Parent Training

Families thrive when parents know how to bring out the best in their children.

Parent training is a crucial component of every behavior intervention program. Since parents play the most important role in a child’s development, the goal of behavior management training is to empower the parents to become the child’s primary teacher in developing appropriate behaviors, so the intervention takes place at all times (weekends, night, vacation, holidays), and in the most natural environment.

You can be a loving and nurturing parent yet still set reasonable, predictable limits. First, learn what motivates your children's behaviors. B.F. Skinner's approach states that anyone can manipulate behavior by first identifying what the individual finds rewarding. Once the rewards of an individual are known, then those rewards can be selected to give in exchange for good behavior. Skinner calls this "Positive Reinforcement Psychology". In order to effectively address behavior problems, individuals must be persuaded (motivated) to want to behave appropriately.

Key Concepts

§  Behaviors serve a purpose for the child. Allow the child to get a need met. The behavior works to get something the child wants, or avoid/escape something the child does not want. 

§   Behavior is related to the context/environment in which it occurs. Something either IS in the environment, or IS NOT in the environment, which increases the likelihood the behavior will occur.

§  Changing behaviors requires both addressing the environmental issues, and teaching a functionally-equivalent behavior that the child can use to get the same need met, but in an acceptable way.

Principles

§  Behaviors are learned. They are the result of what we’ve learned in the past. With reinforcement they become a habit.

§  Learned behaviors continue in the present. They keep happening because they work in order to meet the child’s needs, and because of the way parents and children interact with each other.

§  Behaviors can be changed. Through reinforcement and extinction, new behaviors can be learned that can substitute the negative behaviors that we would like to see disappear, while at the same time, serving the same purpose more appropriately.

The goal of the Parent Training on Behavior Modification is to help parents help their child develop the kinds of behaviors they need to get along better in the world.