Behavior Management Techniques:
How to Manage Tough Kids
Tonya N. Davis, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Who Are Tough Kids?
• Demonstrate
• Behavior Excess
• Behavior Deficits
Who Are Tough Kids?
• Behavior Excess
• Argue
• Destruct property
• Noncompliant
• Lie
• Break rules
• Off task
• Aggressive/Fighting
• “Talk back”/Disrespectful
Who Are Tough Kids?
• Behavior Deficits
• Turn in work
• Cooperate
• Problem Solve
• Arrive to class on time
• Arrive to class prepared
• Follow class rules and routines
• Self-manage
WHO ARE YOUR TOUGH
KIDS?
CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
• Form:
– What the behavior LOOKS like.
• Function:
– What the behavior ACHIEVES.
– PURPOSE of the behavior
CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
• Form:
– What the behavior LOOKS like.
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Aggression
Lying
Getting out of seat
Noncompliance
Talking back to teacher
CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
• Function:
– What the behavior ACHIEVES.
– PURPOSE of the behavior
• Get or Obtain something
• Escape or Avoid something
FORM vs. FUNCTION
Movie Clip Examples
WHAT FUNCTIONS DO YOU
SEE WITH YOUR TOUGH
KIDS
FUNCTION:
This doesn’t make any sense!
• Most tough kids “want” consequences
that we would avoid!
• Most functions don’t “make sense” to
us!
FUNCTION:
This doesn’t make any sense!
• Kayla makes inappropriate comments
frequently throughout math class. Each
time she does, Mr. Tucker reprimands
her in front of the whole class. Kayla
continues to make inappropriate
comments.
• What do we know about Kayla?
FUNCTION:
This doesn’t make any sense!
• Michael, a second grader, fails to bring
his homework to school on a regular
basis. Each time he comes to school
with no homework, he is sent to the
principal’s office.
• What do we know about Michael?
FUNCTION:
This doesn’t make any sense!
• Abi is a tenth grade student. She very
often comes to school in clothing that
breaks school dress code. When she
does, she is required to wear the
school’s sweat suit for the rest of the
day.
• What do we know about Abi?
Positive Strategies:
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Positive Behavior Support
• Absolutely no punishment procedures!
No Punishment??
• Punishment teaches us to be very good
at NOT getting caught.
– Speeding
• Tough kids are immune to punishment
• Punishment is HARD to implement.
No Punishment??
• Parents and teachers tend to overuse
punishment
• Focus on prevention
• Focus on teaching new behaviors
Reinforcement-Based Procedures
• Reinforcement means “rewards”
• Everyone deserves to get “paid” for their
work!
– Payment varies from person to person
Reinforcement-Based Procedures
Myth Busting!
“It is wrong to use positive reinforcement
because kids should use appropriate
behavior because it is the right and
responsible thing to do.”
Reinforcement-Based Procedures
Myth Busting!
“I don’t want to bribe my child.”
Reinforcement-Based Procedures
Myth Busting!
“Using a reward system is not fair to all
students/children.”
“Fair is NOT all students getting the
same; fair is all students getting what is
needed.” ~Rick Lavoie
Choosing Rewards
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Natural
Edible
Material
Social
Natural Rewards - Elementary
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Go to the park
Go to the zoo
Visit grandma/grandpa
Choose a game to play
Watch TV
Play video game
Team captain
Play outside
Natural Rewards - Elementary
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Choose school clothes
Use of specific toys
Visit a friend
Have a friend over
Remove a chore
“Make-your-bed” pass
Head of the table
Use computer
Natural Rewards - Elementary
• Go to the library
• Family performance
• Lunch with mom/dad at
school
• Time on the phone
• “Clean-your-room” pass
• Sleepover with friend
• Take a toy to school
Natural Rewards
Middle and High School
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Have a friend over
Drop off at a movie
Drop off at the mall
Free chore pass
Drive mom/dad’s car
Visit boy/girlfriend
Out to lunch/dinner
(their choice)
Natural Rewards
Middle and High School
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Dinner choice
Video game time
TV time
Computer time
Phone time
Park in the garage
Use of cell phone
Natural Rewards
Middle and High School
• Take out choice
• Attend school sporting
event
• Attend school function
• “I don’t want to” pass
• No-dish-duty pass
• Ride to school
• Attend
dance/karate/swim/etc.
class
Natural Rewards Tips
• Don’t take away privileges for bad behavior ~ Give
privileges for good behavior!
