Behavior management is the use of techniques to change or eliminate unwanted behavior and to encourage desirable behavior. Mental health professionals, teachers, youth service workers and parents all use behavior-management strategies. Adults may use different behavior management strategies at different times and for different children. The common ingredients are consistency, consequences and rewards.
Ignoring
Children sometimes engage in attention-seeking behavior, such as repeated interruptions, silliness or misbehaving. The ignoring strategy involves not rewarding the child with the attention she seeks, but also praising the desired behavior, as in "thank you for letting me complete my telephone call." The idea is to ignore the unwanted behavior, attend to something different and then provide the child with attention when she behaves appropriately, advises the NYU Child Study Center.
Redirecting
Redirecting strategy requires distracting a child by offering an alternative to his behavior. Before the child loses control, provide something interesting or spend time being attentive to him to redirect his attention from the problem behavior. Negotiations can redirect a child by making him part of the solution. Choices and alternatives encourages cooperation.
Signaling
Signaling involves using prompts to stop or start specific behaviors. Prompts may be verbal or nonverbal, and they may be secret signals between you and the child. A prompt is used to alert a child when it is time to start a desired behavior, such as "we will leave in five minutes." An adult may count to 10 to signal a child to stop an undesired behavior or use the secret gesture to signal the child.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement requires that an adult catch a child engaged in a desired behavior so the adult can praise or reward the child. For instance, " I like how you shared your book with your friends." Positive reinforcement is the most effective technique for encouraging desired behavior, according to Parents Anonymous. Positive reinforcement may include praise or rewards such as a special outing.
Natural Consequences
Often, the natural consequences strategy is the best way to teach a child not to repeat undesired behavior. Natural consequences can help children become more responsible. Refusing to help a child who repeatedly forgets or behaves irresponsibility or inappropriately may teach her to behave differently next time.
