Our guest today is Dr. Hank Schlinger. He’s a professor at California State University in Los Angeles. Hank got into the field through working with kids with autism through his undergraduate program. He practiced ABA techniques, which were then known as behavioral modification, and the results he witnessed in the children he worked with made a lasting impact on him. Today, Hank is a successful author of several books, including “How to Build Good Behavior and Self-Esteem in Children”, which puts ABA in practical terms for readers. There’s a misconception amongst teachers and parents that bad behavior needs to be punished out of a child. It takes much more than a book or a workshop to change this perception and much more involved training is needed. It might be more helpful for agencies to shift their focus on parents and family members instead of teachers.
Parental coaching is so important, and some ABA practitioners might be averse for any number of reasons. Using a book like Dr. Schlinger’s helps provide a road map for those in the field who may struggle with helping parents understand the importance of working with behavioral techniques. We don’t place enough of an emphasis on self-esteem and how poor self-esteem can reinforce bad behavior. Whether you’re new in the field or you’re a seasoned veteran, being grounded in experimental analysis greatly helps you come up with solutions for a variety of situations. Thinking critically and problem-solving is a foundational skill and we need to do better as a field in these areas, especially when it comes to training.
What’s Inside:
- Why parental involvement and practice is so important in creating lasting behavioral changes.
- Why parent coaching should be a focus in ABA and what to do when practitioners are averse.
- How fostering positive self-esteem in children helps reinforce good behavior.
- Why critical thinking and problem-solving are foundational skills as a practitioner.
Mentioned In This Episode:
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Books:
Introduction to Scientific Psychology
A Behavior Analytic View of Child Development
How To Build Good Behavior and Self-Esteem in Children
also available at: Vroman’s Bookstore
BF Skinner and the Revolutionary Science of Behavior
