Consistent reinforcement is often dependent on the child or disabled person not attaining the reinforcer when he has not met your goal or targeted appropriate behavior. If he is able to steal or grab the item without permission it is impossible for the parent or teacher to be consisent in reinforcing only appropriate behavior displayed. Some places or methods you might use to secure your reinforcers are included in the following.
1. Place items that are reinforcers such as electronic devices or edibles such as cookies high enough so the child or person you are motivating cannot reach it (ex. on a high shelf in the kitchen) until the appropriate behavior targeted is disabled.
2. Wait until the child goes to sleep and then remove the item earned the previous day and place it in a place the child is not aware of. 
3.  Place items such as cookies, chips, gummy bears that are not easily perishable in a car or trunck of a car. You can use a cooler if needed. Then lock the car after you get out so that the person (ex. child) cannot attain the items without you opening the car trunk. 
4.  Have you items in a token store which is a cabinet or a closet with shelves and a lock on the closet or cabinet so unauthorized access can not be attained until the target behavior has been achieved.
5.  If you are working with a child directly and holding the reinforcers store them in your pocket in a package or plastic bag or wear a pouch with a pocket to store the reinforcers more securely then just placing them on the table you are sitting at with the child. 
6.  You can use coupons for activities which is more secure or token chips to exhange later! 
The above methods will assist you to ensure less conflict over when he has earned the reinforcers and more consistant reinforcement which result in higher rates and speed in learning for your child!

Parents should consider many of the issues below when a diagnosis for your child. 
1.  A diagnosis can assist in getting the correct treatment for your childs' specific problems.
2.  A daignosis can lead to attainment of financial assistance necessary to attain treatment.
3.  Some parents weigh the advantages of treatment verses the disadvantages of a child having a label of a diagnosis at a young age.
4.  Parents often consider the benefit of treatment verses the stigma the child might have as a result of the diagnosis. 
5. Parents might consider the fact that labels at a young age can be overlooked in the future once the behavior problems are resolved and the child is behaving appropriately in school and at home. 
6.  The long term costs of not treating a child with problems should be considered. It may cost thousands of dollars a year to care for a child with a disability or other diagnosis. The dollar costs should be considered.
7.  In addition to monetary costs parents might consider the social costs to the family as well as society. The family unit can easily be disrupted with a child with behavior problems. It can affect the marriage of the parents as well as people in society they are exposed to at stores, school, church, banks or even the grocery store. 
8. Finally, the child himself may have a lifetime of problems if his problems at an early age are not addressed with treatment.
The above are just a few of the things to consider in deciding whether to see a doctor or specialist and possibly receive a diagnosis as a young child. 

Parents with children with problems such as developmental disabilities or autism can try some of the following tips to increase the likllihood the family will have a pleasant holiday. 

Before the trip starts try reviewing all the plans. A written schedule if they can read or pictures of the locations can be helpful. Describe every step including the travel arrangements. Try to include the child in preparations for the trip including packing and shopping.  Describe specific reinforcers that he might like to receive during the trip for good behavior. You might even have the child select some of the reinforcers to be sure they are strong for the trip. 

During the trip bring specific reinforcers and times that they may be earned or specific behaviors that might result in earning a reinforcer.  During the trave time you can provide toys or activiites and reinforcers to assure that the trip goes smoothly. Also reveiew again while traveling what the itinearay will be and what is expected of the child when he arrives at the destination in order to earn reinforcers. For example, you might say "when we arrive we will greet all the relatives and tell them about the plane flight and what we did and ate on the flight!"

After arrival make sure you provide reinforcers at least daily for good behavior. Also, make sure to continue each morning to reveiw the itinary and the reinforcers.  Also, during the trip make sure the child eats the food that agrees with there body and sleeps enough hours in order to prevent behavior problems. Remember prevention is crucial in order to enjoy your vacation with your child!!

