Preparing to toilet train your child? Don't forget to pick up some pull-ups for during the training.  Firstly, The reason these are more effective then diapers  is that they are easier for the child to pull down and up. Secondly, they are a good cue to the parent to encourage them to attempt toilet trips rather than changing the diaper.  Thirdly, it is a good idea to buy pull ups that are attractive to your child such as with "hello Kitty" on them. 

Also, it is a good idea to buy underwear next after the toileting accidents are only once or twice a week. The underwear might also have designs or characters you child likes so that he will be proud to wear "big boy underwear"!  Finally if you have already a big supply of diapers you might use them at night until they are used up in order to save money. Night time toilet training is usually accomplished after the daytime toile training. 

If an intensive toilet training session is not possible it is still effective to do in when possible but being prepared with the prepared with pull-ups will increase the spead of toilet training. If you need some asssitance the best-seller "Toilet Training in less than a day!" by Nathan Azrin is available in paperback on websites such as Amazon and others. Also, an AP will come out next year most likely with the book on it. The book is written by my Father Nathan Azrin! It breaks down toileting training into easily accomlished steps and details. REmember the advantages of toilet training are many including a required prerequisite in most schools at a certain age and the conveince for you  of not having to change diapers sometimes 3 or more times a day!! The small amount of time toilet training will lead to amny more hours of freetime for the parents from changing diapers!!:)

Thanksgiving can be a time of stress or a time to be close and happy with your family. To make sure the dinner is the later prepare your child for the dinner! The following are some suggestions to make things go more smoothly and prevent behavior problems. 

1. Before thanksgiving involve the child with stories, activities and discussions about thanksgiving and what it means generally.
2.  Review the schedule with your child about what will occur thanksgiving day and what reinforcers you will have scheduled for him/her for good behavior that day.
3.  Make sure to ask the child what reinforcers they would prefer or give them a choice (menu) of different reinforcers. 
4.  Review what reinforcers are chosen for thanksgiving day. Reinforcers are usually most effective following a specific activity. For example, you might include one reinforcer for meal preparation, one for the dinner, a reinforcer for appropriate behavior and social skills during dinner, one for cleaning up or activities after dinner and one for getting ready for bed. 
5.  Discuss what behavior is expected during the day, at dinner and after dinner. 
6.  Engage your child in preparing the meal and setting the table or cleaning up. If they do not have many of these skills then even just wiping the table, stirring the ingredients for the pie or putting away his dish are excellent activities. 
7.  During the meal try not to give your child the reinforcer for social skills and good behavior until he is good for specified period of time or specific behavior. For example, the parent can give him access to the ipod only after he has shared a story or conversation, ate all his meal and sat nicely until the dinner is finished then give him the ipod and desert!! Try to state why the child earned access to the game or other reinforcers so that it is very clear to him what he has to do.
8.  A trial run of a dinner prior to thanksgiving day might be good practice so that all the behaviors and reinforcers are familiar to the child!
In summary, prevention (through scheduling of activities, scheduling reinforcers, practicing good dinner behavior and making sure the child understands what the dinner activities) will be will be more likely lead to wonderful memories of a fun thanksgiving holiday with your family.

Planning a birthday party for a child it is important to analyze your child and decide what his/her reinforcers are. If you spend money on something that is not reinforcing the party may end in tears!  Some children enjoy social attention, some enjoy tangible objects and some enjoy sensory stimulation.


Attention focused partiesIf your child enjoys attention the focus of the party might be on the child and giving him/her attention. For example, games that focus on the child, songs that focus on the birthday child, favorite foods the child likes.  Finally, if a child likes attention a smaller number of guests might be considered so that it is easier focus on the birthday child. If there are alot of children the attention might be diverted to other kids more easily. 

Tangible reinforcers- If your child enjoys tangible reinforcers then the most important things are the actual objects such as gifts, food or activities that he/she likes.  Make sure these items are visible and remind the child that they will be opened or available during the party!  
Sensory reinforcement- If your child likes sensory reinforcement then focus on the sounds perhaps nice music will lead to a more enjoyable experience for the child. Frequently hugging or patting him/her on the back will be crucial if that is what they enjoy. Also, gifts should be geared towards sensory experience of sound or vibration or other tactile stimulation. 


