info

Decreasing Problem Behavior Workshop

Interested in decreasing problem behavior with our children? Want to learn how to do it ethically and effectively? Come to our workshop this Thursday July 23rd in El Paso (Fort Bliss). 6-9PM. Email: Jennica.verbalbehavior@hotmail.com for more info.

Arguing with our kids

Why do we as parents spend so much time arguing with our children? Here is a typical scenario of an argument:

Child: "I wanna cookie"
Mom: "Sorry but you need to eat dinner first"
Child: "I WANNA COOKIE"
Mom: "What did mom say, look at me, no cookies until afer dinner"
Child: "Nooooooo! Cookie!"(now child is hysterical and crying)
Mom: "Do you need to go to your room for a time out?"
Child: (screaming and tantrumming)

Now this mother may be wondering "What did I do wrong?" She did one thing right: not giving in. Had she given in, the child's whining and bad behavior would likely increase in the future. But the mom could have done something different: not argued with her child, it might look like this:

Child: "I wanna cookie"
Mom: "Sorry but you need to eat dinner first"
Child: "I WANNA COOKIE"

Silence: mom does not respond, she has already given her answer, so why argue about it? If this is the first time the mom has ignored her child, the child will likely get very upset (If you try this be prepared, behaviors often get worse before they get better). Once the child understands mom is not going to answer me, no matter how hard I scream, she will realize you mean what you say, and stop whining/complaining because it doesn't do any good.

Homework: Try it! Tell me how it works for you. Just remember: hang in there, be strong and silent, no matter how upset they become, ignore the behavior if they want attention and are acting badly. Quesions? Comments?

ABA Workshops in El Paso area 2009

July 2009 Workshops:

Conducted by Jennica Orme, M.S., BCaBA
Jennica is a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst and has been working with typical children and children with autism and related disabilities since 2005.

#1) Intro to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
***FREE WORKSHOP
Saturday July 18th 10AM-1PM

Level: Introductory
This workshop is for ALL parents, teachers, professionals, students, SLPs, and caregivers.

You will learn:
 What is ABA and why it is so popular?
 Research behind ABA
 How ABA can help my child
 Getting started with ABA: basic principles

#2) Decreasing Problem Behaviors
Thursday July 23rd 6-9PM

Level: Introductory
This workshop is for ALL parents, teachers, professionals, students, SLPs, and caregivers.

You will learn:
 The 4 functions of behavior (including why behavior occurs)
 Positive & Negative Reinforcement and Punishment
 How to treat problem behavior: specific tools for targets behavior

 Each workshop includes copies of PowerPoint
presentation and other training materials

Location: Workshops will be conducted at the Junior Enlisted Center on Fort Bliss
Map and additional info will be sent with registration form

Please email me for registration form or additional questions.
jennica.verbalbehavior@hotmail.com

Schedule for August-October coming soon!

Toxic Toys?

This is from a friends blog:
"Recently, there has been a lot of talk and media coverage on toxic toys. I find myself getting so lost in the developing research surrounding chemicals foudn in toys. How do I know if what I'm buying will not end up hurting my child's health in the future? I found a great website where you can find out the chemical composition of toys, by searching by brand or type. It does NOT, however, tell you how safe/unsafe the toy is. It simply tells you the levels of chemicals in the toy."
The website is called, "Healthy Toys" and the website is: www.healthtoys.org

Parenting books

Empirically Supported Parenting books:

"Living with Children" (Patterson)-current edition is "Parents & Adolescents" (Forgatch)
"Incredible Years" (Webster-Stratton)
"Helping the Non compliant Child" (McMahon & Forehand)
"Parent-Child Interaction Therapy" (Eyberg)

I cannot currently recommend one specifically as I have not read them yet, I have only seen the research behind the books (just ordered McMahon & Forehand book). If anyone checks the books out, let me know what you think. And you can always join me for the book club reading.

Parenting books & research

Frequently parents have come to me and asked my opinions of parenting books; which ones are the best and most popular? I never really had a response for them since I myself have never read a parenting book. All my information comes from research, data, experience, and training in the field of applied behavior analysis.

So do these books work? They make us feel all warm and fuzzy, give us some good advice, and really make us think, right? I guess you have to ask yourself, did it make a difference in the way I treat my child's behavior? More importantly: did my child's behavior change as a result of what I changed in my interactions with her, after I read the book? The answer should be more than "I think so." It should be "I know it did," or "it changed my (or my child's) life."