One of the biggest obstacles to teaching your child is realizing that things in life are not free. Parents or Caregivers will be more likely to reinforce once they accept this basic principle of reinforcement. Reinforcers need to delivered consistently.  If your child does do something good then this good behavior should definitely be rewarded.  In contrast, if the child is inappropriate then he should not be rewarded.  The first step is to try to reward any behavior that is positive. For example, if the child cleans his room or eats his breakfast be sure to reinforce your child.  Secondly, when your child cries or tantrums try not to reinforce your child. For example, the most common behavior is for parents to pick up and hug a child when he cries.  In contrast, the parent should realize that this would be giving a reinforcer for free. The child has not performed any appropriate behavior yet he is reinforced. We all work to get money for food and things that we want. We know that we will probably loose our job over time or not get commissions if we do not work.   Consistent reinforcement of behavior will lead to rapid learning and appropriate behavior. 

Parents and Caregivers may use "timers" to increase the consistency and effectiveness in reducing behavior problems such as  defiance, self-injury,  tantrums or aggression!  The timer can be an inexpensive kitchen timer or a timer on a clock, or a digital timer. the timer should be easy to set, loud enough for the child and trainer t hear and preferably portable for some behavior problems that occur in different rooms or locations. There are two major parts of the training that utilization of a timer might be helpful. The first part is during the collection of data specifying how long the behavior occurs to be counted as one incident may be crucial. For example, if a tantrum lasts for more than 2 hours it should not be counted the same as a tantrum that last for just a minute. Therefore, the caregiver might specify that each interval of  15 minutes or less is counted as one tantrum. The use of accuracy of data is important so that you know whether or not the treatment is working and whether you should change the intervention procedures. Secondly, the timer can be useful in timing the length of time to reinforce the child. For example, If the child does not know how long his reinforcement of using an ipad will last he may tantrum when you remove it in order to keep the reinforcer longer.  Therefore, it is helpful to tell the child that when the timer is finished in 20 minutes then it will be time to do another task and earn more reinforcement time or another reinforcer.  A timer is a very useful device in implementing your behavioral intervention. Even using your watch or a cheap kitchen timer can be utilized to establish whether your treatment is working, to make it clear how long the reinforcer will be delivered and assure consistency consistency consistency the application of consequences such as reinforcement. 

When your child reaches the age of 16- 18 parents start to hear from others that it is important to proceed to attain adjudication if this was not done yet.  Parents can attain the paperwork to do this or information from a social worker or online generally.  When the child is a minor the parent is automatically the guardian but once they become an adult this must be established in the courts.  There are many things to consider when you are thinking about whether to purse guardianship and competency for your child. The following are some of the important things to consider in making this decision.
1.  The first issue is that if your child remains competent as an adult he may be subject to any punishment that adults receive for his behavior in the community. Usually the consequences legally for adults are more severe then for a child that has not  been adjudicated incompetent and has a parent as a guardian. 
2.  The issue of guardianship has become very visible in the newspaper recently in the past 10 years and there are alot of support systems in place at this time to help parents accomplish this legal procedure.  For example, there are some pro bono, legal aide  or lower rates that may be available if you consult with a lawyer specializing in this area or with a social worker.  In the past people often can attain assistance from lawyers as "pro- bono" or from other sources based on their salary.
3.  There are different types of adjudication and guardianship. For example, there is one type of guardianship which is only over medical decisions and this may be attained at a lesser cost.  Parents may want to start out with guardianship over medical concerns and later attain full guardianship over other areas for their adult child. 
4. If any medical issues come up the parent as a medical guardianship can make these decisions.  For example, if your child is told by the doctor he needs a feeding tube the parent will have the right to decide when this might be done or whether the risks outway the benefits to your child and discuss this with the doctor. Without the guardianship procedures may be done without input from the guardian of the medical issues.
5.  Guardianship and adjudication may affect certain benefits your child can receive and parents should consult with the support co-ordinator or social worker for information regarding the financial implications.
6.  Funding and budgets in the future may include the legal status in decisions about eligibility for benefits.
7.  Parents should consult with doctors, social workers, lawyers and legal aide professionals and research in books or google to make a definite decision about guardianship and adjudication. 
In general, guardianship and adjudication should be pursued to protect your child's health, welfare, financial benefits and avoid legal problems for the future of your child. 

