| |
Reward
a Behavior and You’ll Get That Behavior
Rewards are privileges.
As an adult, it’s expected that all privileges must be
earned. Parents and even teachers receive money for their labors.
Money isn’t the real goal; however, you really work for
the privileges money can buy. We earn the privileges of flicking
on a switch for light, turning a dial for temperature or the
simple privilege of enjoying a hamburger and fries without
actually having to butcher a cow or dig a potato. Whatever
the privilege, it’s naturally tied to some action. The
more productive the action and the less loathsome the behavior,
the higher the salary and the more privileges you receive.
The less productive the action and the more loathsome the behavior,
the fewer privileges earned.
This premise leads
us to the next law, “Kids Can Act Any Way You Want Them
to Act” (Bruns, 56). Think of the minds of your kids
as a slate you can write to. They are ready to learn the rules
as quickly as you can teach. The seeds which you plant are
the fruit you will bear in your home. When students understand “The
System” they are in a position to create their own results.
Their positive behaviors of responsibility will produce desired
results, while undesired behaviors will result in not receiving
rewards. The choice is up to the kids, the parent is only a
facilitator at this point. “Laws create a concrete world.
Order is security. Discipline is freedom” (Bruns, 65).
Reward for labor must
be clearly defined and consistent. Those who get paid do the
work vs. those who don’t, won’t get paid. How long
would you labor without reward?
What does all this
have to do with children and learning? Children and adults
obey the same rules for the same reasons. Fail to pay an adult
for their labor and punish them for no probable cause and I’ll
introduce you to a real crank. Do the same to a child and I’ll
show you one loathsome kid. What makes people conform? Benefits
for the right actions, clearly given (Skinner, 1965). Most
children without a disability require boundaries because today’s
society withdraws these boundaries and parents willpower. Too
often parents reported to me that when they press their will
upon their children, the young threaten to call the police.
Boundaries for children without disabilities are a challenge,
but with children with disabilities like ADHD, ADD, Asperger's,
and Autism, one of the symptoms is not being able to accommodate
their external levels of control, impulse control, and social
boundaries. These children especially require a structure in
which they can learn to measure their activities and develop
self-monitory ability. Initially this is an external system
in which they can complete through cost management – a
token system. EasyChild permits both parent and child to learn
the boundaries. Later, the child will internalize these boundaries.
But in and of itself, both parent and child need a system to
teach and guide. EasyChild makes this possible.
From the U.S. Surgeon
General’s Report on Mental Health, it states that the
relationship between a child’s temperament and parenting
style is complex (Thomas et al., 1968); it may be either protective
if it is good or a risk factor if it is poor. Thus, a difficult
child’s chances of developing mental health problems
are much reduced if he or she grows up in a family in which
there are clear rules and consistent enforcement (Maziade et
al., 1985), while a child exposed to inconsistent discipline
is at greater risk for later behavioral problems (Werner & Smith,
1992). For children with ADHD that might be on medication,
EasyChild can bridge the gorge and combine the benefits of
behavior modification with their prescriptive therapy, which
is proven to increase their chance for success. |
|
