Reinforcing Behavior Posted on December 19, 2018 at 11:26 am.Written by SeedCenter User Photo by Thiago Cerqueira on Unsplash Reinforcing Positive Behavior Always try to reinforce appropriate behavior especially if your child is working on his communication skills. Reinforcing behavior will encourage your child to repeat the behavior. For example, your child could be working on instigating conversation, so when he instigates conversation, you want to positively reinforce. Avoid Missing Opportunities Not surprisingly, it is easy to neglect reinforcing behavior. Have you ever been having a conversation on the phone and your child comes up and says, “Mommy, I want to play outside!” and you say, “Shh, I’m on the phone”? For a child working on instigating conversation, this could discourage him to start a conversation in the future. It can be easy to miss opportunities to reinforce. Prioritize your Child’s Goals Always be mindful of your child’s goals. Prioritize their goals, whether it is to start conversations or speak without prompts. Although you may be frustrated when your child interrupts your conversation, remember that you are focusing on the bigger picture: for your child to improve his communication skills. Have you family and friends onboard and help them understand the language skill your child is working on. This way, everyone can help ensure your child’s positive behavior is reinforced as often as possible. Plan ahead and be ready to reinforce your child! Holiday Tips Posted on December 17, 2018 at 12:43 pm.Written by SeedCenter User The holidays are a fun time, usually filled with family and friends! However, the holidays can mean stress and anxiety. For a child with autism, the holidays mean a disruption to their daily routine, which can become overwhelming. To help, we have created some tips to ensure your family can have a fun holiday with little stress! 1. Try a Practice Run: Anticipate the holiday gathering by practicing for a large family dinner, greeting of friends and family, loud music and crowded spaces. Practice this type of environment at home and give your child tips so when they are at a large gathering, they feel more prepared! 2. Create a Method to Ask for a Break: If you do not already have one, help your child find a way to communicate that they need a break from the environment. If this method works well, use it all year! 3. Ask for Help: Talk to a close friend or family member ahead of time and ask them for assistance. Need help engaging your child while you help clean up dinner? Need help when you receive a rude question about your child’s autism diagnosis? Have your friend or family member be ready to be your assistant throughout the event! 4. Update Schedules and Calendars: If your child uses any visual schedules or boards, be sure to update these with appropriate symbols to help prepare your child for the events related to the holidays. 5. Create a List of the Unexpected: Create a list of everything new and different that could occur over the holidays. Brainstorm a method to address the unexpected events and avoid any conflicts before they happen. 6. Reflect on the Success: Recognize how much you and your child have accomplished in the past year. Relatives may especially recognize your child’s growth because they do not see your child everyday, embrace their positivity. Remember to be proud of your child and all the challenges they overcame in the past year! Rely On Us For Autism Treatment After this holiday season, contact The SEED Autism Center for more information on our autism treatment and therapy services. We are dedicated to seeing your child excel in life! Photo by Elena Ferrer on Unsplash Tips to Prevent Bolting Posted on November 21, 2018 at 2:46 pm.Written by SeedCenter User Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash Tips From Our Autism Treatment Center to Help Prevent Bolting For Families in the Greenwich, Norwalk & Stamford, CT Areas Having a child that runs or bolts can be terrifying for a parent. When a child takes off it can be nerve-racking to think of the outcomes of their ‘bolting’ and ‘running’ behavior. Are they going to run into the street? Will they run out of the building? Are they going to take off with a stranger? The child may be ‘bolting’ for multiple reasons, she may want attention, she may want to avoid an activity, or she may seek a more stimulating environment. As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we must understand how to appropriately react to a child that runs. The best strategy is to avoid situations that permit the child to runoff, however, if this is not possible, we must minimize the amount of attention the child receives. If we give a child attention for undesirable behaviors, like running off, we are encouraging and rewarding the behavior. This means the child is likely to continue their habit of running off. Contact Our Autism Treatment Center Today for Other Useful Resources For more information on how to handle different situations with your child, view our autism resources. You can also explore our blog and website to learn about our full suite of services. Our mission is to have a positive impact in the lives of our autism patients. If you need more detailed help to prevent bolting behaviors, contact The SEED Center of Stamford today! Social Emotional Learning Posted on October 2, 2018 at 4:31 pm.Written by SeedCenter User Engaging in social activities can be challenging but it is especially challenging for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Individuals with ASD usually have difficulty with social emotional learning (SEL). SEL includes social awareness, understanding perspectives, initiating social interactions, controlling emotions, and engaging in conversations. At The SEED Center, we focus on social emotional learning. We help to prepare our clients for social settings, including school and work places. Unfortunately, for those lacking SEL skills, it can be difficult to make friends, maintain relationships, instigate conversations, and transition into new environments. SEL skills are essential for children and adults. In the school setting, SEL skills help children engage appropriately with their peers. Also, SEL skills focus on social awareness. For adults, SEL skills play a large role in the ability to get and keep a job. While employers seek a talented applicant, they also look at SEL skills during the interview process to see who could work well with others. SEL can be taught through targeting behaviors, collecting data to monitor progress, and using positive reinforcement. At The SEED Center, SEL can be improved through one on one ABA