Parents today often come face to face with a really serious problem that is referred to as "cutting". This new label may really be a new version of what is commonly referred to as self-injury.  The following are  some issues to think about when you find your child has been practicing this problem.
1.  Immediately consult and retain professional assistance for this problem since it is causing tissue damage and you will need professional assistance to address this problem.
2.  Try to observe what situations this occurs and what some of the "triggers" are for the behavior. 
3. The cause of the behavior and consequences  vary with each individual child and should be investigating with the assistance of a trained professional. 
4.  Try not to overact before designing a plan for treatment since the behavior may be maintained by attention or a reaction from the parents. 
5.  Try to take immediate safety precautions such as close monitoring of your child to try to prevent the behavior from occurring while designing a procedure to address the problem. This can be done by leaving doors open at night, security monitoring video cameras or just trying to be with your child as much as possible or have someone else with them to prevent the problem.
This is a problem not to be taken lightly and should be addressed immediately and with professional guidance. 

Parents and Caregivers often become frustrated with clients or their own children. This occurs even more often when working with children with behavior problems or diagnosis such as autism.  The following are some tips for handling stressful days!
1.  Parents and Caregivers should plan time to take breaks from teaching and relax. Parents can do this by hiring a babysitter, having time for walks, taking deep breaths, relax each muscle systematically in your body,  count to ten or baths to relax. Time for yourself is important to keep your balance when dealing with difficult behavior problems.
2. Incorporate time for teaching your children into your routine so that you can accomplish errands and not become overwhelmed with activities in your day.
3.  When you realize you are feeling tired or stressed a quick trip to the bathroom, drink some cold water or other drink or to relax in a soft chair may help you to cope with a stressfull situation.  After you are calm then return to the situation and things will be easier to resolve. 
4.  If you child does something upsetting in a public place you may have to work on this problem at a later time. Perhaps roleplaying difficult situations after dinner or brainstorming theses situations will help you to avoid these upsetting situations in their future.
5.  Parents or caregivers can change a stressful situation into an appropriate one by simply changing the subject.  For example, the parent might say wow  look at the rain outside it is really pouring or I can't find my cellphone can you help me find it. 
6.  Parents can have cue words for their children that they say when they are getting upset so the child is aware and can avoid a big argument. Parents might say for example "use your words and ask me what you want". This is a good cue or reminder for the child and this can result in a more appropriate or less upsetting interaction with the parent. 
Parents and caregivers must realize that their own behavior can escalate a problem. By making efforts to relax, change the subject or talk about similar situations (role play) later you can reduce the number of situations that upset you and your child in the future. 

Caregivers and parents often prepare gifts for the holidays but not for the children. Here are some tips for the vacation days ahead!
1.  Prepare a schedule and review it with the children. Place strategic reinforcers during the day for good behavior on the schedule and discuss them with the children.
2.  Talk generally about the holiday and what it means and what others expectation is of their behavior. For example, grandma will be there she love to hear about your school and what you are learning. Also, more generally, the purpose of the the holidays is to be nice to family, enjoy our selves and have a peaceful visit so your father will relax if you behave yourself and ask him politely to play a game with you. 
3.  Make sure that items such as bedtime or other health related items are honored so that they are not overtired and cranky during the holidays. Before going on the trip make sure they take all vitamins and take those with you. Also, if there are any  medical issues such as coughs make sure to address them with your pediatrician before the holidays. A cold given to another  elderly relative could be very dangerous for that relative and create problems for you on the holiday
4.  Let children pack as much as possible and take responsibility for their own belongings.  They will feel more involved in the trip, have less inappropriate behavior when you do it for them and feel like they are more important and better about themselves. 
5.  Take small games or activities to use during time they are not occupied during the trip or vacation time. 
The extra effort to prepare for the holiday will make it much more enjoyable for you, your relatives and the children too!!

Parents or Caregivers should be sure to address attempts to perform the inappropriate behavior for the following reasons. 
1. Reoccurrence of the behavior problems-  If you only address the targeted behavior the precursors of the behavior may increase and the behavior may start occurring again if the child does not have consequences or reinforcers for appropriate behavior. 
2. Maintenance long term-  In order to maintain good behavior the program should address even attempts in order to maintain the absence of the behavior problems.
3. Development of appropriate behavior may be reduced- If attempts result in reinforcement then they will continue and the time used to display attempts may not be used for appropriate behavior such as learning to request what the child wants.