Hi, my name is Anjali Van Drie.

I'm the vice president and co-founder of family initiative

Incorporated. Today.

We're going to talk about the ABCs of behavior.

So there are a couple of other videos available if you're

interested in learning about what is behavior and why those

behaviors happen.

But today what we're going to talk a little bit more about

is kind of what happens with those behaviors, what causes

them to continue to occur.

So when we're talking about the ABCs of behavior Behavior,

we've talked about in another training you can look at When

and learn what we mean when we're talking about behavior

when I'm talking about behavior, I'm talking about it from

a behavior analytic point of view.

So just very briefly behaviors are observable measurable

things actions that happen.

So when we speak about Behavior, that's what I am referring

to throughout this video.

And when we're looking at what makes Behavior happen where

we look at one.

What is the behavior we're talking about?

So whatever the behavior maybe it might be a problem Behavior.

So think about the children in your home.

Home are they hitting are they kicking?

Are they having a tantrum?

Are they refusing to follow directions?

Are they spinning?

Those are negative or maladaptive behaviors behaviors can

also be positive.

So are they laughing?

Are they smiling are they telling jokes all of those are

various behaviors that you encounter.

We all encounter and engage in behaviors throughout our day.

So when we're looking again at what Are those behaviors occurring

we look at first?

What is the behavior I'm talking about.

So make sure you identify what it is.

You're concerned about either good or bad and then look at

what is happening immediately prior to the behavior.

So the a when we're talking about this is that Anna seated

so when I say and I say that I mean it immediately before

that behavior so not I woke up late today and I was rushing

around or I didn't sleep really good last night because a

dog kept barking or I'm really hungry right now and all I

can think about is my stomach.

Rowling or I'm really stressed out we're not talking about

that when we talk about Anna sees those all play an important

role in behavior is occurring or not occurring but what we're

talking about is what triggered that behavior would happen

immediately prior to the behavior.

So let's say for example, we're talking about hitting at

some point I think most parents and most adults deal with

a child hitting so when you're talking about the hitting

what happened right before that child hit so did you say

all right.

It's time to do homework.

Did another child come over and grab their toy?

Did you say it's time to go to bed?

Did you say I need your cell phone, right?

So what is it that occurred right before the hitting occurred?

That's your Anna see it it B is your behavior and then C

is your consequence.

So when I'm talking about consequence, we're talking about

what happened immediately after the behavior.

Generally when we think about consequences we think about

punishment sometimes And think about consequences in a negative

term. What I'm referring to here is consequence as just what

happens right after that behavior.

It can be good or it can be bad.

So with hitting typically we might reprimand and say stop

hitting or don't do that, right?

That's a consequence their good consequences to I'm a big

fan of high fives any of you who have been around me or met

me. I high-five a lot adults and kids and people.

I don't know sometimes I do a lot of high fives a lot of

Praise, right?

So those are Instead of those are positive consequences.

So again, we're talking about the ABCs or what makes Behavior

happen. We're talking about a the antecedent right before

it be that behavior, whatever it might be and then the C

is a consequence what's happening right after that behavior.

Another way to think about this in easier terms is B is always

your behavior.

But a the Aniston is also your trigger.

I said that a few minutes ago.

So it's a lot easier to conceptualize it that the trigger

what's happening right before?

For that's triggering that behavior to occur.

Another way to think about consequence is your payoff.

So what is your child getting out of that behavior?

Right?

Why is it Behavior happening?

Did they get the toy they wanted did they delay the amount

of time that they had to do something?

And again, there's another video that talks more extensively

about types of consequences and what some of those behaviors

might be.

So what happens with problem behaviors is you have that trigger,

whatever that trigger might be and then you have that in

Appropriate behavior and with problem behaviors what we see

is that trigger causes that problem or inappropriate behavior.

And then that inappropriate behavior is getting the payoff

or getting the consequence.

So one thing that we see pretty commonly across the board

that I engage in this myself to is the consequence we often

reprimand, right?

So when kids do something we don't like were pretty quick

to be like no stop doing that the challenge sometimes with

all kids I think is sometimes As that's that it's negative

attention, right?

The verbal attention is attention.

It's not good attention.

We're not saying hey great job.

We're paying attention to that negative behavior.

And for some kids that might be the easiest quickest way

to get your attention and it typically is most times when

kids are behaving we don't often go over and be like, hey,

I love the way you're doing this because if that's a child

we're struggling with were a little bit worried that if we

get near them an interrupt what they're doing appropriately

it might Great the behavior and they'll start misbehaving.

So again think about what that payoff is and it's hard because

the payoff is often some things we do some things that happened

environment that we may not pay attention to one way to identify

some of this stuff particularly.

I know for some families who are licensed caregivers part

of the training often times.

You learn about journaling.

This is a great way to look at those patterns and think about

okay. What's Happening Here particularly when there Inappropriate

things or maladaptive behaviors.

We tend to have an emotional response.

It's hard to step back and be objective about okay.

What's really happening here?

Did I do something that another child do something?

Is it something happening in the environment?

Is it too loud in here?

What it what might be contributing and then putting it with

that consequence.

So then what happened so really what happened right afterwards

writing that stuff down helps you take a step back and then

really look for patterns they okay.

So I see every time I do this this is what happens just to

give you an idea.

What are common triggers that you typically run into often

triggers are not getting attention not getting the things.

We want being denied access being told.

No, so think about a scenario where you're dealing with a

child in your home who wanted something, right?

How about cookies before dinner time right in our snacks

before dinner?

It's tough, right?

We got home from picking up school work and you have limited

time. I'm hungry.

