It may just be as easy at ABC

Over the last several weeks I have heard a lot about the ABC's of behavior. In a nutshell it seems as though no behavior will change without knowing the cause of the behavior nor changing the consequence of what happens when the behavior occurs. I know this sounds quite simple but in fact the more I learn about it the more I realize that it is quite a complex process. There is a saying that goes something like, "it takes 1 day to make a bad habit but 100 days to break one" I have come to realize that habits are just behaviors that we do over and over again. Either no one addressed the bad habits, offered us other ways to react to certain situations or we just chose or choose to continue with the habits we have created in our own minds.

However you look at it something always causes us to begin a habit. It is up to us and our support groups to figure out the following - what caused the behavior in the first place, why did it become a habit/ongoing behavior and what can we do to change it. For those of us that are completely open to new ideas and change it may sound quite simple when in fact even a person who is open to change will still fall back into old habits given the chance to do so.

Now you look at a child who may not necessarily know any differently and you come to a few conclusions as to how their behavior may have become a habit. The environment, their role models or even their peers. If someone see's someone getting something they want by doing it the wrong way, why do it the right way and risk not getting the reward.

Wikipedia states, "One of the most simple yet effective methods of functional behavioral assessment is called the "ABC" approach, where observations are made on Antecedents, Behaviors, and Consequences. In other words, "What comes directly before the behavior?", "What does the behavior look like?", and "What comes directly after the behavior?" Once enough observations are made, the data are analyzed and patterns are identified. If there are consistent antecedents and/or consequences, an intervention should target those to increase or decrease the target behavior. This method forms the core of positive behavior support for schoolchildren in both regular and special education."

As with anything else worth doing, it takes time to change a behavior. The choice to change is your decision. I have decided to further educate myself on this process and use it to not only better my children's lives but mine as well.

What choice will you make?