Mention "behavioral management" and many people will think only of punishing bad behavior. But effective behavioral management often requires teaching a new skill or an appropriate behavior to replace an inappropriate behavior. Behavioral management--also called behavior modification--is a method that uses rewards and punishment to extinguish one behavior while encouraging a desired behavior.
Definition
Behavioral management is based on operant conditioning, which was given that label to communicate that a child "operates" based upon his environment. Put another way: Children learn from consequences. It means simply that behaviors will increase when positively reinforced, and they'll be eliminated following negative consequences. However, a successful behavioral management program requires more than randomly dishing out consequences.
Planning
Behavior serves a purpose, and you must understand that purpose to implement effective behavioral management. Consider what events precede the behavior and what happens following the behavior. Analyze the information to determine the reason for the behavior. This may sound like a waste of time for parents or teachers who want to stop misbehavior "now," but it's a critical step. Without this information, you may encourage the behavior you're trying to stop.
Problem behavior might be a call for attention, a way to avoid something or an attempt to communicate fear, anger or anxiety. If your child is trying to avoid a task and you send him to his room for yelling, he has accomplished his purpose and you have reinforced the bad behavior. If he wants attention and knows he will get it for misbehavior, your "negative" attention encourages the behavior you want to extinguish. If his behavior is motivated by fear or anxiety, the underlying issues must be addressed.
Behavior Management
Define the behavior to be extinguished, the replacement behavior and the reward. Focus on positive rewards because they motivate, encourage the desired behavior and take attention away from bad behavior. Create a system to visualize progress, such as a behavior chart or token system. The behavior chart should have spaces representing the number of times the behavior must be accomplished before a reward is given. Let your child mark the space (stickers are useful) every time she is successful, as this contributes to her sense of accomplishment. Once the chart is full, the final reward can be extra computer time, a special event or a new toy, but make sure it is meaningful for your child. Don't forget to give plenty of verbal praise and positive attention along the way.
Punishment
Negative consequences should be clearly defined so your child knows the boundaries. Use punishment sparingly (the goal is to avoid putting energy into the negative), and only punish the behavior that is being extinguished. Never punish him for not following through with the new, desired behavior.
Developing Skills
The same technique can be used to teach new skills. Break the skill down into small steps and create a schedule so time is spent working with the child to teach the skill. In the early stages, immediately give small rewards for success. As competence increases, the rewards can be stretched out and eventually eliminated.
