| One of the challenges of using positive behavior | | | | So back to the original thought, why is it so |
| support with a child with Autism is the whole | | | | difficult? Many children with Autism are fearless. |
| concept of catching them being good. To be able | | | | Many times parents are so busy trying to keep a |
| to use positive behavior supports in any whole | | | | child with Autism safe. It is understandable that |
| successful way a parent must find way to | | | | every ounce of spare energy and thought is going |
| reward a child. This seems to be very difficult for | | | | in that direction. When you get in the habit of |
| some of us. | | | | saying, no, stop, don't do that, be careful, it is |
| If we were raised with the concept of using | | | | doubly difficult to look for instances when you can |
| punishment in what ever way our parents chose, | | | | catch your child being good. |
| it is hard to change our way of thinking. If we | | | | I, on the other hand and on my good days, vastly |
| misbehaved punishment was meant to show us | | | | enjoyed the look of surprise on my child's face |
| the error of our ways and motivate us to do | | | | when I made a concentrated effort at catching |
| better. It seemed to work for us so why not | | | | her being good. It might have been that she really |
| now? | | | | did stop one of the hundred times that day I said |
| The difference with a child with Autism is the lack | | | | it. When she did it though, I did my best to be |
| of understanding of punishment. Punishment does | | | | right there with the rewards. |
| not seem to be a motivator. Punishment | | | | Other days the best I could do was catch her |
| depending on what it is can make a child with | | | | doing something she would have done anyway, |
| Autism mean, combative, aggressive. If not these | | | | like take her shoes off or on. On those days I |
| things it can make a child with a disability shut | | | | rewarded her for doing that, too. |
| down and be even harder to motivate. | | | | When you look at the research it is suggested we |
| Luckily there is an answer. Parents and | | | | praise or reward our children four or five times to |
| researchers who have worked with children with | | | | every time we correct them. To do that requires |
| Autism have found offering rewards to be at | | | | a stretch in creativity. Your child with Autism will |
| least as effective if not more effective in | | | | make you such a different, better person than |
| motivation children. | | | | you realized. |