Take for example "Parenting with Love and Logic." Very nice book, even sold over 450,000 copies. But where is the research behind the book? Does it work, does it change the lives of the families that read the book? To date, there is not a single valid study conducted to see if the techniques in the book are effective.

Where then, should parents go to find how to help their children's behavior? I took a workshop on this very topic in Phoenix in May. Next time I post I will post the books that are imperically validated.

Forced Apologies

The following is not based on research, only on my own opinion of requiring your child to say "sorry":

Telling someone you are sorry means you regret your actions, are publicly declaring it, and asking for someone to acknowledge it by forgiving you. This concept is first of all too difficult for a child to comprehend (it is our duty as parents to teach our children what is right and what is wrong, however it is important to note that small children do not comprehend what right and wrong means, they only understand consequences their parents provide, this is also why lying is such a problem--they know that lying will save them from getting in trouble and by telling the truth they will face punishment, it IS that simple!
Secondly forced apologies end up meaning nothing to the child. By requiring your child to say sorry it is very easy (for them) to do and not punishing, which means they are likely to repeat the behavior. If they have a consequence attached to their behavior they are less likely to repeat the behavior.

Here's a tip: instead of forcing your child to give a half hearted apology, tell them they must fix what they have done wrong (you may want to wait until your child is 3 or 4 to do this)If your child hits their sibling, they must do something for their sibling to make up for it(ex. make their sibling's bed, pick up their toys)

Count and Mand: a technique for decreasing whining and related behaviors

Does your child whine/cry/yell to get something they want? Does it drive you crazy? One thing I have a hard time tolerating is a child that whines or yells to get what they want. I can't believe parents allow it. One technique for dealing with this problem behavior is called the count and mand. This concept comes from Dr.Vincent Carbone, a leader in the field of autism.

The count part is like a mini time out in which your child remains quiet while you count (out loud or in your head)so in the future they will learn to ask for the item politely first before whining. The mand comes from B.F. Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior and is a fancy word for request.

When your child wants something that they CAN have but are asking inappropriately you tell them to stop and you count to five (it can also be three or ten depending on your child's age). After you are done counting AND your child has quietly waited you can ask "what do you want?" Then you prompt them to ask nicely by saying "ask nicely" or modeling what they should say "can I have candy?" Once they have asked politely they should get the item immediately. If you wait they may not connect the "asking nice" behavior to the reinforcement.

What if they don't calm down and ask nicely? You start the process over, saying "stop. one, two..." You can repeat this several times until they are calm. If you child has not calmed down after you have repeated yourself 5 or 6 times this may not be a good technique for your child.

What if they are whining for something they cannot have? If they tantrum/whine/cry DO NOT give in! It will only reinforce the behavior, it is best to ignore the behavior or redirect it by diverting their attention to something else.
For more info on the count and mand you can email me at: jennica.verbalbehavior@hotmail.com

Tantrums and screaming

This is a hot topic and recently my son has had some of these behaviors--at 9 months! I think his "terrible twos" have come early!

So when we look at a behavior we always have to determine the function first--why is the behavior occurring?
The four functions of behavior are the following:

escape (trying to get out of something),
to gain a tangible (to get something),
automatic reinforcement (it feels good, like eating or getting a massage),
and to get attention.

These four reasons are the reasons we behave the way we do. So when your child has a behavior ask yourself why they are doing it. Are they wanting to escape the situation? Do they want my attention? Once you know why they are behaving the way they are, you can effectively treat their behaviors. So if they want attention you do not give it to them, if they want to escape you do not allow them to escape, etc.

So with the tantrums and screaming usually a child wants something tangible or attention. My son has been screaming when I take something away from him he is not suppose to have--like my cell phone. When he screams I never return the item unless he is quiet and is allowed to have the item. It is difficult when you have a young child because they cannot ask for an item.
Questions? Comments?