I'm sure the kids are hungry.

To write and they want a snack but the snacks probably not

cookies aren't good before dinner.

So when you say no what happens do you get a tantrum right

there in the middle of the kitchen while you're kind of finished

cooking dinner.

So that's another being told no across the board typically

triggers some of those problem behaviors asking the child

to do something.

They don't want to do so bedtime is a common one.

I talked about always think about when it's time for bed.

It looks a little different as kids get older, but when they're

younger they're Either thirsty, they need to use the bathroom.

They need to say goodnight to everyone and all their stuffed

animals right when you get older.

It might be being on electronics being playing on their iPad

or cell phone or playing a video game watching a movie things

like that.

So again, they want you're asking them to do something.

They don't want to do someone taking something they don't

want right.

So when you have a group of kids together, do they take something

away from from Todd or do they have something your child

really wants and they're unable to have and again attention.

That's another really common reason.

So as soon as you pick up the phone what happens right?

Is that when your child like Mom Mom Mom right when those

things start to happen or they start asking questions or

they start talking to you that way again when they're not

getting the attention that's often a time a trigger for some

of those behaviors.

So those are some of the common triggers.

Let's talk about some of the common payoffs are consequences

so there Plated if you look at those triggers and look at

the consequences, the consequences are essentially getting

those things.

So when they engage in the behaviors, they get those things

they get access to the items.

I want they get the attention.

We just talked about that they get out of doing things.

So think about that bedtime example again, so all those things

take time and that's more time that they're not in bed.

Right?

So it all kind of pays off for them at the end of the day

sometimes getting someone else to do something for them.

So I have totally done that before like fine.

I'll just do it myself saves the hassle, but it worked right

so it absolutely worked for that child.

So we have given them that payoff.

So what can you do and why is this important?

So I'll go back again Journal that right the stuff out so

you can identify what those patterns are.

Once you identify those patterns, then you understand why

that behavior is happening.

What's the consequence?

My advice is always start with the behavior because that's

Little bit easier to identify right?

So think about what are my talents are what do I want to

see happening more of what do I want to see less of Define

that in a clear way that everyone can understand what we're

talking about because sometimes our definitions are a little

bit different.

So what I think is disrespect might be different than what

you think disrespected.

So write that out.

Tell me exactly what you mean when they roll their eyes when

they Sai when they walk off without answering now we are

on the same page we can talk about about that and then so

what are yours that it might feel like it's all the time

but the teenager right so but really right down.

Okay, I said this or I did this or their brother did this

or it might feel like nothing but as you start to write those

out and then what happened afterwards did I say go to your

room? Did I ignore it?

Did I say stop rolling your eyes at me?

What's that consequence?

You can start to pull out patterns of why this happened and

what you want to do once, you know, the why is rearrange

your environment, so As you see in the figure here, you can

rearrange so that inappropriate behavior.

First of all, let's go back.

We still have that trigger trigger can stay the same.

And now what happens is that inappropriate behavior does

not get the payoff anymore.

But your challenge is giving them an appropriate behavior

that does get the payoff.

So that's where we work a lot with families is identifying.

Okay.

So what's an appropriate way to get that so we'll go back

to the example from the beginning hitting is not an appropriate

way to get attention or to get what you You want but you

can teach your kids?

Okay.

So if you want that you can say excuse me, right that we

do that a lot with kids like okay.

If I'm on the phone, you can add School raise your hand you

can tap someone on the shoulder you can say, excuse me mom.

So all those are appropriate behaviors to get me say sure.

I'm on the phone right now.

I'll talk to you in a second.

I'm giving you what you're asking for.

I'm giving you that attention and also telling you I will

give you more of this when I'm finished attention is a super

powerful thing we all have Have and and we can use that to

help shape those appropriate behaviors.

So really again figure out.

Okay, what's the appropriate behavior that I want to see

more of and how do we use that behavior to get with they

what that payoff is or what the consequence is.

So this is a lot of work on you as a caregiver to think about

these things and look at those things but through that that's

the premise of all of why Behavior occurs whether it's you

or me or your or kids or your neighbors the people you work

with really think about what triggers those behaviors and

what do they get out of it?

And again teaching those appropriate behaviors?

Sometimes we have to explicitly teach those behaviors and

say, okay like the raising your hand so and in a school setting

right so we have kids who call out a lot so we might have

to work with and be like remember if you wanted her and you

need to raise your hand and then as a teacher I'm going to

capitalize on be like I love the way you're raising your

hand if your turn and then we are.

Lot of faith that off once they recognize okay.

This actually gets you to pay attention to me same in your

household. You might have to teach some of those behaviors

other Behavior, especially with older kids.

Sometimes they pick up on and learn.

Okay, so she's not going to answer me when I'm doing this,

but she'll answer me when I'm doing these other things your

challenge is sticking through that too because it can be

particularly tough.

When all of a sudden those things that used to work don't

work anymore you tend to see an increase in Behavior.

We try harder we all do that.

We try harder to get the things that we want.

Might try different things to get what we want and again

teaching that the and giving them that appropriate way will

help them more quickly learn exactly how to get that pay

off for them.

So in summary think about that you're a antecedent is your

trigger be is that behavior that we can all see and agree

what it looks like and see is your consequence or your payoff

identify those figure out how to change switch out that inappropriate

with the appropriate behavior, and then you can start to

shape some of those appropriate.

Here's my contact information is available if you are trying

this and I like this is not working.

I have no idea.

There is no trigger.

I hear that a lot Reach Out email us call us would be happy

to work with you to help you identify some of those things

so you can learn how to effectively change some of those

behaviors in your home.