Special Needs IEP Coach

Discipline:

As parents one of our most difficult tasks is how to discipline our child. The goal is to find the strategy that will work for both you and your child. Remember, what works with one child may not be a good approach for another.

The word discipline means “to teach.”

Teaching children appropriate behaviors can be very challenging  for  parents. Teachers also struggle with inappropriate behaviors that interfere with learning. It is helpful when parents and teachers work together and share information about positive behavior interventions.

Here are some basic tips to get you started:

1. Be positive – Let your child know you love him and appreciate him. Notice appropriate behavior.
Praise and acknowledge his efforts!
2. Identify the specific behavior that needs to change.
3. Focus on only one behavior at a time.
4. Be consistent – decide on the rule, the expected behavior and the consequence or reward – then
stick to it!
5. Recognize the small steps toward progress or change.
6. Let your child know what to expect – Go over the rules and consequences with your child.

Whether the inappropriate behavior is happening at home or school it is important to figure out the
reasons for it. A Functional Behavioral Assessment or FBA,  is a formal evaluation used by schools to gather
information about problem behaviors.
An FBA uses the ABC approach. This approach can also be helpful to parents.
A Antecedent (what factors led up to the behavior)
B Behavior (what is the behavior of concern and how serious is the behavior)
C Consequence (what does the child achieve with the behavior: ex: attention, avoiding a too
difficult task, removal from the peer group)
The information gathered by using this A, B, C approach can then be used to determine the reasons for the
behavior. It can also provide a foundation for developing positive ways to change the problem behavior.

For professional help; contact Specialneedsnj@hotmail.com

or call (973)534-3402

Related articles

• Improve Kids’ Behavior: Catch Them Being Good (psychcentral.com)