ABC Data for treating problem behaviors

First and foremost it is important to have data on your child's behaviors. Before we change our children's negative behaviors we first must specifically identify the behaviors as well what brought them on and how we handled them in the past. You can easily make your own data sheet by drawing three columns on a lined piece of notebook paper. Then make an A in the first column, B in the second column, and a C in the third column. This is called an ABC data sheet. The letters stand for antecedent, behavior, and consequence. Now you can begin recording data when your child has a behavior. Write down what occurred right before the behavior in column A (ex. told her no, asked him to come inside, etc). Next record actual behavior in column B (ex. hitting with open-hands, screaming "No!" etc.) and lastly record what the child's consequence was (ex. Mom yelled "Go to your room," Dad ignored behavior, etc.) and of course if your child complied with the consequence. This is so important because you will start to see patterns in your child's behavior. Behaviors that are reoccurring at high rates are being reinforced so you want to look at changing the consequence. Despite what you might think sometimes spankings and yelling can be reinforcers instead of punishers. Which is which has to do with the actual behavior of the child. If the behaviors occur more frequently they are being reinforced, if they occur less frequently they are being punished. The same is true for good behavior as well as bad behavior. For example your child might not give hugs or offer to help because he is not reinforced to do so, or worse he was punished in the past if a parent may have said "not now," or "I'm too busy." For a data sheet on a word document or just more info you can email me at: jennica.verbalbehavior@hotmail.com

Sensory Integration (SI)

EmilieAn,

It sounds like Beckett may have SI.(I do NOT diagnosis children) The issues you described do not sound like aspergers or autism, unless there are more problems you left out like lack of eye contact, poor social skills, deficits in language, etc.

Sensory integration is a disorder that affects the senses. Almost all autistic children have SI, but one can have SI without being on the autistic spectrum, which I think is your case.

Imagine wearing clothes that have been soaked in starch, listening to radio or TV that sounds like loud static, and things that lightly touch you feel like sand paper. All your senses are magnified and everything seems uncomfortable at times. That is what SI is like. Beckett probably probably has items he refuses to touch (they may be wet, sticky, or rough) and he might have items he absolutely loves like silk or satin if he has SI. Deep pressure may also feel good to him and he may be repelled by soft or light touches.

If this does not sound like Beckett, something else may be going on. Let me know what you think.

Developmental Norms for 2 year old

Does your child at 24 months:

Pretend play with you with more than one action, like feeding the doll and then putting the doll to sleep?
Use and understand at least 50 words? (There is conflicting research that says a 2 year old child should have 150-200 words)
Use at least two words together (without imitating or repeating) and in a way that makes sense, like “want juice”?
Enjoy being next to children of the same age and show interest in playing with them, perhaps giving a toy to another child?
Look for familiar objects out of sight when asked?

Adapted from:

Services for children with autism & related disorders

Where to go when there's a problem

EmilieAn (also please read my comments posted below your question),

Sara Smalley is a parent in Hawaii who has a child with autism. She has a plethora of experience in working with the system and getting services. Here is her blog:


Usually it starts with a doctor's referral to a specialist, then if there's a problem; a diagnosis, and then depending on the need and the diagnosis, services from a variety of therapists. Sometimes it is an occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech therapist, skills trainer, etc. These services are from the Department of Health as long as Beckett is under 3, after age 3 he will be under jurisdiction of the Department of Education. It is best to treat as young as possible so do not delay!

You have an additional option being military: the exceptional family member program. Find out who to contact (sorry I am unsure of the process) and begin the process, the good news about the military is that you can continue services without switching at age 3. If you decide to seek services let me know, I know many of the providers in Hawaii and can let you know who the good ones are!

You can also email me privately and I can give you my number for additional help!

Potty training: in general

Becky thanks for asking about toilet training, it is so common to be concerned and unsure of how to handle it. There are many ways to potty train a child, I will leave some tips and you can decide which would be best for little Ollie.

General guidelines: you are correct in your comment about implementing a bootcamp program and not gradually easing a child into it. Consistency is the key (as it is with any behavioral training). Make sure you are all in--don't be wishy-washy (behavioral term! just kidding) about starting a program. You may not want to start if you cannot keep with the program, like if you are moving or having a baby (HINT-HINT--however if done properly Ollie could be potty trained in a weekend). Also get your potty language straight. Are you going to say pee-pee, bathroom, toilet, or potty? Be consistent with everyone involved and use the same language every time so your child knows what you are talking about when you ask "Do you need to go potty?"

