Effective Behavior-Based Treatment

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) refers to the processes or procedures that are developed to ascertain the reasons and the purpose of the behaviors that are portrayed by individuals with communication impairments and other severe cognitive disabilities (Cipani, E., & Schock, K. M. 2011). This includes autism which is in Johnny’s case above. Individuals cannot fully explain why they display those behaviors and thus this procedures of assessing the functional behaviors was developed. This is done by collecting date on the environmental variable the influence the behavior of an individual

In addition, Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), has shown to be effective in child abuse victims and their parents. Improvements of parenting skills, less child behavioral problems, and better parent-child relationship are all outcomes of PCIT. In this therapy the parent and child have directed interaction. The parent is taught communication skills. After that the parent can play with the child while the therapist coaches the parent. Clear commands are taught to use at home and in public. In this activity the child must lead the activity and the parent mustn’t criticize the child to create a positive relationship. The study suggested that PCIT decreased reports of abuse and decreased behavior at school (Paul, Gray, Elhai, Massad, & Stamm, 2006).

“Physical punishment of children: Can we continue to accept the status quo?” by Kim Oates is a scholarly source found in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. The author of this journal argues that discipline with physical punishment is not only inefficient, but it also causes problems in the emotional and behavioral development of children. He follows by providing practical forms of disciplining such as: removing privileges, teaching by example, having constant supervision, setting appropriate rules, and being consistent. Kim Oates states that those parents who use physical punishment to discipline their children, likely experienced it during their childhood and are usually unaware of these other methods of discipline. Oates included

The main usage of the Abuse-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) is working with children and their families that have suffered sexual or physical abuse; the environment is very hostile, the child may be subject coercion and are aggression when the family is present. AF-CBT is also used for children with behavioral problems such as Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. AF-CBT is right for children who are the ages of 5-15, who exhibit some level of behavioral or emotional dysfunction and for parents or caregivers who may resort to uncomfortable or unsafe levels of physical punishment. The goal of this therapy is to reduce the level of physical abuse risk factors of the caregiver or family and to reduce the consequences of these experiences for the children. The primary focus is behavior management, social skills, training, cognitive restructuring, problem-solving skills, and communications skills for the caregiver’s level of anger and promote nonaggressive discipline strategies, to enhance a child’s coping skills, and encourage problem-solving and communication.

A behavior modification program is necessary for the 52 year old overweight man. Not following the behavior modification plan can cause both short term and long term problems for him. The short term consequences would be that Stan will lose his primary physician of 15 years and increase in clothing size which will result in purchasing a new wardrobe to fit comfortably in his clothes. Long term consequences include heart problems, obesity, daily problems with blood sugar and the increased likelihood of a stroke or even death.

Raver and Knitize state (as cited by Bayat, Mindes, & Covitt, 2010) that “some estimates suggest 10% of preschoolers exhibit noticeable problem behaviors, with 4-6% of this population exhibiting serious behavior difficulties. Preschool children are expelled at a rate that three times more than students in grades K-12 (Bayat et al., 2010). Gilliam reported (as cited in Bayat et al., 2010) that the lowest rate of expulsion was associated with when there are behavioral interventions in the classroom. Progress monitoring and interventions are not only for academic struggles. It can be used to help with behavior issues and struggles in the early childhood classroom. Intervention teams have intervention opinions to use such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and function-based interventions.

Spanking is an ineffective method for disciplining children as it both validates violence and creates antisocial behaviour while failing to teach a child why their actions were wrong. As some parents continue to utilize spanking, the children often internalize many negative side effects. They learn to “legitimatize violence”2 thus carrying these issues into other interpersonal relationships. Using their caregivers as models, they are more likely to hit others such as peers & siblings “as means of resolving their conflicts.”1 Ironically, this is exactly what some parents are trying to eliminate. Other children may become increasingly antisocial. From the perspective of a child, those who are supposed to protect them chose to hurt them instead.

Self-injurious behaviour (SIB) is a debilitating problem that affects individuals with developmental delays (Singh, Dawson, & Gregory, 1980). SIB entails a range of chronic behaviours which lead to physical harm that occur frequently within a sustained period, e.g., include self-biting, self-hitting, and self-pinching (Favell et al., 1982). The adverse impact of SIB escalates as these individuals approach adulthood, with increasingly prevalent problems such as physical damage, social seclusion, and limited academic and work opportunities (Kurtz et al., 2003). To date, research has demonstrated that behaviour analytic treatments are substantially successful (Matson & LoVullo, 2008). This essay aims to discuss how behavioural treatments are

