Submitted by: Lara Lanza, M.Ed., BCBA

You’re a mom of two children, trying to fit all of your daily necessities into a 24-hour day; seems impossible with two kiddos! Of course all of their “behaviors” emerge when you are trying to get “me” stuff done. On top of trying to get your “me” necessities completed, it is time for Christmas shopping! The kiddos scream of joy when they find out they are going to go Christmas shopping with you! The fear of having your kiddos want every toy in the store, especially the expensive toys, can be mind consuming. From mom’s perspective it may seem like a tedious task – but I have a solution!

Throughout my time working as a BCBA, I have come across some protocols that will be very helpful to the average mom who has trouble denying access to certain tangibles; especially when the price of such tangibles is out of mom’s price range. To moms out there, here is my advice:

We women love to carry nice big purses; one suggestion I might add is to fill those purses with some yummy delicious edibles for your kiddos. Carry backup supplies such as an iPad, tablet, cars, or little toys that your kiddos gravitate towards. These items will come in handy when trying to get Christmas gifts for the family.

Your child, whom is walking very nicely next to you, grabs an $80.00 toy from the shelf. Your little kiddo says. “Mommy! This toy is amazing! I have to have it!” The $80.00 price is out of your price range but you see the same toy but smaller for $40.00. You, being the best mom in the world, would love to buy everything in the store for your amazing kiddos but the $80.00 price range is not realistic. Mom, this is what you should do:

Inform your kiddo that the toy is not able to be purchased- decline access to the toy but offer the smaller similar toy paired with one of the really cool reinforcing items from your purse. “Bobby, no you cannot have that big toy today but you can have this smaller toy and your “skittles, iPad, or crackers etc.”

If Bobby does not comply- “Ugh Mommy! Why? I want that toy Mommy and begins to scream and cry-remove the skittles, iPad, or crackers by putting them back into your purse, block access to both the big toy and the little toy, ignore his problem behaviors, and continue shopping. Bobby no longer has the opportunity to have Mommy purchase that toy for him.

If Bobby complies and says, “Okay Mommy” then your master ABA mom skills have worked! Reinforce his amazing behavior by letting him grab the toy and put it in the cart and let him choose between the awesome reinforcers in your purse!

Way to go Mom!

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1)      Social Referencing: You and the child are seated across a table from one another. Place up to 10 pieces of preferred edibles in a row on the table. When the child is seated quietly and makes eye contact with you, nod your head up and down, permitting the child to take an edible. A few notes on this procedure, 1) if the child attempts to grab the candy prior to making eye contact, you should block access and 2) you may want to start by only placing one edible on the table at a time to eliminate distractions.

2)       Establishing gaze- or point-following: Again, you and the child are seated across the table from one another. You will need 2 opaque cups and up to 10 pieces of a preferred edible that will fit underneath the cup. With both cups upside down on the table, have the child close his/her eyes and when he/she is not looking, place an edible under 1 of the 2 cups. Tell the child, “Ready,” or “You can look now”. Once the child makes eye contact, immediately move your face as close to the cup with the hidden treat. The child should select the cup that you are closest to. If not, do not allow access to edible, repeat the trial until the child consistently (3 consecutive trials) looks at your face and selects the correct cup.

These are only a few of the procedures that we use to help enhance joint attention skills.  Other simple steps could include, reinforcing any eye contact made at any time, delaying access to preferred items until eye contact is made. One way to increase the success of these steps is to ensure that the item is highly preferred/desired. When not naturally developed, eye contact is a skill that can be taught and strengthened through a history of reinforcement. Like any learned skill, it takes time, patience, and consistency.

References

Holth, Per.  (2006).  An Operant Analysis of Joint Attention Skills. European Journal of      Behavior Analysis, 7, 77-91

The post Joint Attention – How can I get my child to make more eye contact? appeared first on Reaching Milestones.