Signs your child is ready: if your child feels uncomfortable if wet or soiled (especially if they tell you--signs of tugging or pulling on a dirty diaper are also good). Also if they hide when having a bowel movement (BM) or urinating, although this usually happens only with BMs. If your child shows interest when parents/siblings use the toilet or if they wish to participate in toileting routines like washing hands, pulling up/down pants, flushing potty.

Potty training: the Potty Party Method

Where to start: because you have a typical child I suggest the potty party method. It's fun, easy, and a great way to make using the potty a fun experience. You should give your bathroom a good scrub down first because you may be spending your weekend here. Starting in the morning is a good idea because Ollie is more likely to go when he first wakes up. Take him straight to the potty, where there are toys, games, books, foods, even a DVD player if you can manage (I like to use a small portable one). Put him on the potty and wait to see if he urinates. He will do one of two things:
#1)Go potty--if he does this make it a BIG deal! LOTS of cheering and whatever reinforcers (preferred item) he has--edible ones are great (but it should be something special he does not get daily)
#2)You guessed it--does not go, and most likely he will not right away. It's okay, do whatever you can to keep him on the potty with the toys, books, DVD, etc. If he just refuses keep him in the bathroom with the items without clothes on, so he can see whats happening when he goes. During this phase you flood his system with liquid. Whatever he wants, every kind of juice, milk, water, etc. Now you wait, hopefully he will be on the potty when goes (see #1) if not, rush him there and show him what to do, if at first you don't succeed...

Now you have had your first successful interaction with the potty. Depending on how well Ollie does this you will need to decide where to go from here.

Additional note: have daddy model going potty!

Potty training & data taking

Where to turn if the potty fails: Now we are getting more complex--we use data. What?!?! Potty data? you may ask. Yes potty data. (I will attach a potty data sheet next, I just need to find it on my computer first) You will want to record when he is going #1 and #2 and see if this correlates with eating/drinking or sleeping. You do this by putting him undies (you can buy extra thick ones so he doesn't go all over the place) and then record when he goes for a day or two. This will tell you if your child is a frequent urinator or can hold off for longer periods of time. This way you will know how often you need to take Ollie to the potty if you chose the next method.

Potty training: by Foxx & Azrin

Foxx and Azrin have written several books on toilet training, one of which is called: Toilet Training in Less Than a Day. In their book they outline 5 basic principles for toilet training:
1) Give extra drinks. This will make them urinate more frequently so they have more opportunity to practice their new skill.
2) Scheduled trips to the potty--be consistent use a timer! (data sheet comes in handy and will tell you often to schedule trips). This can be every 10, 20, 30 minutes, even hourly depending on your child. Once your child initiates trips independently and regularly the schedule can cease.
3) Dry pants checks. You should ask your child "Are your pants dry?" also at scheduled intervals, say every 20 minutes. Have them feel to see, if they are dry reward them with a small edible item (m&m, skittle, chocolate kiss, jelly bean, whatever they like). If at any time you notice your child is wet do a dry check immediately and follow #4.
4) Positive practice for accidents. This means when your child has an accident you take them from the spot they had the accident to the toilet and back five to ten times. I agree with some experts that say positive practice is a form of positive punishment. The idea here is that they pretend they are going to the bathroom (with pulling wet pants down and back up each time) to practice using the toilet. The pros to this method is that it is highly effective--children learn quickly that they do not want to do this again and stop having accidents. The cons are that the reason it works is because it's highly aversive; children hate it. It's up to you as a parent to decide what you feel comfortable with.
5) Data taking; for reasons previously explained and to measure the success of your program.

Potty training: No Messing Around

I call this method the no messing around method because it's straight forward and simple. It may foster frustration and evoke emotional responses so it may not be the best method depending on your child. You can buy the child special underwear with their favorite character and can make a big deal about how special they are and they have to be careful not to get them wet. You simply put the child in underwear (except for naps and bedtime) and allow them to have an accident. It may sound bad (especially for your carpet) but children usually have accidents anyway. Once they have an accident you rush them to the potty and show them where to go (you don't scold or make a big deal about the accident, just say "lets go potty"). Have them act as if they are really going to the bathroom, pulling down pants sit on potty, wipe, flush, you can keep fresh pants and underwear (plain ones without characters on them) in the bathroom to put on, wash hands, etc. Also there is an additional step in which your child goes back to the accident spot and cleans it up to deter him from doing it in the future. Be patient with this method.