Finally, these reinforcing items should be available contingent on good behavior otherwise the child might spend the whole party playing a computer game and miss the other activities. The other advantage of knowing what types of things are reinforcing to your child is that inappropriate behavior such as crying or tantrums can be avoided by providing items or activities they really enjoy after the child has shown the enthusiasm and smiles and appropriate behavior you want for them at their birthday party. If the party is enjoyable they will have happy memories in the future of their birthday parties and you!

Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum or Asperger diagnosis frequently have social skills problems. Parents and Caregivers often wonder when and how to arrange to teach them social skills during a typical busy week! Here are some ideas on how to arrange some training within the normal daily routine below. 
1.  Parents often have time in the car on the way to appointments, errands or school. This is a wonderful time to engage in conversation or social skills.  Parents should try to have a list in mind of topics that are appropriate to talk to and expect a response in order for the person with autism/asperger to earn a reinforcer they enjoy. For example, if the child responds a certain number of times or makes a conversation for a certain period of time he might earn time on the phone to play games, social praise or stop for ice-cream!
2. Another excellent time to practice social skills is during meals.  Once again parents should have topics or ideas ready.  The criteria to receive the reinforcer should be expressed clearly. Then the parent can make it fun by going around the table and having each person say something or "tell a story". After they speak others are expected to respond in some way to the story. Finally, after everyone has a turn the people that participated are reinforced with something they enjoy such as desert, social praise, activities or games after the meal!
3.  Another good time to practice social skills is when you meet people or pass someone. Parents should prompt the child to say hello to people you see in the elevator or hallway.  They can practice saying "hello" and "how are you" to people that come to visit or at restaurants or stores. This should always be followed with praise, edible or an activity the person finds reinforcing. For example, at the grocery store the child might be allowed to purchase something he/she wants after having appropriate behavior while shopping and socializing with others you meet at the store. 
4.  Another excellent time to practice social skills either verbally or role-play is at night before going to sleep. The child might discuss different social situations, alternative appropriate social skills in those situations and even practice the situation. After the discussion lots of social praise, affection or a favorite toy might be given! 
5.  In general, parents should try to describe all events and their activities while completing errands or going to activities so that the child understands what is socially acceptable and imitates the parents behavior. 
6.  Another great place and time to practice soil skills is when a phone call is received. For example parents can have the child or adult practice manners on the phone and provide reinforcers for appropriate manners. 
In general, social skills are important in every situation including work, relationships and leisure time activities and will determine how well they succeed in all these situations they encounter in their daily lives. 

Ther ae several categories of factors to consider with your therapist in discussing the prioritization of your childs behavior problems.  The first category is of course the health and safety of the child. The second factor is which behaviors are more likely to result in a normal lifestyle in the future. Finally, which behaviors are the most socially unacceptable to socieity and in social situations. 
 
The first category would include behaviors that may lead to tissue dammage or potentially could in future lead to injury to the child or others.  Some examples of these behaviors include self-injury, aggression or Pica. In the case of self-injury the child may be hitting his head or other body parts and cause medical conditions. In the case of aggression the child may injury himself or cause tissue dammage to others. These types of behaviors should be addressed and should be prioritized when there are many behavior problems to address. 

The second group of factors to consider is whether the increase of decreas of the behavior tageted will lead to a more normal life for your child.  For example, toilet training is an essential skills to learn in many cases in order to be admited to a school or grade level.  Also, the lack of this skill may lead to placements in special education classes or necessitate special training during the school hours.  Also, talking may be considered an essential skill to learn i possible. A child that does not talk will usually be placed in a special education class or will not be able to communicate effectively enought to function in a normal classroom. 

Finally, one should especially consider prioritzing behavior which are not considered scoaill acceble in society or in many social sitautaions. For example, one should consider a behavior such as screamming, stealing or hurting others as a priority since this may lead to social disaproval or even legal consequences to the child in the future.