3 Ways to Proactively Prevent Problem Behaviors

When challenging behaviors happen at home, it can be really overwhelming to figure out why these behaviors are happening and what we can do to help them— help stop them. As a parent, I often feel like I'm in reactive mode. I'm reacting to problem behavior after problem behavior when instead we should be proactive and preventing problem behaviors before they start. Today I'm going to share 3 ways that we can proactively prevent problem behaviors in the home setting. These are simple things that you can add to your day-to-day life that can really make a huge impact on decreasing negative behaviors with your kids. I'm Sasha Long. I'm a former special education teacher and a board-certified behavior analyst. I'm the founder and president of The Autism Helper, and I love talking about behavior because it's something that impacts absolutely all of us. Today I'm going to share perspectives from an ABA standpoint— applied behavior analysis. Applied behavior analysis is the science and study of human behavior. It looks at why we do what we do. So let's look at challenging behaviors. Our first strategy is predictable routines, and you're like, oh gosh, Sasha, I know predictable routines, I have that already. But I want to really challenge you here to think about how you can level this up. Now, the reason that predictable routines are really, really helpful is there's less of an element of surprise. Our kids can be more independent because they know what's coming. When we have predictable routines, anxiety goes down, stress goes down, independence and efficiency goes up. We know what to expect. That's really, really important, and this can be such a game changer for our kids. Now, not only do we need predictable routines, but we need a really accessible and understandable way to communicate predictable routines. Now, if you have a child with autism or a child with limited receptive language, meaning they sometimes struggle to understand and process all the verbal language they're receiving, which is understandable because they get a lot of verbal language thrown at them, right? So if you have a kid that struggles with that processing piece, then you may want to really think about how you're communicating that predictable routine. If you are giving them the verbal laundry list, okay honey, It's time for breakfast and then we're gonna brush our teeth and then we're gonna get dressed and then we're gonna brush our hair and then we're gonna wait for the bus and then we're gonna go over here. That amount of language may just be too overwhelming at this point. They're not there yet with their processing speed. And you wanna think about other ways that you can communicate in a way that they can understand. I love visual schedules. Even for myself, I'm a big fan of a written out checklist. And remember, words are visuals too. When we think visuals, we always think pictures. It could be a written word. If your child is a reader, write down the steps. If your child is not a reader yet, draw little pictures. Take pictures within your house. I do this with my own kids all the time. I'm always drawing steps for them, or if it's a routine that we're gonna do all the time, such as a morning routine, which is a great example, I take pictures of the things in the house. I take a picture of their toothbrush, a picture of their closet, a picture of their bed, and there's the steps that they have to complete. This builds independence because they now can see what steps they have to do in a way that's understandable. It's not a surprise when we come to step 7 because because they see that there's 7 steps versus when we give that verbal laundry list, step number 7 may be lost. They were so busy processing step 1 and 2, they didn't even hear steps 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. So they're able to see that big routine, and when it is in that predictable sequence every day, they know what's coming. It's not a surprise. Strategy number 2: warn of changes. Now, strategy number 1 was all predictable routines, right? But guess what? Life isn't always a predictable routine. There are changes that happen in your day, and sometimes these changes aren't so great, right? We're annoyed about them. That happens to you and I. It's totally understandable for our kids to be upset, frustrated, annoyed with an unpreferred change. We were supposed to go do something fun like go to the park, and now it's raining and we can't go. Totally understandable to be upset about that. So along with those predictable sequences that we need from step 1, step 2 is really warning of changes. If you have a child that struggles with changes, you want to really be on, on that proactive stance of warning against changes. If there is a day off of school, if there's a new event, a family party, something that could be challenging and new, give lots of warning. Put it on your calendar, talk about it for days before. And again, that visual piece is really important. Maybe you have a family calendar and you draw a little picture. Hey, on Saturday we're going to soccer practice, it's something new. Or on, on Friday there's no school, so we put an X on that day and we're talking about that throughout the week. So when that change comes, we're ready. And yes, there are some changes like the rainy, you know, day at the playground that we aren't ready for when we open the door and we think it's going to be sunny. And then we want to give that reason for the change and, you know, showing like, okay, it's, it's rainy, that's why we can't go. And then maybe planning that preferred activity or event, like going to the playground, for another day. Let's put playground on the, on the calendar for tomorrow. Changes are hard, and in those moments where your child is upset about the change, instead of being, you know, reactive and getting upset that they're upset, really validate that feeling. It is upsetting when changes happen. And strategy number 3 for proactively preventing problem behaviors in the house is build in breaks. Think about your morning, think about the afternoon, the weekends, the summer days when your kid's home all day, and think about how we can schedule in break time for them. And I want you to think for a minute about what a break really is for your child. YouTube, tablets, TV may not be enough of a break because there's still a lot of stimulation and source of— and it can be a source of sensory overload being on YouTube, being on the computer, or watching TV. So think about what types of breaks your child may need. Maybe your child needs a social break where there's no peer interaction, friend interaction, parents, siblings. They're just alone. Maybe your child needs a gross motor break where it's, you know, too much sitting and they need to just go in the backyard and run around. Think about what types of breaks will be beneficial and refill your child's cup. And then once you think of what those breaks are— and for some kids it may be a tech break, there are appropriate times for a technology break. I take a technology break, right? We all do. So it might be a technology break, and there may be different types of breaks for different types of scenarios. Once you think of those types of breaks, then I want you to think about what some potential triggers for your child is. What are frequent things that make them upset? Really, right now, grab a Post-it, write it down. What are things that makes your child upset? Is it having— is it playing too long with their siblings? Is it having changes? Is it doing homework? Is it bedtime routine? What are sources of stress in your life? Because if it's a source of stress for your child, it's probably a source of stress for you. Write those down and anticipate that those are times where your child may need more breaks. Maybe that homework period is just too long for his work endurance right now. Build in breaks there. Instead of trying to get all the homework done in one swoop, we're gonna work for 10 minutes, we're gonna go take a break, we're gonna go play outside a little bit, we're gonna do a puzzle or do something else, then we're gonna come back an hour later and do that last 15 minutes of homework. So build in those breaks so your child has a chance to kind of regroup and then can come back fresh. Remember, it's all about the proactive over the reactive. When we have predictable routines that we can communicate in an understandable way, when we can warn about those changes, and when we can build in breaks, these strategies work together in a really effective way to help reduce negative behaviors and help our kids be more successful and more independent within our homes. I am Sasha Long. I'm the founder and president of The Autism Helper. Thanks so much for watching my video. Please follow my channel for more behavior strategies for your home or classroom.