• Examples:
– Finish your homework before dinner – you will get
30 minutes of free computer time
– For every chore you complete you will get 5
minutes of video game time
– If you and sibling play nicely 4 of 5 days you can
choose 1 friend to sleep over on Friday.
Edible
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Candy
Popcorn
Drinks
Crackers
Chips
Snack Foods
• Particularly good with very young and teens
Material
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Small toys
Stickers
Stamps
Key chains
Sunglasses
School supplies
Hackey Sack
Comic books
Books
Materials
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CD
Makeup and accessories
Bubbles
Bookmarks
Posters
Puzzles
DVD/VHS
MONEY!!
Social
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Praise
Smiles
High Fives
Attaboys
More Myth-Busting
“My child is not rewarded by ANYTHING.”
Now You Have Your Rewards...
Now You Need a Distribution
Plan
Token Economies
• For children who do not need the
immediate reward
– Most children
• Used when the actual reward cannot be
given.
• Use when the child can “wait” for the
reward.
• Tokens are exchanged for the rewards.
Token Economy Components
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Target behaviors
Tokens
Token distribution
Back-up rewards
The exchange process
Target Behaviors
• Home Rules
• A list of behaviors that will gain tokens
– Be specific
– Be clear
– Be concise
Target Behaviors
• Finish all chores before dinner
• Interact with siblings in a nice manner
without fighting or yelling
• Finish all homework before dinner
• Do anything mom or dad asks in a
respectful, timely manner
Tokens
• Objects:
– Poker chips
– Tickets
– Marbles
• Symbols:
– Check marks
– Hole punches
Tokens Rules
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Safe
Durable
Cost-efficient
Easy to distribute
Easy to store
Difficult to counterfeit
– Why?
Distribution
• Least distracting
• Children must store them somewhere
– Ideas?
Backup Rewards
• Now you have a LONG list!
• Natural rewards – Make “coupons”
Backup Rewards
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“Store” or “Menu”
Large Variety
Make rewards visible (or menu)
Smaller or less valued items should be
cheaper
Exchange System
• Have a set time and procedure for exchange:
– Do all children exchange at the same time?
– Do you have to have a certain number of
tokens?
– How long do you have at the store?
• Number One Error:
– Infrequent Exchange
Now Let’s Add
Some Fun!
Instead of Collecting Tokens...
• Each child has a connect the dots!
Instead of Collecting Tokens...
• Erase a picture together
• M-A-K-E T-H-E B-E-D
Instead of Collecting Tokens...
• Draw a picture together
• Spell together:
– N-O C-H-O-R-E-S O-N F-R-I-D-A-Y
Instead of A Store (or Menu)...
1 Hour of TV
Go To
Park
Go To Movie
with a Friend
Sleepover
Dinner
Choice
30
Minutes
of
Phone
30 Minutes of
Computer
Instead of Collecting Tokens...
• Play the lottery with siblings (or parents)
• When you get a “ticket ” – put your name on it
and put it in the jar.
• At the end of the day, lottery drawing for
winners.
• Winners get to choose items out of the store/off
the menu.
Group Contingencies:
How to get the children on YOUR
side?
• Whole group contingency:
– Every child must get a certain number of tokens for
EVERYONE to get the reward.
• Example:
– If everyone has 5 or more tokens, then no one has
to do chores tonight.
– If everyone has 10 points, then we go to the movies
on Saturday.
Group Contingencies:
Mystery Motivator
• How to play:
– The reward is hidden in an envelope.
– The calendar marks the days that the reward is
available.
– Every children must get a certain number of tokens
for the mystery motivator.
– At the end of the day, if the children have enough
tokens, they get to see if it is a mystery motivator
day.
Group Contingencies More Variations:
How to get the children on YOUR side?
• Best with four or more children
• Team contingency:
– Children compete to see who can get more points.
– Children compete to see who can reach a pre-set
criterion first.
• Example:
– The first team with 20 tokens gets to choose dinner.
– The team with the most tokens gets to watch TV
after dinner.
Group Contingencies:
How to get the children on YOUR side?
• Star Child contingency:
– Everyone’s reward depends on the star child.
– Everyone collects tokens during the day, but at the
end of the day, we draw a child’s name. If he/she
has enough tokens, everyone gets the reward.
• Example:
– If the star child has at least ten tokens, everyone can
play video games after dinner.
Questions?
Tonya Davis
Tonya_Davis@baylor.edu