Behaviour Concerns are a hot topic for all parents to contend with. All too often, behaviour concerns can lead to tensions within a family, resulting in various arguments and even sometimes violence. This behavior can usually be initiated by an apparent lack of social skills or an inability to relate to others. The solutions provided by behaviour support centres can alleviate these problems, thus giving both parents and children greater opportunities to connect and interact. A variety of strategies are available, ranging from behavior support to comprehensive child behavior programs.
A behaviour support strategy that has been proven effective is the tier one plan. This is where providers begin by evaluating and assessing the family’s situation to determine any serious underlying issues. The initial step is then to develop a tailored action plan to be followed at each stage. These plans can involve one or more of the following actions: Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Individualized Time Management Plan (ITMP), and Multi-Service Teamwork (MSDT). In my opinion, all three of these strategies are essential to provide the most effective support for challenging to teach behaviours.
In some cases, there are instances where parents themselves fail to address the behavioral concerns. The parent had been producing excuses and justifying why they were not doing what was required of them to help out their children with their issues, thereby leaving children to sort out their own behavior concerns on their own. There is a critical difference between actively participating in an education program and passively accepting or ignoring what is being taught. Children learn through active involvement, and there is no substitute for parental involvement in their social-emotional development. The above example perfectly illustrates a child who has not been effectively learning from their parents. So if you want a child to develop or change behavior, it goes without saying that the main role is of the parents who will help their kids change for the better.
It is widely accepted that rewarding good behaviour with praise can lead to increased levels of repetition while punishing inappropriate behaviour with negative consequences can lead to increased levels of self-esteem and assertiveness. However, some parents still use these two separate procedures to teach children how to behave. While there is a place for rewards, they need to be balanced and appropriate. A reward that is totally out of proportion to the undesired behaviour could have the opposite effect, causing the child to be less motivated to act desirably.
