I recently had lunch with two Occupational Therapists and we found ourselves in a slightly uncomfortable moment recognizing the mutual suspicion that exists between our fields. Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Occupational Therapists (OTs) both work to improve children’s lives but through different approaches with different underlying philosophies. In my experience, OT’s bring a gentle, flexible […]
When you’re dealing with a challenging behavior, understanding WHY it is occurring is the most important place to start. In Behavior Analysis, we focus a lot on the WHY of behavior- we call it the function of behavior. There is a saying in my field which is “Behavior is always right.” Basically this means that […]
Many educators and parents express concern and even criticism over the usage of external rewards when teaching children. Some claim that the use of these rewards will stifle a child from developing intrinsic motivation. The Science of Behavior has much to offer in this area but it doesn’t always speak the same language as […]
Tantrums come in all shapes and sizes. All the way from short episodes of crying and whining to full-blown screaming, hitting and destruction. As a parent, it can be very difficult to know what to do during these high-intensity moments. Three important things to remember when your child is having a tantrum: Their behavior is […]
Everything you do as a parent is shaping your child’s behavior in some way. It’s a huge and sometimes scary responsibility. Having this responsibility means learning how to teach your kids which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. Token economies are one effective and reliable strategy to encourage positive behaviors and teach new […]