Children’s inappropriate behavior is considered to be common and transitory. Most parents feel the child will grow out of it. Misbehavior should not be common and it is most often not transitory. Severe misbehavior does not just spring up suddenly, it is shaped over time. It typically begins as a simple, minor issue, and most parents are unaware of how it gradually increases in severity over time.
Many parents believe that the behavior of the child is an inborn characteristic. Most parents have never been informed of the very practical dynamics that shape behavior over time. To make it simple, behavior is emitted because it pays off for the individual. Lack of knowledge of the basic principles of behavior results in adult responses that inadvertently produce great pay offs for inappropriate behavior. For example, most children are able to obtain the item that was denied when they throw a tantrum. If we analyze closely, the inappropriate behavior that children exhibit results in great benefits for them.
FABAS provides training to parents on the practical dynamics that shape behavior and on how to assess the payoffs (look at Functional Assessment) for the inappropriate behavior that their child is exhibiting. Parents are assisted in developing responses that will produce pay offs for appropriate behavior and not for inappropriate behavior. Although there will be some initial resistance the child will eventually behaving appropriately. This effective management can be implemented during the daily routine in a calm and positive manner.