We absorb elements from previous parenting training programs and form a Cognitive Behavioral Parent Training Program (CBPTP) for Child Abuse Prevention targeting first time mothers. Previous evaluation studies show that cognitive behavioral parenting programs are more effective than other kinds of parenting programs with respect to child abuse treatment and intervention (Barlow, 2006). Most of parenting programs specifically designed for child abuse problems are used as a tool for treatment of parents who have already exhibited maltreatment behavior and their children who have suffered maltreatment, for example, Abuse-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT). The most appropriate target population of AF-CBT is physically abusive parents and their school-aged children (Kolko, 1996). Here the CBPTP is given to first

These recommendations include, but are not limited to, parents being encouraged to be involved in initial prevention efforts as well as practicing parental control concepts like monitoring. In school, school-based could be expanded, including a component that is tailored around parental involvement. Existing cognitive–behavioral strategies that reinforce positive behavior have been effective with middle school youth (Botvin, Baker, Dusenbury, Botvin, & Diaz, 1995; Botvin, Baker, Dusenbury, Tortu, & Botvin, 1990). These strategies can also be modified to include a parent-training component to engage parent’s more effectively in their child’s intervention. Dishion and Andews (1995) indicate these training should include family management skills to reinforce parental monitoring, increase communication between the parent and the child, and learn strategies on discipline. These trainings have been found to be effecting in reducing problematic behaviors (Dishion & Andrews,

As mentioned earlier as much as the offender wants to change that is not enough. “Wanting to change is usually not enough to be able to change the patterns that lead to sexual offenses. To create the motivation to change, some offenders need a variety of treatment and corrective interventions, and for others learning how to make the change in their own behavioral cycle of abuse is more effective,” (Office of the Attorney General State of California). Historically it was ok to marry a twelve-year-old child and start reproducing around fourteen years of age. This was because life expectancy was not that long and at around the age of fourteen individuals was considered to be adults and thus it was acceptable. Thus there being no need for treatment because there was no sex offender cases. While in today’s society this is no longer acceptable while in some places the age of consent is as young as sixteen years (The Age of Consent). With the history of sex offender management came treatment which was castration which is the altogether removal of genitals, and imprisonment. While according the Bureau of Justice Assistance there are three forms of treatment for sex offenders. There is the cognitive-behavioral approach, which focuses on changing the thinking patterns of an offender. The psycho-educational approach focuses on increasing the offender’s

The sample of kids came from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study, which is a population of families form 20 cities from the United States. There were 2461 study participants who gave their time and information to this study. The predictor variable in this study is the mother’s use of spanking and how frequently the three-year-old was spanked for misbehaving a month before the first interview. The dependent variable is the child’s aggression at the age of 5, which was tested through a series of questions from a Child Behavior Checklist.

Albert Bandura wrote on the idea of learning through direct or indirect observations (1971). This idea of social learning is also used in prevention and intervention programs for child neglect. One of these programs is the Triple-P positive parenting program which has a goal of helping parents with the full scope of parenting including children’s health and behavior issues (Barth 2009). The program has five levels of intervention that provide varying levels of intensity and services to families. The five principles guiding the program that are imperative in positive parenting are: 1) ensure a safe and engaging environment, 2) create a positive learning environment 3) use assertive discipline, 4) set realistic expectations, and 5) be able to take care of oneself as a parent (Barth 2009). The last principle is important, because parents must first take care of themselves before they can adequately care for their children. That is, the parent must be “self-regulatory”, so that they can improve their child’s behaviors through his or her own actions (Barth 2009). This program was found to be successful for parents and their families. Out of a study of 100,000 of children under age eight years old, there were 340 fewer cases of maltreatment and 240 fewer cases of children having to be removed from their homes (Barth

(2014). Although the study was small and consisted of only 8 male children and 11 parents, all children exhibit aggressive or challenging behaviors as described by the parents (Preece, 2014). This study showed a significant improvement in confidence after training which increased over time (Preece, 2014). Further, it showed a decrease in physical interventions performed within the home (Preece, 2014). The parents reported that they were better able to understand how their own actions impacted the behaviors in the children and the addition of the physical intervention component gave them the confidence to intervene appropriately if necessary (Preece, 2014). This study was very small and leaves room for a larger scale study to be performed. Further, all participants were male, came from the same school, and were the same age. In the proposed study aspects of PBS will be incorporated on a larger scale with a more diverse population in order to determine the effectiveness of the training on a wider

The key concepts of behavior therapy are that it “is grounded on a scientific view of human behavior that accommodates a systematic and structured approach to counseling” (Corey, 2013, p. 250). The attention is focused on the behavior of the person. Behavior therapy is about giving control to the client to expand their freedom. “People have the capacity to choose how they will respond to external events in their environment” (Corey, 2013, p. 250).