Potty training: Free Stylin' Method

Is this all too complicated and more info than you wanted to hear? My friend once let her 2 year old run around naked outside, and waited for him to pee, when he started she would rush him over to a designated "pee tree" and have him pee on tree. Then she brought a potty chair outside and put it in front of the tree. Then slowly moved the chair foot-by-foot into the house and into the bathroom. However she lives in Hawaii and has the luxury of letting her son run around nakey all day. Hope this helps!

How to teach sign language

You can teach your child signs if they are not yet talkers or are having trouble formulating words.

#1) Start with what motivates your child. What are their favorite items? Chip, jump, swing, ball, etc. Hold off on non-reinforcing signs like potty for now. Try starting with 3-5 signs, you be the judge of how quickly your child learns. You can buy a signing book or go to www.lifeprint.com/ to learn the signs.

#2) Set the scene, put out a few of your child's favorite items you want to teach them the signs for. Once they move towards an item or try to grab the item, block access to the item momentarily and model the sign for item. (NOTE: you can modify signs so they are easier for the child.) Then take their hands and do the sign for them. You have to be quick or your child will be frustrated they are not getting the item.

If your child gets frustrated it's OKAY! Put the item away and try again later, you may be leaving a screaming child on the floor, but they will learn quickly once they understand the concept, I sign, I get.

#3) Once you model the sign and the child models the sign with help IMMEDIATELY give the item. The rule is within 3 seconds, the child needs to get the item to connect the signing with getting the item. NO going to answer the phone while teaching signing.

#4) Repeat this process OVER and OVER until your child starts independently signing for items, the more you practice the more your child will sign. (NOTE: I like to use edible items so the child has to ask repeatedly for the item. If you use crackers break off tiny pieces so they have to ask for it more often and chose a time when your child is not satiated from lunch but is not so deprived of food you will see behaviors. If you are teaching "swing" or "jump" use the swing set and stop them ever few pushes so they have to sign again, same with a trampoline, jump with them holding their hands)

This is so fun to do with your kids, make it a positive experience and they will be signing all day! Questions? Problems? Let me know!

Teaching sign language

Teaching signs to small non verbal children has recently become quite popular. Teaching signs is beneficial in many ways. First and foremost it aids your small child in communicating with you. When your child is too young to speak, signs can greatly help because once your child knows a few they CAN communicate. This decreases frustration (on both sides) and problem behaviors. Not only that but recent studies have shown that signs actually promote language once children can verbalize by acting as a physical prompt. So that means if you teach your child "ball" and one day ask them "what do you want?" they may sign "ball" and then say the word, the signing helped them remember the actual word ball.

I once taught a two year boy who had no language but over 200 signs from watching "Signing Time" on PBS. He signed randomly, first I taught him to use meaningful signs (instead of signing "brushing teeth" while swimming he was taught to sign things like "milk" when he wanted a drink). Next we paired the signs with word sounds and required him to sound out while signing, like saying the c sound while signing "cookie." We then shaped the c sound to become more and more like the actual word "cookie." Soon he dropped the signs on his own and just said "cookie." Of course this child had a speech delay, but the same idea applies to typical children.

I stole this from my other blog, hope it helps

Reinforcers & Punishers
What we know from studying behavior is that it is usually predictable and we behave the way we do because of a past history of reinforcement or punishment. For example your child might throw a tantrum to gain access to reinforcers (lets say candy) due to a past history of you (or someone else) giving your child candy for crying. It happens everyday. Another example might be that you do not put demands on your child while he is watching TV because in the past he has screamed and hit when you did. Your behavior was punished in the past and as a result you no longer do it. You may ask for a kiss from your spouse because in the past they kissed you and therefore reinforcing your "asking for a kiss" behavior. The examples are endless.

Applied Behavior Analysis

Did you know behavior is a science? Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA—most commonly used with autistic children) is used world wide and is proven effective in treating problem behaviors. Heres a website for more info on ABA: http://vbcommunity.org.uk/

Welcome

It is very common to hear from friends and family members who are also parents say "I just don't know what to do." Well I have started this blog in hopes of aiding parents and answering questions about behavior.

If you have a question unrelated to what I am posting about go ahead and comment anyway with your question. That way I will be sure to see new questions.

I am slowly starting this blog so I hope to be adding to it almost daily eventually but the more questions that are asked the more I will be posting, so ask away...