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!

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. 

Parents are usually in turmoil about when to start to look for help with their child. There are several points to consider in the list below.
1.  Parents often think a child will "grow out of a problem".  This is determined on a case by case basis. If the behavior is severe, frequent or noticed by others in the community or family it should most likely be addressed. Yes, it is true some problems you do grow out of but it is best to seek out a professional in the area of the problem as a precaution to confirm whether or not treatment or assessment is needed.
2. Parents can try exhausting ethical methods they have learned to use in our culture and then turn to the professional once the methods do not have much effect. 
3.  One thing to consider is that if you wait to long the behaviors may become worse and may not be as easy to eliminate.  For example, if a child is head banging to communicate it may accelerate and be more resistant to treatment.
4.  Some behaviors such as aggression or self-injury can lead to medical problems if left untreated for a long time.  For example, damage to the brain or skull can result from head banging. 
5.  If early intervention is not done quickly the child may be held back or not allowed to enter the next grade when starting school. For example, many schools require basic skills to move to the next grade such as toiling themselves. 
6.  Once behavior patterns are formed between the parent and child it is more difficult to break them if you wait a long time. For example, a mother that hugs the child after a tantrum may have trouble changing this habit.
7.  Many of the developmental skills such as eating, dressing, toileting and communicating are accomplished before entering the school. If you wait to help your child with these skills you are loosing time in their development and the result is they are developmentally delayed compared to other children.
8. Some parents might consider paying out of pocket for the evaluation if they have the money to do so. The advantage of paying our of pocket is that the child does not get labeled early in life which may stigmatize him later. 
9.  Finally, parents should consider the long term cost of not seeking professional help.  A child with developmental disabilities can cost large amounts of money per year for the rest of their lives.
10.  Finally, parents should realize that the time and effort they take now will reduce the effort they will need later. For example, if a child is not toilet trained or eats by himself the parent may be changing diets and feeding the child when he is an adult. 
Generally, parents should consider the above items and make the best decision for their individual child that will lead to him/her having a full and meaningful independent lifestyle as possible 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 and caregivers often want to teach an autistic or developmentally delayed children. After identifying a targeted behavior and assessing what level of assistance is needed. The person teaching should start at the level the child is currently functioning  at. If the child needs complete or full guidance to perform the task that is the level of assistance to start at.  Next after reinforcing the child at this level then move to less assistance or partial guidance. This can be done by moving gradually up the arm for example or using less physical contact to perform the task such as just one finger or sporadic touching of the arm. After reinforcing the child with partial guidance one touch and fading away from the child. Perhaps just giving one or two instructions and one touch and then reinforcing when he performs the task. Finally the trainer moves away physically from the child and just gives the one or two specific instructions and then reinforcers the child. This guidance training procedure can be used with almost any skill you want to teach your child.


Summary= Full guidance-Partial guidance- Verbal prompts

Parents or caregivers might consider the following in choosing a chore for there child.  
1.  Consider the physical abilities and limits of your child. If the chore involves lifting something heavy or using alot of motor movements that the child cannot do easily it will be difficult to motivate them to do the chore. For example, if you want the child to put things away on a high shelf or use a heavy vacuum this should be considered. You might want to purchase a lighter vacuum that does not have a cord in order to make the chore easier and more likely to be preformed. 
2.  The parent should consider the mental or intelligence level in choosing a chore. If you ask a child with a low IQ or to clean his entire bedroom this may be overwhelming and it may not occur. In contrast if you ask the child to put the blanket on the bed and pick up the blocks this may be easier. Giving him simpler chores may be easier for the child to accomplish and to motivate him to do on a daily basis. 
3.  The task should be one that the child might enjoy. Try to match his preferences or reinforcers with the chore. For example a child that likes sensory reinforcement may enjoy the water while washing the dishes. Another example is a chore such as serving guest lemonade may be enjoyed by a child that likes social interaction and praise! 
4.  The parent or caregiver should consider the long term goals for the child in choosing a chore. For example, if the child goals is going to be living with with his natural family (rather than  in a home or a group home) maybe try to choose tasks that are useful to the other people in the household with tasks such as cooking.  If the child is trying to learn a trade for the future making some money for himself perhaps a chore such as washing cars would be useful and he could later work in a car wash. If the child is going to try to work on the computer in the future perhaps helping the family by printing coupons for groceries' will help to develop the skills needed for a job with computer work. 
Generally, all of the above factors should be considered in choosing a task for the child. The caregiver or parent should try to find a task that the child can do, that is enjoyable for the child, that is physically and mentally possible to do and finally that fits in with his long term goals and dreams for the future. This type of chore will be more useful to teach him/her and more likely to be consistently performed by the child. 

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!!:)

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!

People often start to get agitated and then it escalates into a tantrum. Parents and caregivers often have to   deescalate the situation or calm it down after it occurs. The following is a list of possible steps to take beginning with deescalation and then to calming a situation. Each person is different so an observation and analysis of the tantrum behavior will help and is essential to identify which methods to use.
1.  If the caregiver or parent observes any facial expressions, movements or behavior that show agitation it is best to intervene at this point. The intervention can include relaxation techniques, redirection or a cue word to calm the person down.
2.  Once the behavior starts to begin or even when the precursor facial expressions begin the parent/caregiver can redirect the person to another activity or distract them by discussing another topic.
3.  Another method of deescalation is to provide some relaxation methods for the person. Perhaps the person is tired and the caregiver can ask if they want to lay down or take a drink of water to relax. 
4.  Finally, if the behavior has started to occur then usually removing the person from the environment, moving the audience away or ignoring the person and engaging in another activity will deescalate the behavior. 
5. Finally any major reinforcers such as affection or activities preferred should not occur if the behavior has escalated at all into verbal or physical aggression. 
6. Also, in some cases training or physical management might be necessary if tissue dammage is imminent. 7. 7. However, on of the  best way to avoid aggression or tantrusm from occuring is to fill the time during the day with activities and reinforcers for those activities.Finally one should seek advice of a trained Behavior Analyst for aggression or tantrums.