therapy sessions, social skills groups, job and life skills trainings. If you believe your child could benefit from social emotional learning, please call The SEED Center today at 203-674-8200. Positive Reinforcement Strategies for Bedtime Posted on August 9, 2018 at 3:32 pm.Written by SeedCenter User It’s no surprise that bedtime can be very difficult for children (and parents too!) There are many guesses as to why our children fight us on going to bed on time. It could be because they are not actually tired yet, they are scared of the dark, or they do not want to miss out if older siblings or parents get to stay up later. In an ideal world, our children would be able to complete their bedtime routine (brushing teeth, changing into pajamas, etc.) without many reminders. They would remember to use a quiet voice, ask politely for things, and play or read quietly in their room if they are not tired enough for bed. However, as a parent, you know that’s usually not the case. So what can you do the increase the likelihood that your child will be able to complete their bedtime routine without fussing or needing constant prompts? Remember to be clear and direct (IF THEN statements) IF you go brush your teeth THEN we can read a book Use rewards Reward your child with a token if they complete their bedtime routine as desired (child brushes teeth, puts on pajamas, and turn on nightlight, etc.) Once your child receives a certain amount of tokens to meet a goal, then they can ‘cash’ in their tokens. For example, 10 tokens can mean extended TV time or a trip to get ice cream. Whichever technique you find useful, remember to be consistent. Make sure you’re rewarding your child if they demonstrate the proper behaviors and to encourage them to be successful. Be sure to give the reward directly after the desired behavior. With your encouragement and consistent reward, bedtime should become easier for you and your child! Distinguishing between kid-behavior and ASD-behavior Posted on July 10, 2018 at 10:56 am.Written by SeedCenter User Photo by Hisu lee on Unsplash Autism diagnoses are never easy. It can be overwhelming and tiresome to learn about how to best support your child’s needs. Debatably, one of the most difficult aspects of having a child with autism is learning how to distinguish which behaviors are autism-related and which behaviors are simply related to being a kid. Children alike enjoy playing games, expressing creativity, and so on. Likewise, children are capable of throwing tantrums, whining when they do not get what they want, and possibly engaging in dangerous behavior. So how do you know whether or not to worry about certain behaviors? How do you know if your child’s behavior is because of their autism diagnosis or simply a factor of them being a kid? A few ways to determine this is by answering the following questions: -How severe is the behavior? -How frequently does the behavior occur? -How long does the behavior occur? -How does the behavior of your child compare to their peers? -Is the behavior preventing your child from learning? -Is the behavior preventing your child from interacting with others? Call Our Autism Treatment Center For More Help! Addressing these questions can help you determine whether or not your child’s behavior is due to them simply being a kid or an aspect of their autism diagnosis. If you believe that your child’s behavior is more severe and occurs more frequently than your child’s peers, you may need to address your concerns with your child’s Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) in order to target that particular behavior. It is important to remember that children with autism are still just kids! The SEED Center, serving the Stamford, Greenwich, and Norwalk, CT areas, provides a variety of effective child autism services to assist children with autism as well as their families. Our team works hard to create an effective learning experience at our autism treatment center, in your home, or at your child’s school. We will work on social skills and more to create the best life for our clients through Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. This is one of the most effective treatments for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). If you are ready to get started with our team or have any additional questions about your child’s behavior, please reach out to our healthcare professionals at The SEED Center. ◄ Back To Our Blog Posts Why Your Child’s Behavior May Get Worse, before it Gets Better Posted on April 11, 2018 at 12:31 pm.Written by SeedCenter User If you’re a parent and your child works with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, (BCBA) you are probably familiar with their recommendations of interventions based off of extensive research and principles. But what if the suggested intervention makes your child’s behavior worse? It could be likely that your child is experiencing what is known as an extinction burst. What is an extinction burst? An extinction burst is “an increase in the rate of responding when reinforcing consequences are withheld after the occurrence of the target behavior.” In other words, things tend to get worse before getting better. How is this possible? Well, the best way to explain is through an example. Say your child yelled and screamed every time she wanted a cookie. Once you give your daughter a cookie, she is quiet. But do you want to reward her with a cookie every time she screams for one? Probably not. Instead, you could teach your child replacement behavior. Instead of giving her a cookie when she yells, only give her a cookie when she asks for it calmly. But your daughter, used to getting a cookie by screaming, will think she just has to scream louder until you eventually cave and reward her with the cookie. Should you cave into the intensified screaming behavior and reward her with a cookie? No, stay strong! If you resist and remain patient through the loud screaming, your daughter will learn that the screaming and yelling will no longer result in a cookie. By stopping the reinforcing behavior (giving your daughter a cookie) she will first scream louder and louder (extinction burst). Then, she will realize that the only way she will get a cookie is if she asks nicely for it. Addressing the problem behavior and replacing it with appropriate behavior, like asking nicely, will be worth it! What if an extinction burst causes my child to become more aggressive? If you feel unsafe or the problem behavior is intolerable, remember to talk to your behavior analyst. Let them know what is and is not working for your family so you can create a successful plan together!
