My last post was December 2012, when I was a married mom with a 2 year old at home and living just outside of D.C. These days I'm a single mom of TWO girls (as well as an eccentric 8 year o… Read More

I've been MIA for a while, but I can at least stop by to say "Merry ChristmaHannaKwanzikah!" Whatever you celebrate this time of year, Happy Holidays to you and yours! Read More

Taking a moment to just pause and remember that fateful day.  This morning on The View, Elisabeth Hasselbeck wondered what to tell the kids about 9/11.  Her 7 year old daughter ask… Read More

First, let me say I am flattered that anyone would ask me to review a book and blog about it.  I mean, I'm just a mom with a blogging hobby.  I'm no Heather "Dooce" Armstrong … Read More

I'm on a weight loss journey - one that I hope to be the ultimate success for me.  If ABA works for our kids, our husbands, and our pets, then why not for ourselves?  The key ingre… Read More

A while back, we attempted to begin potty training with our then 16 month old daughter.  We had big girl panties, a potty chair, chocolate candy reinforcers, and a strategy (a modified… Read More

Thanks to a friend for the inspiration on this one.  Just last week someone asked why their child was chewing on fabric.  We forget that our "neurotypical" children engage in… Read More

Time is running out! Please support the DOJ settlement by writing a letter. I wrote one and now it's YOUR turn! Even if you do not live in Virginia, please support the disabilities community… Read More

There are so many ways to use reinforcement!  It can be overwhelming when trying to determine what will work best for the situation at hand.  I will do my best to explain… Read More

To follow-up my reinforcement post, I thought I would talk about token economies (i.e. sticker charts, token boards, etc.)  This strategy can be helpful both for parents and teachers.&n&hell…Read More

Grandma always said "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop" and I, for one, agree!  Active engagement of our children is an excellent behavior reduction technique.  When childre… Read More

In his book, "Bringing Out the Best in People", Dr. Aubrey Daniels points out that the dominant management style in today's workplace is based on negative reinforcement.  It's no w… Read More

Anyone seen the video Father Teaches Daughter Lesson About Facebook?  Of course you have, it's gone viral.  I see no need to post it here - you're welcome to Google it if you so de… Read More

I recently read this blog article and it got me thinking...As parents (and teachers), we give warnings ALL DAY LONG!  We warn our children "If you do that, then you're going to be in bi… Read More

Often, parents at their wits end throw out threats like “if you don’t do [this] then you won’t get [that]!”  How often does this work for you?  Typically, y… Read More

Telling your child "no" is something we all must do from time to time.  When you have a toddler "no" tends to roll off your tongue every other word!  And often results in a ta… Read More

Reinforcement is one of the most important principles of behavior and is a key element to behavior change programs.  The addition of a stimulus following a behavior that serves to… Read More

The ABCs of behavior, often refered to as the "three term contingency" are the Antecedents, Behaviors, and Consequences.  Antecedents are what occurs before the behavior.&nbsp&hell…Read More

Once you take some anecdotal ABC data you need to carefully look over the information.  What are you looking for exactly?  Consistencies and recurring themes. … Read More

For the teachers out there:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1310853/pdf/jaba00065-0063.pdfThis is a research article describing the "Good Behavior Game".  Basically you divid… Read More

So we last discussed that the first step before creating a behavior plan was to assess your child's behavior and take some data.  Behavior typically has 1 of 4 functions: attention… Read More

Have you ever found yourself in the cookie aisle with a screaming child looking around at all the other normal people (you know, the ones without kids) and think to yourself "What? That's no… Read More

The short answer is...there is no short answer.  While in graduate school, we kind of glossed over diets as a "fad," defined as an intense but short-lived fashion.  There is no rea… Read More

All to often we find ourselves caught up in trying to get rid of behaviors without thinking about the whys.  Why does my child want my attention?  Why does my child want to escape… Read More

I’ve written several posts on reducing problem behavior (it’s a pretty popular topic) but in this post I want to focus on increasing appropriate behaviors.  By definition, i… Read More

Any moms out there potty training?  We started this weekend (with our 16 month old daughter) and so far no wet pants.  Wow, right?  Well, I didn't mention the pee pee in… Read More